The tropical kingbird is another of the species I photographed recently in Guyana. These are very common birds, ranging from the southern United States on down through most of South America. But what I like in this shot is the choice of perch. Lotus pods are what remains after the flowers have bloomed and the petals have fallen off. Each of those holes contains a seed. From what I understand, the seeds can remain viable for hundreds of years — in fact, seeds have been known to germinate 1300 years after formation. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
Hoary marmots can often be seen wrestling each other up on Mount Rainier in Washington. It’s more of a social interaction than anything else among younger marmots. I took this one quite a few years ago on a trip to several of National Parks in the Pacific Northwest. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
Unlike most other penguin species that live in colonies, Magellanic penguins live in burrows. In the foreground of this photo a Magellanic emerges from its burrow while in the background, king penguins go about their penguin-y business in their colony. I saw a lot of hillsides in the Falkland Islands that were the sole domain of the Magellanics, but also came across a few situations like this with the species coexisting. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 180mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second.
We always see spotted hyenas on our Kenya trips, sometimes more sightings than others. On our trip last June they were around at dawn and dusk, lurking about looking for something to scavenge. Hyenas will also make their own kills from time to time, but they definitely weren’t built for speed. The force of their bite, however, makes up for any lack of agility. The Lion King didn’t do much for their popularity, but I’m a fan. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 12800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.
Usually I like to see the heads of my wildlife subjects, but in this case I made an exception. This is an American flamingo, photographed in the Galápagos Islands. It’s the only flamingo with a natural range that includes both North America and the Neotropical realm. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
Here’s another shot of the mother giant anteater with her pup. I was downwind so they had no idea I was there and they walked right past. Having a silent shutter really came in handy. Photographed in the Rupununi savanna of Guyana. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
I found some more footage of cheetah cubs from last year’s trip to Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. The four cubs were watching and learning as mom set out on a hunt. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, 4k at 120fps.
There are about thirty species of parrot in the genus Amazona, collectively known as the Amazon parrots. They are medium sized parrots with short tails and predominantly green feathers with areas of bright coloration. They range from South America up into Mexico and the Caribbean islands. This is the Festive Amazon, photographed in Guyana on my recent trip. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 2200, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.
In less than a month now we’ll be back in Kenya hoping to have a few more encounters like this particular morning in Samburu National Reserve. I was able to use my inverted monopod/remote trigger technique to get the camera on the ground with a relatively wide lens. And of course stay safe from one of the most powerful creatures on earth. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 59mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.
The spotted puffbird ranges throughout a large swath of northern South America. There are about 34 species of puffbird. They get their name due to the habit of puffing their feathers out while perched. This one was photographed in the Rupununi region of Guyana. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.
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The tropical kingbird is another of the species I photographed recently in Guyana. These are very common birds, ranging from the southern United States on down through most of South America. But what I like in this shot is the choice of perch. Lotus pods are what remains after the flowers have bloomed and the petals have fallen off. Each of those holes contains a seed. From what I understand, the seeds can remain viable for hundreds of years — in fact, seeds have been known to germinate 1300 years after formation. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
