It’s been brought to my attention that today (well, by the time of this posting, yesterday) is World Penguin Day. Couldn’t miss the opportunity to post another of the friendly locals from the Falkland Islands. This is a gentoo penguin, up and at it very early in the morning at Volunteer Point.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/1000th of a second
As I pack my bags for a work trip out to California to shoot a few peanut butter commercials, I was reminded of a similar shot a couple of years back when I had a day off and decided, of course, to go look for wildlife. I was in San Bernardino and I simply looked at the map for green space. This brought me to Box Springs Canyon State Park in Moreno Valley. I didn’t know what I’d find, but was happy to stumble upon the only place in the US where wild burros roam free on anything other than federal land. They were all over the hillsides, as were yellow springtime flowers. For this particular shot, I was hiding (kind of) behind a flowering bush as one of the burros stared back at me.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/500th of a second
This Asian elephant was enjoying a mid-day dip in a river near Tangkahan National Park in Sumatra. These elephants are the largest land mammals in southeast Asia, although still not quite as big as the African bush elephants.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second
I think this guy is a Parson’s chameleon but not sure. There are quite a few different species of chameleons in Madagascar. In fact, half the world’s 150 different species can be found there. Parson’s chameleons, of which there are two subspecies, are among the largest. They can grow to more than two feet in length.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 80mm), Canon 500D close up filter, ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash
This lovely beast isn’t actually called a hairy-eared hippo, but he/she is quite obviously a hippo with rather hairy ears. I photographed him/her in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. Hippos, of course, are herbivores but still have the reputation of being among the most deadly animals in Africa due to their territorial aggression.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second
This tiny little lion cub kept leaving his mother to get a better look at us. He’d make a bit of a half-hearted charge and then return back to her. We were in the Olare Orok Conservancy which is a private concession on the northern border of the Masai Mara in Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second
Here’s another shot from my recent trip down to Florida, and the town of Cape Coral, which has become well known for its rather conspicuous burrowing owl population. That’s mom in the background to the right. There were actually three almost-full-grown chicks but the third was hidden behind these two siblings.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second
Time for the annual bunny post on Easter. This little cottontail was photographed late one afternoon in Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Hope everyone had a great day.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Sometimes you can get close. This was a one-year old leopard we observed stalking a pangolin for about three hours. I previously posted about the encounter at this link. We were obviously able to get very close, and I used my long lens (and a generous crop) to zoom in on the leopard’s eyes for this tight portrait.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/160th of a second
The elephant on the left was very small. It was calling to what was probably a sibling or cousin. I say that because although it may look like the mother, it was actually a young, rather small elephant in its own right. The baby had lost the tip of its trunk, most likely the victim of a predator, but perhaps it was a birth defect. Either way, the little guy seemed to have no problem getting along. We watched as it drank from a water hole and ate grass alongside the much larger members of the herd.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second