It’s easy to see why these lizards are often referred to as the Spiderman lizard. The more common common name is the red-headed agama lizard, also known as the red-headed rock agama. This one was taking in the sun atop a rock in the Masai Mara of Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/400th of a second
Florida’s Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge may sound weird, but it is well known as one of the country’s top birding spots. You never know what you’ll find on any given trip. Sometimes spoonbills, sometimes owls, sometimes green herons. The green heron isn’t exactly green as you can see but it does have a bit of green on the feathers. This little guy (and they are little for herons) seemed to have just a face growing out of that maroon chest.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/250th of a second
I went to visit my father this weekend up on Cape Cod and we got out on a boat on Sunday to do a bit of seal watching. It was grey and overcast, which ended up being perfect conditions to photograph the resident population of grey seals. The scientific name for the grey seal is Halichoerus grypus, which means hooked-nosed sea pig. I’ll upload a few profile shots in a future post to show the characteristic hooked nose. For now, I liked the soft grey of the water surrounding the seal in the first shot and the detail of the face in the second. The seal population has really swelled on Cape Cod in recent years. Especially the grey seals, but also harbor seals. And of course, along with that — more sharks.
Top Photo — Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second
Bottom Photo — Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
As the weather heats up, thought it would be a good time to post another polar bear. This guy appeared to be catching snowflakes on his tongue, although he was really just giving his paws a good lick.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
This squirrel monkey looked like he was going incognito in a black wig with matching goatee. Cute little guy, nonetheless. I took the photo from a canoe while on Lake Chalalan in Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second
Venice Rookery in Florida is one of the best places in the country to photograph wading birds like great egrets, blue herons, night herons and anhingas. The birds spend all day collecting nesting material and flying back to the rookery with branches in their beaks. Flight shots are easily had. That said, I preferred this photo of two egrets back at the nest showing each other a little love. They were in full breeding plumage with their green lores surrounding their eyes.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/1000th of a second
I was, obviously, directly above this spectacled caiman as it lurked in the muddy waters of the Yucama River in the Pampas region of Bolivia. I remember it being a scorching hot day, and I was enjoying just a hint of a breeze as I stood on a small bridge that spanned the river.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/1250th of a second
This one goes out to my frog-loving sister who celebrates her birthday today. Another of the many great frogs that I had the pleasure of meeting in the forests of Madagascar. I didn’t get the common name on this one (if it even has one) but according to my guide, the scientific name is Mantidactylus bicalcaratus. Photographed along a trail in Andasibe-Mantadia National Park.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 145mm) with Canon 500D close up filter attached, ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
Here’s one from my first trip to Australia back in 2006. I saw a few different species of kangaroo on that trip, including the red kangaroo. This mother and her joey were grazing late in the day near Flinders Ranges National Park in the state of southern Australia. My old manual 600mm f/5.6 lens really created a nice smooth bokeh when the conditions were right with all that out of focus foreground and background and the soft late day light.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second
Just a simple ostrich portrait for a Friday. The facts: The ostrich is the largest bird species on the planet. They can’t fly. The myths: They hide their head in the sand when frightened. This ostrich was doing his best to avoid the flies (obviously not good enough) in the Linyanti Concession of Botswana.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second