The light wasn’t great on this one, but I liked the outstretched wings of this Madagascar flying fox just after it came in to roost. Shouldn’t be a surprise from the picture, that flying foxes are actually bats — the largest in the world. They also go by the name of fruit bats. Their diet consists mostly of juice from fruits that they squeeze into their mouths. This one was part of a colony of about a hundred, roosting high in the trees of Berenty Reserve in the south of Madagascar. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm 5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/125th of a second
This is a male long-tailed meadowlark that I photographed on Carcass Island in the Falkland Islands. The blurred out yellow in the background is the gorse flowers that were growing all over the island when I was there. The female long-tailed meadowlarks are less colorful in appearance than the males, but they excel in other areas, such as nest building. They construct their nests in the tall grass, close to the ground. This allows them to exit the nest by first descending to the ground and then walking six or so feet before taking to the air. They arrive back at their nests in the same manner — landing in the grass six feet out and then hoofing it the rest of the way. They do this so that would-be predators can’t find their nests. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/1000th of a second
I was only able to get out to the desert for one night while in Los Angeles for business last week. I was hoping for bighorn sheep in Anza-Borrego State Park so I got up very early for a pre-sunrise hike through Palm Canyon. The hike was spectacular, but the animals were nowhere to be found. I saw a few birds, a couple of antelope squirrels and only a single jackrabbit (usually I see lots of jackrabbits at this location). But I did stumble upon this curious little insect. At first I thought it was just a tiny piece of cotton-y plant blowing around in the sand. Upon closer look, however, I realized that it was a hairy insect. I had no idea what kind, but I mounted my macro lens to my camera and got up nice and close. The insect, which I have now identified as a thistledown velvet ant, was moving very quickly so it was difficult to get proper shots with the narrow depth of field afforded by the macro. I was able to get a few keepers, however, including this extreme close up. These guys (or should I say girls — this is the female) are very small. About the size of the average ant, but apparently, despite the name, they aren’t ants at all, but rather wasps. In fact, they are known to deliver quite a painful sting so I was glad that I never handled it and had my lens blocking my hands. From what I’ve read, the white hairs are a camouflage adaptation to look like creosote bush seeds. Certainly fooled me — for a while at least. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/10 at 1/250th of a second
This mountain goat kid was enjoying the view, up above the clouds on Mount Evans near Denver, Colorado. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 800, f/20 at 1/160th of a second
It has come to my attention that yesterday was “Wild Koala Day.” I figured better a day late than not at all. So here is a koala that I met back in 2007 on Kangaroo Island in Australia. He/She was enjoying a eucalyptus snack… Like always. Hope you had a great day, koala, and that it was appropriately wild. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm lens, f/5.6 at 1/80th of a second
The silver gull is the most common gull in Australia, being present in all six states. These two were photographed in Freycinet National Park in Tasmania, and as you can see they were attempting to make the species even more common. When you’re a silver gull, there’s nothing quite like a little pluck to the head feathers to show how much you care. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second
I spent quite a bit of time with this troop of stump-tailed macaques on the Malay Peninsula of Thailand. They were very accepting of my presence and I was able to get quite a few intimate portraits, such as this nursing mother and her baby. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Monarch Butterflies take part in one of the longest migrations in the world. They travel up to 2,500 miles. Those east of the Rocky Mountains will winter in Mexico, while those west of the Rockies winter along the central California coast. They return to the same exact trees each year — in fir trees in Mexico and in eucalyptus trees in California — even though different butterflies are doing the migrating each year. These particular monarchs are part of the western migration. I photographed them in Pismo Beach, California a few years back, early in the morning when they were still clustered together on tree branches. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
As mentioned before on this blog, there are a staggering variety of lemurs in Madagascar. Some are strictly nocturnal while others are only active during the day. Then there’s the red-bellied lemur. It is what is known as cathemeral — which means equally active in the day and night. This little guy is a young one that I encountered in the town of Tamatave on the east coast of Madagascar. Nikon D40x with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 48mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash
This is the time of year that chipmunks seem to come out of nowhere. That nowhere is actually hibernation. Much like bears, they spend the cold winter months bedded down in their burrows. This chipmunk was enjoying the warmer weather in Washington’s Olympic National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second
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The light wasn’t great on this one, but I liked the outstretched wings of this Madagascar flying fox just after it came in to roost. Shouldn’t be a surprise from the picture, that flying foxes are actually bats — the largest in the world. They also go by the name of fruit bats. Their diet consists mostly of juice from fruits that they squeeze into their mouths. This one was part of a colony of about a hundred, roosting high in the trees of Berenty Reserve in the south of Madagascar.
