Just a simple shot of a simple bird doing its thing. This is a rufous-chested dotterel, also known as the rufous-chested plover. It is a South American bird that breeds in Chile, Argentina and the Falkland Islands. In winter it can be found as far north as Peru. I photographed this one on Sea Lion Island in the Falklands.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/1250th of a second
Pikas are closely related to rabbits, although smaller than the average rabbit and with shorter ears. There are several species living in mountainous regions of Asia and North America. This is the American pika. It lives in boulder fields at or above the tree line. Spotted at Mount Evans in Colorado.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/250th of a second
This is the first platypus I had the pleasure of photographing. It was my first trip to Australia back in 2006. Platypus can be notoriously shy and elusive creatures so I was quite excited when I not only captured a photograph of this guy, but actually habituated him to my presence after about an hour or so of sitting by the edge of a pond in Flinders Ranges National Park on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. There was no one else around for the entire hour/hour and a half that I spent with the platypus. He/she kept diving and resurfacing, never still for a moment, making it a challenge as I was shooting with a 600mm manual focus lens back in those days.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second
There are ten species of cat-eyed snake. I believe this one to be the northern cat-eyed snake. You can see where they get their name with that vertical pupil. Cat-eyed snakes are venomous, but the toxicity level is very low and only dangerous to very small prey. I came across this guy in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica but they range as far north as southern Texas.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Last Friday I posted a pademelon mom and her joey. This is a proper kangaroo and her joey — the eastern grey kangaroo, known locally in Tasmania as the forester. I saw probably fifty or sixty of these guys late afternoon in Narawantapu National Park on the northern border of Tasmania.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/80th of a second
About five years ago, I posted a closer crop of this mother reticulated giraffe and her baby. Here’s a wider view which I think I now like better. I was in Kenya in November, the time of the short rains, which meant plenty of great clouds and lush green rolling hills — the perfect backdrop for all the great wildlife.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/1600th of a second
With my 15 millimeter fisheye lens, I was able to capture the three main groups of rockhopper penguins that live in this colony on Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands. It was great to have this place completely to myself when I visited in October of 2014.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 200, f/18 at 1/100th of a second
Mouse lemurs are one of the smallest primates in the world, although the gray mouse lemur is the largest of the mouse lemurs. Still, they measure just ten inches in length, half of which is the tail, and weigh about two ounces. They are strictly nocturnal and quick little guys so were difficult to photograph. This one stopped for just a second to check me out and I was able to get the shot. Like all lemurs, they are found only in Madagascar and the surrounding islands.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash
I believe this to be a female Brewer’s blackbird, but can’t be sure. Regardless, she had quite a scowl on her face as she stared me down from her perch in the vegetation above the oceanside cliffs in Santa Cruz, California.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/200th of a second
Macropods are any of the marsupials in the kangaroo family. Pademelons are very small macropods. This mother and her joey were foraging along the side of the road in Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania. I used the light from my car’s headlights to illuminate the animals as daylight quickly turned into night.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/40th of a second