A coastal brown bear sets out on an early morning stroll. She was heading to a prime fishing spot at low tide, hoping for a breakfast of silver salmon for her and her two cubs. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Happy Thanksgiving everyone (a day early as I’ll be taking a quick break until Monday). This is a great curassow, or as they are locally known in Costa Rica — a jungle turkey. Photographed not far from Costa Rica’s capital of San José, at La Selva Biological Reserve. This is the male of the species. The females are more reddish in color and lack the yellow knob on the beak. They make up for it, however, with a much more ornamental crest.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/40th of a second
I love Australia for many reasons. But mostly it’s the wombats. I mean, c’mon. Look at this chubby little fur ball just enjoying the afternoon on a blanket of freshly chewed grass. You eat a little, you rest a little, and then you eat some more. Taken on Maria Island on the island state of Tasmania.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
There’s a whole lot of Galápagos going on in this tight framing — a Galápagos sea lion pup, a marine iguana and a Sally lightfoot crab there in the background. Three of the most iconic residents of this amazing place. All three can be found on most of the islands in the archipelago — and in great abundance. This was on Santiago Island, one of the many islands composed primarily of black, volcanic rock.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/500th of a second
I was reading an article yesterday that several giraffe species have ended up on the endangered species list, and all giraffes — like so many other animals these days — are at risk. Of those listed, was the reticulated giraffe. I saw many of these awesome creatures in Kenya a few years back. Here, a reticulated giraffe munches on the thorny branches of an acacia tree. I usually like to celebrate the diversity of our world’s wildlife with my blog posts, but according to a study by the World Wildlife Fund in 2014, more than 52% of all the animals in the world have disappeared in the last 40 years. I don’t think people realize just how dire this situation has become and we all need reminding every now and again. Especially because it’s not just about having nice animals around to look at, but also the fact that our ultimate survival depends on theirs.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
The dusky langur was one of two species of langur that I photographed while camping in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. This guy I spotted in a dark forest through trunks of bamboo. I had to crank up the ISO to 3200 and still could only manage 1/50th of a second shutter speed. Luckily the langur wasn’t moving around much and I kind of liked the resultant grainy quality of the image.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/50th of a second
This grand massif of mountains in Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonia provides a nice backdrop for a puma out surveying her territory late in the afternoon.
Nikon 500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second
The Rocky Mountain elk has the largest antlers of all the elk subspecies in North America. In springtime and throughout the summer, the antlers continue to grow and are covered in velvet. Eventually, they’ll shed the velvet and then the antlers themselves. This guy had been sleeping in the grass and all I saw were those great big antlers until he woke up.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/200th of a second
I was in a small boat traveling upriver when we spotted this panther chameleon crawling through the reeds near the town of Maroansetra in Madagascar. Almost half the world’s chameleons live in Madagascar, with many of those species existing nowhere else on earth.
Nikon D40X with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 38mm) ISO 200, f/4.8 at 1/320th of a second
This bear has plans. Big plans. But he’s just going to think about them for awhile longer before taking action. Photographed at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, Minnesota.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second