Sometimes you pop around a corner and come face to face with a leopard. That’s what happened on this occasion in the Olare Orok Conservancy, a private concession of the Masai Mara in Kenya. We had seen this female earlier in the day, but lost sight of her until she suddenly appeared just in front of our safari vehicle.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second
Always a pleasure to view and photograph kingfishers. They come in many varieties and can be found worldwide. This little guy is the Amazon kingfisher. I spotted him while searching for jaguars in the Pantanal of Brazil (I was the one searching for the jaguars, not the kingfisher). The kingfisher was doing what kingfishers do — sitting quietly above the water, waiting to dive bomb an unsuspecting fish of some sort. I rarely use a teleconverter, but I did on this shot to extend my 400mm zoom lens out to 550mm.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens with 1.4 teleconverter attached (for 550mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
Warthogs don’t get a lot of respect from the safari-going crowd, but they’ve always been one of my favorites. Something about the way that they strut proudly across the savanna despite their decidedly unsexy appearance. This one was doing its thing in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/400th of a second
This tadpole was fresh from the water. It’s an hourglass tree frog, also known as the pantless tree frog (I think I like the latter name better). I spotted the little guy on a night hike while in Pavones, Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) and Canon 500D close up lens attached, ISO 400, f/18 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units
Kangaroos jump. It’s what they do. So here are two shots of eastern grey (locally known as the forester) kangaroos doing just that. One going parallel and one coming right at me. Both were taken in Narawntapu National Park in Tasmania.
Top Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second
Bottom Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/6400th of a second
I was photographing tidepool life at Lover’s Point in Monterey Bay when I caught sight of this snowy egret with dinner. Snowy egrets like to stalk their prey in shallow water, but in addition to fish, they also eat crustaceans, insects, small reptiles, snails, frogs, worms, mice and crayfish.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
I photographed this California newt several years back somewhere north of San Francisco. These guys are pretty formidable as far as newts go, growing to about eight inches long. They are also toxic. This is another macro that I used my old setup of a 70-200mm zoom with a close up filter attached. I had to use a wide aperture because I didn’t want to use flash, so the depth of field is very narrow, which I kind of like.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) with Canon 500D close up lens attached, ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/125th of a second
Tayras are pretty cool creatures. They kind of look like otters that live in trees in the rainforest. Like otters, they are in the mustelid family. This tayra — photographed in the cloud forest of Ecuador — had the good fortune to stumble upon a big pile of bananas, giving me the chance to grab a few quick shots.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
Coyotes have become pretty common these days thanks to their ability to adapt to so many different habitats and weather conditions. Always nice to see them in Yellowstone in the wintertime. This guy clearly had his eye on something as he burst through the snow.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/640th of a second
Chimps are actually pretty hard to photograph in the wild. They usually hang out high in the tree tops and are very active, ducking in and out of thick vegetation. I was lucky to encounter a troop at the end of the day in Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, fairly low to the ground. I was able to get very close to this young lady and had just enough light before the sun disappeared.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second