Here’s another one from Yellowstone. This was the only night (or morning) that we had clouds in the sky and therefore any substantial color. These three pronghorn cooperated by running through the scene. I said this in previous posts about pronghorn, but it bears repeating — they are the fastest land animal over long distances (and only slightly slower than a cheetah in a sprint, at 60 miles per hour versus 61 miles per hour). Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second
It’s my Aunt Sue-on-my-wife’s-side’s birthday today. So this mountain bluebird goes out to her. There are three species of bluebird — the mountain, the western and eastern (the eastern are the ones you see in Florida with the rust colored breast). The mountain lacks the rust, but is just as striking with it’s bright blue feathers. I photographed this one in the Mammoth Terrace area of Yellowstone last week. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second
Figured I’d post another double shot from the Yellowstone trip last week. Today, it’s a bull elk doing his bull elky thing. The first shot displays his impressive rack and rutting posture as he chases members of his harem around. In the second shot, the same elk is bugling — the term used for the bull’s call as he tries to attract a willing cow. Elk, like all deer, have antlers that they shed every year. With each growing season, the rack gets increasingly larger before being shed. In Yellowstone, elk usually “drop” in fall or early winter. The size of this guy’s rack indicates that he’s been around for awhile. Top photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Bottom photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Here are two shots of one of the black bears we met last week in Yellowstone. Based on body size, as well as the length and shape of the ears, I think this is a female. She was causing quite a “bear jam” as a crowd of people were watching her go about her business of eating berries along the side of the road. We also saw a few grizzly bears, but none close enough for photos. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/500th of a second (bottom photo 1/400th of a second)
Wolves have long been my nemesis — one of the main North American animals that have, for the most part, eluded me in the wild. I see them quite often when I go to Yellowstone, but never close enough for decent photos. This weekend that tradition continued. That being said, I did get relatively close to this young black wolf and its grey companion. The two were howling up on a ridge and eventually disappeared. When they appeared again, we realized that they had duped us by passing by further up the road. As I say every time I leave Yellowstone, I’ll get them next time. For now, this is the best that I could do. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/4000th of a second
The galago, more commonly known as the bush baby, is a fast and agile little primate that lives throughout sub Sahara Africa. They are strictly nocturnal and hunt insects both on the ground and in trees. This one was photographed in Laikipia, Kenya. I’m off to Yellowstone with a few friends Saturday morning so this will be the last post until Thursday of next week. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Here’s another look at the striated caracara (aka Johnny Rook). I was down on the ground with my camera and wide angle lens while this guy was chasing around a Gentoo penguin egg, unable to figure out how to break it open as it rolled across the beach on Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 1600, f/10 at 1/1600th of a second
This is a granular poison frog, but I prefer the more common name of green jeans poison frog — closely related to the blue jeans frog, also found nearby in Costa Rica. This was the only frog wearing the green jeans that I found, but he was cooperative enough to pose for quite a few photos, including this one using a close up filter on the front of my 70-200mm lens and a three second exposure time.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 100, f/6.3 at 3 seconds
I took this one down in Panama City Beach in the panhandle of Florida earlier this year. Just past all the bars and souvenir shops of the “Redneck Riviera” is Saint Andrews State Park, an oasis of saw palmetto and long leaf pine, the perfect habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. I saw lots of animals, but for this shot, I decided to focus on the characteristic landscape and used my fisheye lens to get up close and personal with the palmetto. Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/8 at 1/320th of a second
This rockhopper penguin seemed to be doing his best to keep me out of whatever rockhopper-y event was going on in the background. Of the five species of penguin I photographed in the Falkland Islands, the rockhoppers were certainly the most personable. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/3200th of a second
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
Here’s another one from Yellowstone. This was the only night (or morning) that we had clouds in the sky and therefore any substantial color. These three pronghorn cooperated by running through the scene. I said this in previous posts about pronghorn, but it bears repeating — they are the fastest land animal over long distances (and only slightly slower than a cheetah in a sprint, at 60 miles per hour versus 61 miles per hour).
