This one was taken early in the morning in northern Botswana. Several spotted hyena were romping around in a flooded plain chasing after each other and apparently having a good old time — unusual behavior for the ordinarily laid back hyena. There wasn’t much light so most of my pictures from this session were motion-blurred panning shots. For this one I had enough light (but still had to pan with the hyena) to freeze the head and torso. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
Depending upon location, green iguanas can come in many colors, including orange, blue and even pink. This one, however, properly lives up to the name. It was photographed in Trinidad at the Asa Wright Nature Center. Green iguanas are a widely distributed species and they can be found as far south as southern Brazil and Paraguay, all the way up to the Florida keys. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second
This is a red-bellied lemur, photographed in Ranomafana National Park in the east central region of Madagascar. These lemurs are considered vulnerable due to diminishing habitat (as are all lemurs). In this case, it’s mostly due to slash and burn farming. The male and female of the species are fairly similar in appearance, although the male has a more pronounced teardrop-shaped patch of white beneath the eyes. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash
Just a simple shot of a simple bird. This is a willet, a large-ish shorebird in the sandpiper family. This particular willet was patrolling the incoming surf at Saint Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach, Florida — foraging for crustaceans, insects and marine worms. I was on my stomach with my 200-400mm lens, trying to avoid that incoming surf. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second
If you ever wondered what a penguin’s eye looks like, this is the post for you. The subject is a baby king penguin and it obviously let me get very close. It’s not a macro shot, however, but rather was taken with my telephoto lens from about ten feet away and then cropped. It’s always nice to have willing subjects and be able to experiment with different angles and points of view. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/500th of a second
Here’s another one from Yellowstone — a mother bighorn with her lamb. For most of the year, the males live in bachelor herds at higher elevations while the females can be found down below with the young. It’s only during breeding season that the rams and ewes get together. We came across several large herds of females and young on this recent trip, very habituated to our presence and going about their business as if we weren’t there. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
The kob is a national symbol in Uganda, appearing on the coat of arms opposite a crested crane, the national bird. Kobs, which occur throughout sub-Sahara Africa, resemble impala, but are beefier. The males have impressive horns, although this young male hadn’t quite developed his yet. He was relaxing in tall grass but kind of looked like he was burrowing in the ground. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second
One of the nice things about going to Yellowstone with people that hadn’t been there before was revisiting all the great landscape features of the park. Usually, I just head straight for the wildlife and drive right past the geothermal highlights. Both of these shots were taken at Mammoth Hot Springs, where travertine terraces of calcium carbonate dominate a large hill at the northwest entrance to the park. It almost looks like winter, although there was not yet any snow on the ground. The top shot was taken below the terraces while the second shot was taken from above. Top photo — Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/22 at 1/100th of a second
Bottom photo — Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second
Many consider the leopard the most attractive of all the big cats. Hard to argue with this young female. We saw her a few times in our six days in northern Botswana on our honeymoon trip two years ago. This shot was taken about twenty minutes before she dropped from the tree onto a grazing impala below. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
It’s been quite a few years since I posted a capybara, the world’s largest rodent. I was on a boat in the Pantanal of Brazil when I photographed this mother and her two babies (apparently there is no special name for a baby capybara). The little guy in the foreground was having a nice stretch after napping on the shore while mom kept an eye out for jaguars. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (with 1.4 teleconverter attached for 550mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/1000th of a second
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This one was taken early in the morning in northern Botswana. Several spotted hyena were romping around in a flooded plain chasing after each other and apparently having a good old time — unusual behavior for the ordinarily laid back hyena. There wasn’t much light so most of my pictures from this session were motion-blurred panning shots. For this one I had enough light (but still had to pan with the hyena) to freeze the head and torso.
