These two warthogs appeared to be trying to out ugly each other. Actually, I think warthogs are quite elegant in all their hairy-faced glory and these two were most likely just having a bit of a territorial dispute. They were photographed in Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor (200-400mm lens) at 270mm, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.
I took this photograph years ago in Australia. There’s an island just south of Adelaide called Kangaroo Island and if you’re a wildlife lover, it’s a must see on any itinerary. It’s also great for landscape shots, especially at the tip of the island at a place appropriately called the Remarkable Rocks. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35 mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/22 at 1/13th of a second/
Another one for the bear fans. This mom was wading through the shallow water at low tide in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska, trying to get a better angle on breakfast. Her two cubs can be seen out of focus in the background waiting for their share of fresh caught salmon. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/2000th of second.
The hamerkop is a fairly common bird throughout much of Africa, but still a good find when you come across one. They get their name from the hammer-like shape of their head. They are generalists when it comes to diet, but prefer fish and amphibians and they can often be seen wading in flooded areas of the savanna. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
There are estimated to be about 425 species of lizard in the genus anolis — all distributed throughout the Americas, mostly in Central and South America. Although — as is often the case when it comes to species classification — there is some debate that many of them should be split into different genera, thus leaving about 45 true anolis species. Sometimes they get more than one name too. This one is the many scaled anole, but also goes by the Golfo-Dulce anole, native to the Golf of Dulce in southwestern Costa Rica. All very confusing. I just liked the way it popped its head into the spot of light. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
I had some nice late-day light when this giant river otter swam past my boat in the Pantanal of Brazil. Unlike most other members of the mustelid family, these otters are highly social and live in large groups — sometimes as many as twenty individuals, although usually about eight or so. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens and 1.4 teleconverter (for 550mm) ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second.
When you’re a red-billed oxpecker, romance can happen anywhere. Including the back of a cape buffalo. Oxpeckers are actually a very common site on most big game in east Africa, including zebras, giraffes and impala. It’s sort of a blessing and a curse for the mammals. The oxpeckers have a voracious appetite for blood-engorged ticks and they will eat up to a 100 a day — a good thing. But they will also skip the middle man when the opportunity arises and peck directly at the buffalo’s blood, thus keeping open wounds from healing. This buffalo and his tenants were photographed in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second.
The last six months have proven difficult to capture new photos to post. I became unemployed for the first time in fifteen years last month (if anyone has any leads for a trusted Executive Creative Director at either an ad agency or client side, please send them my way) and my wife is going into her sixth month battling a nasty form of Lyme Disease. Not exactly the time to be flying to the far corners of the globe. But there’s always my backyard. A close-in suburb of New York City, it’s certainly not a hotbed of wildlife activity. Most days it’s just the usual northern cardinals, tufted titmice and blue jays, but today this barred owl paid a visit. S(he) napped for the better part of the morning, but was eventually driven off by the constant circling of a red-tailed hawk. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
This water hole wasn’t too far from the camp I was staying at in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. The first few days we had seen quite a few antelope species stopping for a drink, but then finally the big boys showed up. This guy filled up for quite awhile and as soon as he got up to leave, a second big-maned male walked up and took his spot. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/400th of a second.
Not that I have any complaints about our Eastern grays or American reds, but squirrels in other parts of the world can be pretty cool. This is the Malayan giant squirrel (also known as the black giant squirrel). S(he) was hanging around in a tree by my tent in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. They range throughout a good portion of Southeast Asia and live up to there name with a total body length — from nose to tip of tail — that can reach four feet. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.