The lighting wasn’t great on this one, but the pose makes up for it. This little prairie dog in the Badlands of South Dakota seemed to be pleading with me not to take his/her picture. As anyone who has observed prairie dogs can attest, they can be amusing little creatures.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 600mm lens with 1.4 teleconverter attached (for 800mm) ISO 200, f/11 at 1/500th of a second
I came across this blue grosbeak in Delaware a few years back. They don’t range much farther north than that in the summertime. The rest of the year they can be found in warmer climates throughout Central America. The blue grosbeak is very similar to the indigo bunting, but is larger, has a more robust beak and has the rust markings on the wings.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second
Here’s another one from Botswana. This time the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and a southern yellow hornbill. I think he/she was trying to wink at me but couldn’t quite get that left eye to close. I was hiding in a blind waiting for a honey badger to make its nightly rounds and having a good time with the close approach of several of the local birds.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
A zebra, sort of hiding in the tall grass of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It was early in the morning and there was a herd of tsessebe with a few zebra mixed in here and there, no doubt doing their best to stay out of sight of any would be predators.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second
This little mushroom was growing out of a fallen redwood in Big Basin National Park in California. I’m no fungi expert so not sure of the exact species, but Big Basin is one of the best places to see redwoods south of San Francisco.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/40th of a second
Dik diks are only about 15 inches tall at the shoulder and about 27 inches long. They are very small deer that live throughout Eastern Africa. I mean, really small. They actually kind of look like a large rabbit bouncing across the savanna. I photographed this one smiling for the camera in a private concession 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
Last week I posted a stingray from La Fe Island in the Galapagos. Here are two more of the diminutive island’s locals — a Sally Lightfoot crab having a bit of a conversation with a marine iguana. Both of these species can be found in abundance on pretty much all of the islands in the Galapagos Archipelago.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/640th of a second
Here’s one from Mexico. A black-handed spider monkey, or if you prefer, Geoffroy’s spider monkey. I was in the Punta Laguna Nature Reserve, not far from Tulum when I came across quite a few of these guys. They spend most of their time high up in the trees, so it can be difficult at times to photograph them, but I was able to get several shots both high in the trees, like this guy, and even down on the ground.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second
The gaur is the largest bovine native to Southeast Asia. It is also appropriately known as the Indian bison. I photographed these two in Kanha National Park in India. I liked the view from behind, but thought I’d show a front view as well. The top photo is an older, more mature male, while the bottom photo is a younger individual.
Top Photo: Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
Bottom Photo: Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
These two white-crowned parrots were preening each other atop a dead palm tree, occasionally popping in and out of the hollow in the tree. They are relatively small parrots and their range is fully within Mexico and Centra America. These two were photographed in La Selva, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/90th of a second