Genets can be common visitors around camps at night throughout much of Africa. This one came for a visit one night in Botswana. I’ll usually take my camera to dinner with me in hopes of such an encounter. Genets are sometimes called genet cats, but they aren’t cats at all and are more closely related to the mongoose.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
I have a lot of tight, frame-filling shots of white rhinos, but I prefer adding a bit of the environment when possible, especially since rhinos have such an iconic shape. This one was taken in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. Being November and in the middle of the short rains, the landscape was lush with vegetation and the skies were full of photogenic clouds. Rhinos, of course, are an endangered species, so always great to see them no matter the conditions. White rhinos are doing considerably better than many of their cousins, however, and are currently listed as the more encouraging “near threatened.”
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 98mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second
This is the colorful, yet odd looking, imperial shag — also known as the imperial cormorant. They were nesting on the southern edge of Sea Lion Island in the Falklands. All day, they would fly out to sea before returning with a beak full of kelp.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second
Also known as the crab-eating macaque, these monkeys have a long history of living alongside humans. In the past, they’ve been seen as both pests, and as sacred. They are now best known for their role in medical research. I met this young macaque just outside my bungalow while staying in Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo, Indonesia. My next post will be next Wednesday as I’ll be taking a long weekend to go visit family.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/250th of a second
This wombat was scurrying along as the sun hit the horizon late one afternoon. I was on Maria Island, a bit of a Noah’s Arc of Tasmanian wildlife, just off the southeast coast.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Always nice to see these giant creatures with plenty of room to roam. The Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Kenya, where I took this photo, is an interesting place. During the colonial days, the 90,000 acres of land were used for cattle grazing (wild animals, at the time, were deemed to have no value to landowners and they were displaced for the most part by ranchers). Elephants, however, always used the land as a transit route. Eventually, cattle ranching became less profitable, and it became too expensive to continually repair the fences that the elephants inevitably destroyed. Over the years, several different conservation groups have helped return the land to its wild origins. Today, it not only is inhabited by elephants, but by many other African plains animals, including the big five (elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo and rhino).
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 170mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/1000th of a second
These two mountain goat kids had been playing with each other for quite a while, unmindful of any adult supervision. Eventually, they looked up to see that mom and company had moved further up the mountain. I caught them hurrying to catch up as the sun dipped below the clouds near the top of Mount Evans in Colorado last summer.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 32mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
This little black bear cub stopped to give himself a quick cleaning before continuing up the tree. As I’ve mentioned before, black bears can either be black, blonde, or cinnamon (like this guy), and many shades in-between.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
I previously posted a canal zone tree frog and an hourglass tree frog from my trip to Panama. But not in the same photo on the same leaf. These two completely unrelated frogs seemed perfectly content to be sharing the same real estate. This one goes out to the other frog lover in my family, my sister Mo, in honor of her birthday on Sunday — a double shot of the Friday frog.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/25 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Here’s another Bennett’s wallaby from my Tasmania trip. These guys are active during the day, but are even more active at night. I captured this shot well after the sun had set over Narawntapu National Park on the extreme northern coast. I used a slow shutter speed and high ISO to record the ambient light, while using a flash to freeze the wallaby.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 98mm) ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash