A couple of polar bears crossing paths early in the morning at Seal River in northern Alberta, Canada. The bears congregate on the shoreline in October, passing the time however they can while waiting for Hudson Bay to freeze over so that they can go out and hunt for seals. It might look warm, but the wind chill was -27 degrees Fahrenheit that day.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 78mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2000th of a second
This is an eastern mud turtle that I photographed on a trip to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware a few years back. For small creatures like this, I always like to get the camera on the ground if I can to really blur out the foreground and background and isolate the subject.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second
This lovely wood duck goes out to my lovely wife on this, our 5-year (wood) anniversary.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
This little guy is called a Linnaeus’s mouse opossum. I think. Definitely a mouse opossum, but there are several different species. I took the photograph in the Pampas region of Bolivia. Like all opossums, this species is strictly nocturnal, getting its rest during the day in either a tree hole, an old bird’s nest or simply under a bunch of twigs on a tree branch.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units
The white-necked jacobin is just one of the many hummingbirds I was able to photograph on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. This species ranges from Mexico on down to Brazil and prefers to stay at canopy level, rarely coming down lower unless feeders are put out. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to climb a tree to get photographs — the grounds at the Asa Wright Nature Center are fully stocked with feeders in and around the main lodge. Asa Wright is a beautiful place situated up in the forested highlands of the island and is considered one of the world’s top spots for birders.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Any leftover light from the day was just about gone when we came upon this leopard resting on a termite mound in the Linyanti concession of Botswana. I used two flash units, a long(ish) exposure and a high ISO to capture the moment just before she set off on a hunt.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 86mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/15th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Botswana can be a challenge photographically at times with all the dried shrubbery and branches. Especially difficult when the sun gets high in the sky. But in this instance — with that sun starting to set and plenty of color in the evening sky — I really liked the tangle of all that scrub brush and the giraffe and sun above it all.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/500th of a second
Here’s a species that I don’t post often but have photographed on numerous occasions. The collared peccary, one of three peccary species, ranges from the southern United States, down into South America. I photographed this one late one afternoon in La Selva, Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/100th of a second
Yesterday I posted two crabs photographed down on the shoreline of Santa Cruz island in the Galapagos. This barn owl was photographed on the same island, but inland and way up in the highlands. He/she was perched just outside our tent, curiously watching us for awhile before flying off.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
These are Sally Lightfoot crabs. That I do know. What I’m not sure about is whether or not they’re fighting or involved in some sort of mating dance. If you notice, little fella has the big fella’s eye in a bit of a claw clamp. I know that they do perform a mating dance, just not sure if the eye grab is part of the process. These two were doing there thing on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos Islands atop the characteristic lava rock of many of the islands in the archipelago.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/6400th of a second