Nine-banded armadillos are quite common in Florida, but they can be difficult to photograph. They don’t have very good eyesight, but they have a great sense of smell and hearing. I spotted quite a few on Merritt Island, but would have to approach upwind to take care of the smell problem, and then quietly get into place to take care of the hearing issue. This involved getting as low as possible to get the best vantage point of these smallish mammals. The other challenge is photographing them with their eyes open, as they tend to be closed most of the time. It all came together nicely for this shot. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second
In a bit of a role reversal from what we are used to, at Seal River Lodge in northern Manitoba, Canada, the humans are the ones caged in while the polar bears roam free. While not out on guided hikes, guests are free to view and photograph bears from the safety of a fenced in backyard. Bears are often just outside the fence, attracted by all the interesting smells coming from the lodge and its guests. This large male was peering over the raised viewing platform inside that backyard. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second
As the sun starts to rise on the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana, the meerkats start to wake up and begin playing just outside their burrows. Soon thereafter, they head out into the desert for a day of foraging for insects. This little guy was taking a quick break to check out his reflection in my wide angle zoom lens. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 22mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/640th of a second
This is a black-collared hawk. You can see the black collar from which it gets its name. They usually build their nests near water and eat mostly fish, but also snails, water bugs, lizards and rodents. They live throughout Central and South America. I photographed this one from a boat while exploring a small river in the Pantanal of Brazil. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/125th of a second
On the final morning of my second trip to Botswana, I met this solo giraffe surveying the landscape as the sun was quickly rising in the background. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 560, f/18 at 1/60th of a second
Agoutis are fairly common in the rainforests of Central America. I guess you could say they are the squirrel’s of the rainforest. But although they might resemble their northern cousins, they are uniquely their own rodent. Just look at those shapely, slender legs. Squirrels can’t compete. I met this friendly agouti one morning in southern Costa Rica. He/she allowed me a few clicks of the shutter before retreating back into the forest. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/30th of a second
I’ve mentioned before that it is fairly easy to photograph penguins. You always know where they’ll be because they don’t venture far from their colonies while not at sea. You simply wait for good light and then begin snapping the shutter. In this case, I had nice rim light at the end of the day while these gentoo penguins were heading home after an afternoon of fishing. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second
This is the white-footed sportive lemur. Or if you prefer, the white-footed weasel lemur. You may also call it the dry-bush weasel lemur. It will answer to all three. It lives in the southern, subtropical region of Madagascar and is almost strictly nocturnal. Agriculture practices and charcoal production have landed it on the endangered species list, where it sits alongside most all other lemur species. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mmm lens (at 165mm) ISO 200, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
Here’s another one from this past weekend in Saint Barths. There are more than 1100 species of hermit crabs so I won’t even venture a guess at which one this is. It was quite large, however — about the size of a baseball. All hermit crabs live inside a salvaged seashell, usually from a snail, which they use for protection. They have a soft abdomen which retracts into the shell when threatened. As they get older, it is necessary to abandon their smaller shells in exchange for a larger one. Competition over available shells can be intense. It can also be quite cooperative. With certain species of hermit crabs, a vacancy chain can occur. A crab looking for a larger shell will climb out of its current shell and inspect the new, larger shell. If the new shell is too large, the crab will climb back into its old shell and wait patiently for another crab to come along. Twenty or more crabs may inspect the vacant shell and deem it to be too large, so they will line up in order of size until the right size crab comes along to claim the new shell. Then the next in line will get that crab’s shell, and in turn, pass its old shell on to the next in line, and on and on. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
Saint Barths isn’t necessarily known for its wildlife. Much of the indigenous species have been displaced by invasive ones — wild goats and mongoose among them. That said, I did fit in a few wildlife excursions around trips to the beach and found several species that still thrive on the French-speaking Caribbean island. The red-footed tortoise was quite prevalent along forested trails. This little guy seemed to be intrigued by his reflection staring back at him from my wide angle lens. Although these tortoises are common on Saint Barths, they are considered vulnerable to extinction due mainly to loss of habitat and the pet trade. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
Nine-banded armadillos are quite common in Florida, but they can be difficult to photograph. They don’t have very good eyesight, but they have a great sense of smell and hearing. I spotted quite a few on Merritt Island, but would have to approach upwind to take care of the smell problem, and then quietly get into place to take care of the hearing issue. This involved getting as low as possible to get the best vantage point of these smallish mammals. The other challenge is photographing them with their eyes open, as they tend to be closed most of the time. It all came together nicely for this shot.
