Just a common raccoon doing what raccoons do. This one was spotted in Key Biscayne, Florida creeping around a campground at the end of the day in search of scraps.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of as second
The grey-cheeked mangabey is an old world monkey that lives in the forests of central Africa. I encountered this one in Kibale National Park in Uganda, the eastern edge of its range. They resemble baboons, but if you look at this guy’s face, you’ll see they also resemble the Grinch.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/200th of a second
This mother cheetah appears to be giving her cub some sage advice. We watched these two — and a second cub — for about an hour as they settled down for the night in the tall grasses of the Masai Mara in Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
The marabou stork isn’t going to win any beauty contests. But… they’re still kind of cool looking in a Mad Magazine “Spy Vs Spy” kind of way. Sometimes they are called the undertaker bird because of their black, cloak-like feathers on their backs. They are very large and like to hang out near human habitation, especially where there is plenty of delicious garbage to forage on. They live in much of sub-Sahara Africa. This one was photographed in Uganda at Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second
A mother koala and her joey taking it easy after a hard day of eating eucalyptus. That’s pretty much the life of a koala — sleep, sleep, eat leaves, sleep, sleep, sleep. It was nice to catch both with their eyes open at Hanson Bay on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second
This polar bear seemed to be enjoying the arctic breeze on a beautifully freezing day in northern Manitoba, Canada.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second
In honor of the World Champion Red Sox from Boston — a couple of red-footed boobies from Ecuador. This mated pair were building their nest on Genovesa Island in the Galapagos. You can just see a bit of those characteristic bright red feet. Way to go Bosox.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
The American Marten, also known as the American Pine Marten, ranges throughout most of northern North America. They are in the weasel family of mustelids and about the same size as a mink. I photographed this one just outside of the northeast entrance to Yellowstone. I wish the background wasn’t a cut pile of wood, but I’ll take it as martens can be elusive and hard to spot despite their healthy numbers.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
This is an old one from my film days. This dalmatian-coated harbor seal was enjoying the weather atop a rock just south of Monterey. I’m not sure of the camera settings as it was pre-digital for me, but most likely I was using my old 600mm manual focus f/5.6 lens and my Nikon F100 camera.
The black rhinoceros is classified as Critically Endangered. Several localized sub-species of the black rhino have already gone extinct. Thankfully, places like Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya are doing a great job to save both the black and the slightly less endangered white rhino. I look forward to getting back and photographing them again some day soon.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second