These two photos are from Maria Island in Tasmania, Australia. The patters in the rock were caused by groundwater which seeped down through the sandstone thousands of years ago and left behind iron oxides which stained the rock.
Top photo — Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 100, f/18 at 1/4th, 1/15th, 1/8th, 1/2 and 1 seconds
Bottom photo — Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 100, f/18 at 1.6, .4, 1/10th, 1/5th and .8 seconds
It’s been awhile since I posted an insect of any kind, let alone a spider. This rather large specimen is a tropical orb weaver spider (her abdomen seemed to be about an inch or more in diameter). She appears to be floating in air, but that’s just because the shallow depth of field from my lens has thrown the strands of spider silk out of focus. This was actually shot at night with a dual flash set up, although the greenish background (out of focus foliage) gives it a bit of a daytime appearance. I was on a spotlighting hike through Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Here’s another one from Botswana. This time from the dry savanna of the northeast at a place called Makgadikgadi Pan, one of the largest salt flats in the world. Among the zebras, and other typical African desert plains wildlife, lives quite a few meerkats. This youngster was waiting for the rest of the clan to get back home after a day of foraging.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
A baby baboon rides on its mother’s back during a rain shower in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy, Laikipia, Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
After feasting on an oryx kill with the rest of her pride — including six cubs — this lioness was enjoying a much needed stop at the water hole. Like the ostrich I posted last week, this one was from the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second
Here’s another for the bird fans. A pretty little bird with a great big name, the violaceous euphonia. These guys were fairly common up in the canopy of the rainforest on my recent Panama trip. I also photographed them in Trinidad last year. This one was eating the fruits of the the cecropia tree (those sausage like things to the right).
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
The ostrich is the largest bird in the world. Males can grow to more than nine feet tall and weigh in at over 250 pounds. They also have the largest eyes of any land vertebrate with a circumference of two inches. That whole hiding-their-heads-in-the-sand-to-avoid-danger thing is just a myth. I was tracking this large boy as he raced across the flat grasslands of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in Botswana.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second
The fanaloka is native to Madagascar. I found this one lurking in the bushes while on a night hike in Ranomafana National Park, which is in the central part of the island nation. Fanalokas are strictly nocturnal, and most scientists think, solitary, although there is also evidence that they may live in pairs. Next to the fossa (which I didn’t see), the fanaloka is the next largest carnivore in Madagascar. That being said, they are pretty small, weighing in at just over four pounds and measuring nineteen inches long, not including the tail which is another seven to eight inches long.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 200, f/5 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-600 flash
A koala takes a good yawn in-between bites of eucalyptus leaves on Kangaroo Island in Southern Australia. Eucalyptus is, of course, all that a koala eats, making the species very vulnerable as eucalyptus forests get more and more fragmented across southern and eastern Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 100, f/4.5 at 1/40th of a second
I usually don’t post on holidays, but today is my Dad’s birthday. And it’s a big one. But Dad, take heart in knowing that you’re nothing compared to one of these guys — the Gálapagos giant tortoise. The oldest ever, lived in captivity for 176 years. You might not make it that far, but at the rate you’re going you’re sure to give it a good shot. Enjoy the day. And as I always say, no matter how old you get, you’ll always be younger than you’ll ever be.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second