Ringtail lemurs love to bask in the early morning warmth of the sun. This little guy was doing what they do best — sitting in an almost meditative way, waiting for the sun to rise. Shot in southern Madagascar at Berenty Reserve.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 185mm) ISO 100, f/2.8 at 1/1000th of a second
Marmots can often be spotted at high altitude chowing down alpine wildflowers. This species is the hoary marmot, photographed at Mount Rainer National Park amidst the wild blue lupine.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second
Earlier in the week I posted a wide shot of a coastal brown bear hunting silver salmon at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Here’s a close up.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
These two snow monkeys were clearly not buying what I was putting down. Photographed at the Jigokudani Hot Spring near Nagano, Japan.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 125mm) ISO 200, f/4.5 at 1/1000th of a second
Long-crested eagles — aptly named for the long crest that extends backward from the top of their heads — are found throughout much of sub-Sahara Africa. I photographed this one in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. They are opportunistic hunters although their favorite prey by far is rodents. Unlike many other raptors that scan the ground as they fly above, long-crested eagles are known as “sit and wait” hunters as they will patiently wait for food to come to them. It would appear that this guy is doing just that.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/400th of as second
Here’s the other pinniped species that lives in the Galápagos Islands — the Galápagos fur seal. Unlike the sea lions, which were everywhere, I didn’t see too many of the fur seals, and they were a bit more skittish to our presence. This guy was having a good nap atop the, presumably, comfortable lava rocks of Santiago Island.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second
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