Eastern grey kangaroos, known locally as foresters, stop to check me out, beneath a colorful sky in the open grasslands of Narawantapu National Park in Tasmania, Australia.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 110mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/100th of a second
A few weeks ago I posted a white-fronted brown lemur photographed on the small island of Nosy Mangabe, just off the much larger island of Madagascar to which it belongs. Here’s another of the colorful locals from Nosy Mangabe. This time a small tree frog called the green-backed mantella. Unfortunately, this beauty is endangered due to habitat loss. It is also popular in the pet trade, although highly regulated due to its conservation status.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) with Canon 500D close up filter attached, ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
A topi mother and her calf continue to graze as the sun sets on the Masai Mara of Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
Looks like this striated caracara is lining that penguin egg up for a shot on goal. In fact, the caracara was having a hard time cracking the egg open and was kicking it around like a soccer ball. You can see the out-of-focus gentoo penguin colony in the back. This was on Saunders Island in the Falklands at a place called The Spit. In this one area of the island, five different penguin species can be seen, along with albatross and many other birds like the two species of caracara that live there.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second
Sometimes you just need a funny-faced monkey to start the day. That’s it. Photographed down on the Malay Peninsula in Thailand
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
The Falkland steamer duck is one of two endemic birds to the Falkland Islands. It is also flightless. But as you can see here, it’s not afraid to mess around in the surf. It uses its short wings as paddles, much like penguins using theirs as fins.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second
This mom and her two cubs were just finishing up a morning of fishing. They walked about another 100 yards before plopping down for a group nap. Photographed in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 105mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second
Here’s another one from the Linyanti Concession of Botswana. This time a spotted hyena, spotlit with a flashlight early one morning. There were about five hyenas, playing in a flooded area of the savanna. I didn’t have enough light to capture the action without a flash, but I also wanted to try a few shots with just the flashlight to bring out the ambient light of early morning. I used a very high ISO and a very low shutter speed to get the proper exposure. But at 1/25th of a second, there’s a bit of motion blur, but I think that just adds to the mood.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/25th of a second
It was just past sunset in Botswana when we came upon two cheetahs atop a termite mound, surveying the savanna for prey. After a few minutes, they darted off after a herd (or dazzle) of zebra but were ultimately unsuccessful. Cheetahs have a kill rate of more than 50%, which is highest among the African cats.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
A wood duck drake struts along from one pond to another in Reifel Bird Sanctuary just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second