Here’s another of the four species of motmot that I photographed on this most recent trip to Panama. A few weeks ago I posted the tody motmot. This is the broad-billed motmot. You can see the classic racket-tip of the tail.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
I photographed this jaguar from a boat while exploring the waters of the Pantanal in Brazil. Jaguars are the third largest cats in the world behind tigers and lions, and the largest in the Americas. Other than their robust build, you can distinguish them from leopards by the extra spots within the rosettes on their coats. Hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend. I’ll be back early next week.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm with 1.4 teleconverter attached for a total of 550mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/250 of a second
I took quite a few photos of keel-billed toucans in good early morning light, but there was something about this particular exposure that I liked, captured in very dim, pre-sunrise conditions. The light in the forest was still quite blue when I spotted the toucan through a window in the cecropia trees. I was shooting at only 1/15th of a second but was able to get a few shots when the bird was completely still.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/15th of a second
You don’t have to go far to see wildlife at Yellowstone. This bull elk greeted us before we even entered the park, just as the morning light was beginning to illuminate the higher peaks.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/400th of a second
These little guys are pretty common in Panama (I also saw them quite a bit in Costa Rica). They are known for being the only vertebrate that can lay their eggs either on land or in the water. With ample shade, they will lay them above water, but with little or no shade they will attach their eggs to submerged vegetation.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/25 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
This is what a safari must look like to a cheetah. The vehicle is actually ours, and I was on the ground behind the cheetah. I’ve posted photos of her before — she was saved by a Masai warrior when she was six weeks old and caught in a barbed wire fence. In this photo she was six months old and just beginning to venture out and hunt on her own. She was still very trusting of humans and we were able to actually play with her out in the field (see my bio pic here when she was up on our vehicle’s front hood).
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600 of a second
There are several different species of basilisk lizards that live in tropical regions of the Americas. They are sometimes called Jesus Christ lizards for their ability to run across the surface of the water. This guy is the helmeted basilisk. He/she was hugging a small branch, keeping a watchful eye on me as I was searching for tree frogs in El Valle, Panama.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/11 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
In addition to the spectacled owl which I posted last week, I also photographed a tropical screech owl while in Panama. Unlike the spectacled owl, this guy is quite small — less than ten inches in length. Tropical screech owls are pretty widespread throughout much of South America and up through Panama, Costa Rica and the Caribbean.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/200th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash
As most of you know, I tend to favor creatures with fur above those with feathers. That being said, I certainly love both, and Panama is arguably the best place in the world for the latter. I’ve photographed green honeycreepers before in both Costa Rica and Trinidad but it was nice to get such good looks at both the male and the female in the tree-top canopy in Soberania National Park. The top shot is the male and the bottom is the female.
Both Photos — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
Here’s another look at a three-toed sloth. They sleep most of the day, but quite often you can see them hanging upside down giving themselves a good scratch. Sloths enjoy a symbiotic relationship with algae. Their fur gives the algae a great place to grow and the algae gives the sloths camouflage and nutrients through absorption. The algae also makes the sloth a magnet for moths, beetles and other insects.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1250, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second