Here’s another one from Brazil. This time from the Pantanal region. This is the saffron finch, aka the native canary, or as they say it in Brazil, el canário da terra.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
With the Olympics in full swing down in Rio, I figured this would be a good time to pull a few shots from my Brazil folder. This is a white tufted ear marmoset — one of two different species of marmoset that I was able to photograph while in Brazil. Unlike most other monkeys, marmosets have claws rather than nails. They also tend to be rather small, as you can see from this little guy that I spotted in Piaui State in the northern part of the country.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
This juvenile southern elephant seal seemed to be shedding a few tears as I snapped its picture. The seal’s eyes, however, were probably just watering from the strong winds that were whipping through the tussock grass on Carcass Island in the Falkland Islands. This was one of those days that the sun was warm and shining one moment and the sky was pelting down frozen rain the next. Typical of an afternoon on the Falklands.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/1000th of a second
The blue dacnis is a small bird in the tanager family, and one of rare species of bird where the female plumage gives the male a run for its money. The males are turquoise blue and black while the females are mostly green with a blue head. They range from mid-Central America down to northern Argentina. I photographed this one in Soberania National Park in Panama.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second
Sea otters are most commonly spotted while in the water, but occasionally I have been able to photograph them while on land. This one was resting at the shoreline early in the morning and I was able to get a few close up portraits, highlighting the thick fur coat.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
And now for a completely different species of monkey — the black and white colobus monkey. I encountered these guys on the side of the road while driving through Uganda. Thanks to their somewhat unorthodox diet consisting of leaves that most other monkeys don’t eat, they can be found in isolated areas. That being said, in other parts of their range, they often fall prey to larger primates like chimpanzees.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
This black-crested macaque seemed to be posing for me as I snapped away. I’ve posted many shots of these monkeys before and as you can see, they can be very human looking at times. Photographed in Tangkoko National Park in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 75mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second
While in Tasmania, I spent an afternoon driving up to Ben Lomond National Park, which is in the northeast corner of the state. The light wasn’t great, but a fisheye lens can be quite forgiving, and I was able to capture this almost aerial view of the mountainous landscape.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/800th of a second
Interesting fact about the bat-eared fox — the males are the primary care givers to the young, unlike most other canines. The mothers will lactate for about 15 weeks, after which the males take over grooming, defending, huddling, chaperoning, and carrying the young between den sites. I photographed this bat-eared fox in the Masai Mara of Kenya on a rainy afternoon.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
King penguins can be very comical first thing in the morning. They are extremely tentative as they contemplate actually getting into the water. These guys all seemed to be waiting for someone to take the plunge before joining in.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/800th of a second