It was very early morning in Botswana, pre-sunrise, when we came upon a small pack, or as they are more commonly called, clan of spotted hyenas. They seemed more playful than usual and were chasing each other around playing keep away with what was left of an impala.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second
Used to be that seeing a coyote was at least somewhat of a rare sighting, but these days they seem to be everywhere. There was even one spotted on the roof of a bar here in Queens last year. I photographed this wily beast while hiking up Box Springs Mountain Park near Moreno Valley, California. The setting seemed a tad more coyote-like than the rooftop of a New York bar.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second
This is a white whiskered puffbird. Puffbirds are little guys with rather large heads that can be found in the tropics from Mexico to Brazil. I came across this one in Panama. As the name suggests they are often seen “puffing” out all their feathers as they perch motionless. They are silent assassins, sitting quietly without moving before attacking their prey — which includes insects, spiders, frogs and lizards.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/80th of a second
I met this spotted quoll just outside of Cradle Mountain National Park at a captive breeding center for the critically endangered Tasmanian devil. There are two species of quoll in Tasmania, the eastern and the spotted. Like devils, quolls are also carnivorous marsupials. It was getting very dark when I took the photo so I had to crank the ISO up to 6400.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) ISO 6400, f/2.8 at 1/500th of a second
Here’s another look at an America bison. I mentioned in my last bison post that their iconic shape makes them great subjects for wide, environmental shots. They also make for interesting close ups, with their distinctive horns, large eyes and overall furry-ness.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second
This young red-bellied lemur was part of a free ranging troop that took up residence in Parc Ovoloina on the northeast coast of Madagascar. All lemurs are endangered. The red-bellied is listed as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN due to shrinking habitat from continued slash and burn farming practices throughout its range.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 250, f/4.5 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash
The treepie might not be the most colorful bird in India, but it is one of the most fearless. Or so the story goes. They share the same forest habitat as the Bengal tiger and are sometimes called the tiger bird or the tiger’s toothpick because they have been known to pick meat from the teeth of a resting tiger.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/400th of a second
Black bears are very good climbers and this young cinnamon black bear appeared to be having a good old time climbing through the trees in a northern Minnesota forest.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second
For this photo, I got up close to the wombat and used a fisheye lens to get as wide a view of its vast environment as I could. I also wanted to get in all those stormy clouds above the distant mountains.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
If you’re going to be a simple black bird, might as well have really cool hair. This is the tawny-crested tanager. The males get the orange top whereas the females are a dark olive brown throughout. I only saw two of these birds on my recent trip to Panama. This will be my last post until next Monday as I’ll be taking a few days off this week.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/200th of a second