The Falkland steamer duck is one of just two birds endemic to the Falkland Islands. It also happens to be flightless. This particular steamer duck was out for a morning stroll along the shoreline of Sea Lion Island, most likely looking for a little breakfast.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/1250th of a second
I’ve been in a frog kind of mood lately. And of all the tree frogs out there, none are quite as iconic as the red-eyed tree frog. I was lucky enough to see quite a few of these guys just outside of the lodge I was staying at in Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica. As far as tree frogs go, the red-eyed is pretty large. And obviously, spectacularly adorned with all that color. This guy was calling for a mate just after nightfall.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 116mm) with Canon 500D close up filter, ISO 400, f/20 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units
After a long day at sea, rockhopper penguins appreciate a good shower. The competition at this particular shower spot on Saunders Island in the Falklands can get quite intense. For the moment, this rockhopper has won water rights, but those others waiting in line won’t remain patient for long.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
It’s been awhile since I posted an orangutan, so here’s a double shot of two of them — a mother and her baby from Tanjung Puting National Park in Indonesia. Both photos were shot wide angle at 17mm (I just backed up a bit for the first) so you can see how comfortable they were with my presence.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/250th of a second
I found these tent-making bats roosting under the broad leaves of a palm tree in a parking lot in Panama (albeit, a parking lot to a park). The bats get their name from the tents that they construct out of leaves, which they then roost under during the day in order to stay dry. There were probably forty of these bats in this single tree.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/125th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
There is an incredibly wide variety of lemurs to be found in Madagascar. From the pygmy mouse lemur, which can fit inside an egg, to the indri, which stands about three feet tall. There are lemurs that meow like cats and others that snort like pigs. There are some with blue eyes and others with orange eyes. They come in all shapes, sizes and colors — 100 or so different species in all. But perhaps the most striking is the diademed sifaka. This lemur has a luxurious coat of orange, black and white, with ruby red eyes and a face that looks like it’s made from the finest black patent leather. I only saw two diademed sifakas. One in the wilds of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park and another on Lemur Island, a reserve of rescued lemurs that roam free, but are quite habituated to humans. I was on the island just after sunset when I encountered this friendly guy.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
The pileated woodpecker may or may not be the largest woodpecker in North America. It all depends on if there are any ivory-billed woodpeckers out there. There have been many sightings, but none verified since the 1940s, which is why the ivory-billed is listed as “critically endangered/possibly extinct.” But this post is about the pileated, a fine creature in its own right. I photographed this cooperative bird several years back in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/500th of a second
This is a very rare frog that I photographed at the Peyrieras Reptile Reserve in central Madagascar. It is highly endangered due to its very limited distribution and the pressures put on the small areas that it does exist. It is also threatened by over collection by the pet trade. The brilliant color of the golden mantella is thought to be a form of aposematism — which is basically the reverse of camouflage. The bright color is a warning to would-be predators to stay away because the frog is highly toxic.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
Here’s another northern tamandua from Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. These guys are a medium-sized anteater with a prehensile tail. Unlike giant anteaters, tamanduas climb trees, where they spend about 40% of their time. They have a tongue that is well developed to lap up their favorite cuisine — which of course is ants — and they have an unusually long claw on both forefeet, enabling them to rip through wood to find those ants.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
Penguins are everywhere in the Falkland Islands. And macaroni penguins are the most numerous species of penguin in the world. But there aren’t many macaroni penguins in the Falklands. In fact, I only saw a total of four of them in two weeks — always mixed in amongst colonies of rockhopper penguins. This lone macaroni (the one on the right with the nice yellow locks) was mixing it up with all the rockhoppers. From what I was told, the macaroni is a female and the male rockhoppers found her exotic look appealing. They were all trying to “get with her.” The scrum was mostly rockhopper against rockhopper, all vying for the prize, but in the process she was getting knocked around too. Being a bit larger in size than the rockhoppers, she was clearly holding her own. But you can see that the two species are quite similar, although there is a clear difference in size, shape and those yellow strands of hair.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second