I’m currently in Los Angeles for work, but had a free day on Saturday so headed to the desert in search of wildlife, wildflowers and everything else I love about the California desert. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite have the luck that I did about a year ago when I captured this black tailed jackrabbit on an unusually hot day — even for the desert — in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
Meerkats are always on high alert, guarding against any would-be danger. They take turns at guard duty, so while most of the clan is foraging, fighting and playing, there are always a few on their tip toes, surveying the mean streets of Botswana’s grasslands plains.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second
I think this Bennett’s wallaby thought that if it held still for long enough, I wouldn’t notice and would move on. The photo was taken pre-sunrise on Maria Island in Tasmania.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
A drive up Mount Evans Scenic Byway in Colorado usually produces a few mountain goats. The harder part is finding great light and clouds. On this occasion, I was lucky enough to be greeted by low lying clouds settling into the valley below as a goat stepped out into a shaft of light.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/2000th of a second
I spent a great afternoon with these imperial shags, also known as imperial cormorants, on the southern tip of Sea Lion Island, which is itself one of the most southerly islands of the Falkland Islands. I had hiked the length of the small island when I came across the colony and it really felt like I had reached the end of the earth. The shags were in the process of nest building and were flying out to sea to collect kelp before returning to their nests. They looked like they had colorful red and orange beards as they came back with beaks full of kelp.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/1000th of a second
Thanks to the many Tasmanian devil sanctuaries that are doing their best to save this nocturnal marsupial from the deadly facial tumor disease, it is possible to see a captive devil during daylight hours. Even so, they can be difficult to photograph because they never seem to stop moving. I snapped this young devil as it was running along a fallen tree trunk at the Devils@Cradle sanctuary just outside of Cradle Mountain National Park.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2500, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
When giraffes fight, they use their long necks to slap massive blows at their opponents neck and body. The practice is called necking. These two were just finishing a bout, with one final smack coming from the giraffe on the right. Perhaps the guy on the left was distracted by the passing stork. We watched them going at it for quite awhile before they casually went back to eating grass.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/320th of a second
Another great thing about Tasmania — it has places with names like The Bay of Fires. Tyrion Lannister would feel right at home. At the southern end of the Bay of Fires is a place called Binalong Bay, where I took this photo just before sunrise. Orange lichen is characteristic of the Bay, although it’s not the reason for the name. In 1773, a sea captain saw the fires of Aboriginal people on the beaches and christened the name.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at 1, .25, .5, 2, and 4 seconds.
Last week I posted a black and white ruffed lemur from Lemur Island in Madagascar. This is a common brown lemur on the right and a red-fronted brown lemur on the left. They are very similar species and, in fact, the red-fronted brown lemur used to be considered a subspecies of the common brown lemur. Both species live together on Lemur Island, a rehabilitation center for rescued and orphaned lemurs.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units
Here’s another shot from northern Tasmania and Narawntapu National Park. It was really great to be all alone with so many forester kangaroos on a night that the sky was so cooperative. I used a small aperture on this one to really bring out the rays of the setting sun.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/22 at 1/125th of a second