There are quite a few species of bulbuls — 130 or so — spread across Africa, the Middle East and tropical Asia. I photographed this guy, the flavescent bulbul, in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. Flavescent means yellowish, an accurate description for this yellow and grey bird.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
Just a simple shot of a black bear resting in a tree. This was taken at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, Minnesota. These bears are wild, but food is put out in the forest to attract them to the research center.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm (at 130mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second
This is the only mongoose lemur that I saw while in Madagascar. They are listed as critically endangered due to continued habitat loss and the fragmentation of that which remains. 80% of their population has disappeared in the last 25 years. Unfortunately, if this trend continues they don’t stand much of a chance for survival in the wild. Thus is the plight, however, of most lemur species in Madagascar. Still, it is the country I most want to go back to. Partly because I want to see all that I can before it’s gone. But also because it’s one of the most beguiling and unique places on earth — it truly feels like nowhere else.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
Also known as the lined shore crab, this handsome purple and green crab ranges from Vancouver Island down to Baja California in Mexico. They can also be found in the Western Pacific in both Korea and Japan. I photographed this one in the town of Moss Landing in California at Elkhorn Slough. Elkhorn Slough is also a great place for sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/15th of a second
I’ve posted a few shots of this guy before, sometimes referred to as the Sulawesi dwarf cuscus and sometimes the small Sulawesi cuscus. The point is, it’s small, it’s a cuscus and it’s from Sulawesi. This photo shows the opposable claws — the three on the left that oppose the two on the right and enable the cuscus a firm grip while climbing trees.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/50th of a second
This is one of those creatures — like many reptiles — that gets a lot of names, creating some confusion for a guy like me who attempts to be as accurate as possible with these daily posts. I believe, although I could be wrong, that this is the lizard classified as Calotes Emma. If so, it goes by the common names of Emma Gray’s forest lizard, crested forest lizard, Emma Gray’s crested forest lizard, or spiny-headed forest lizard. The Emma Gray part of the name, is in honor of English conchologist Maria Emma Gray, who’s husband named said lizard. And if you’re wondering what a conchologist is, well, one who studies conchs, of course. But back to the lizard — this one was photographed on a hike in the Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/80th of a second
Here’s another one from Botswana. This time a leopard, just hanging out watching the sun go down over the Linyanti plains along the northern border with Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Shortly after I took this shot and the sun set, the leopard climbed down from the tree and headed out on a hunt.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
I photographed five species of penguin in the Falkland Islands, with the Magellanics being the only burrowers. Their burrows were evenly spaced out across hillsides, with quick access to the coastline, and you could see penguin heads, or entire bodies, here and there poking out of the landscape.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 82mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/640th of a second
This mischievous looking little guy is a slender mongoose, photographed in Botswana. They are described as opportunistic carnivores. Meaning, they’ll take what they can get. Most of their diet is made up of insects, but they’ll also eat lizards, rodents, snakes, birds, amphibians, and fruit when available. They have a well earned reputation for taking down venomous snakes, although, this doesn’t account for a significant portion of their diet.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
I’ve mentioned before that the oryx is believed to be the antelope that the unicorn is based on. The unicorn creator apparently thought that one horn would be cooler than two. There are four different species of oryx, all large antelopes that range throughout dryer parts of Africa. This one, the gemsbok, was photographed in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve of Botswana.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second