It has come to my attention that yesterday was “Wild Koala Day.” I figured better a day late than not at all. So here is a koala that I met back in 2007 on Kangaroo Island in Australia. He/She was enjoying a eucalyptus snack… Like always. Hope you had a great day, koala, and that it was appropriately wild.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm lens, f/5.6 at 1/80th of a second
The silver gull is the most common gull in Australia, being present in all six states. These two were photographed in Freycinet National Park in Tasmania, and as you can see they were attempting to make the species even more common. When you’re a silver gull, there’s nothing quite like a little pluck to the head feathers to show how much you care.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second
I spent quite a bit of time with this troop of stump-tailed macaques on the Malay Peninsula of Thailand. They were very accepting of my presence and I was able to get quite a few intimate portraits, such as this nursing mother and her baby.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Monarch Butterflies take part in one of the longest migrations in the world. They travel up to 2,500 miles. Those east of the Rocky Mountains will winter in Mexico, while those west of the Rockies winter along the central California coast. They return to the same exact trees each year — in fir trees in Mexico and in eucalyptus trees in California — even though different butterflies are doing the migrating each year. These particular monarchs are part of the western migration. I photographed them in Pismo Beach, California a few years back, early in the morning when they were still clustered together on tree branches. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
As mentioned before on this blog, there are a staggering variety of lemurs in Madagascar. Some are strictly nocturnal while others are only active during the day. Then there’s the red-bellied lemur. It is what is known as cathemeral — which means equally active in the day and night. This little guy is a young one that I encountered in the town of Tamatave on the east coast of Madagascar.
Nikon D40x with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 48mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash
This is the time of year that chipmunks seem to come out of nowhere. That nowhere is actually hibernation. Much like bears, they spend the cold winter months bedded down in their burrows. This chipmunk was enjoying the warmer weather in Washington’s Olympic National Park.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second
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