There are essentially four commonly recognized species of kangaroo living in Australia. In addition, there are about 50 other species of macropod — kangaroo-like creatures such as wallabies and pademelons. On Tasmania, the only true kangaroo is the eastern grey, or as it is locally called, the forester. This large male was grazing under the setting sun in Narawntapu National Park. Narawntapu was formerly known as the Asbestos Ranges National Park but has since reverted to its aboriginal name. It is a remote park on the northern coast and is one of the last strongholds of foresters in Tasmania. Expansive grasslands full of kangaroos, wombats and wallabies have led to the park’s nickname as the “Serengeti of Tasmania.” Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 86mm) ISO 800, f/22 at 1/800th of a second
No wildlife trip to Tasmania is complete without a few encounters with the devil. This young Tasmanian devil, known as an imp, was photographed on Maria Island, a beautiful island off the mainland of Tasmania (which in itself is an island off the mainland of Australia). As some of you may know, Tasmanian devils have been fighting for their existence as of late and are considered an endangered species. They are suffering from facial tumour disease, which is a contagious cancer that has drastically reduced their numbers. Some estimates report that 80% of all wild Tasmanian devils have been wiped out due to the disease since it was first identified in the mid 90s. Many captive breeding programs are doing their best to save the devil from extinction. On Maria Island, healthy devils were released into the wild in 2012, and since then a population has continued to thrive, safe from the disease that is spread across much of the rest of Tasmania. The Maria Island program remains controversial, however, as the devils have themselves, decimated the population of several native species like the fairy penguin and the Cape Barren goose, which are easy targets for the insatiable appetite of the devil. I photographed this little guy as he was eyeing a wallaby carcass that was being devoured by an older devil. Like most of the wildlife in Tasmania, the devil is almost strictly nocturnal. PS: seems like a lot of jpeg compression is going on when I uploaded this image (it happens sometimes on certain images). Click on image for larger size that is a bit sharper and closer to the out-of-camera file. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash
Just got back home tonight after a great trip to Tasmania — a land of marsupials, monotremes and amazing landscapes and birds. Of all the creatures I met, perhaps the most personable was the wombat. And I saw quite a few of them. My favorite was this little guy who lives in Coles Bay, just outside of Freycinet National Park on the east coast. And I say little because he was a young wombat, but these guys are anything but small and can typically grow to about 77 pounds. They look like huge furry boulders moving across the landscape, constantly munching grass. Their closest relatives are koalas, although from what I’ve read, they’re not all that closely related. They can be active in both the day or the night, unlike much of the other wildlife that I photographed which was strictly nocturnal. My days involved getting up at 4 AM for the early light and then staying out late at night for spotlighting. Much more on wombats and the rest of Tasmania in future posts, but for now it’s time for some much needed sleep. Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/1600th of a second
For the final day of Halloween week (and the final post for awhile), we have the convict tree frog. This guy is also known as Troschel’s tree frog, but with those nice black stripes on his sides and his orange prison uniform, I prefer the former. He’s also very Halloweeny, so he has that going for him too. Photographed in Madidi National Park in Bolivia, this one goes out to my friend Dawn on her birthday today (hope you like orange frogs). Happy Halloween everyone. I’ll be putting the blog to rest for the next couple of weeks as I take a break to travel to Tasmania. Hopefully I’ll have a bunch of strange and wonderful new creatures to share when I get back. Nikon D300, with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) with Canon 500D close up filter attached, ISO 200, f/11 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units
I certainly wasn’t going to get through Halloween week without posting a few bats. Not sure of the exact species here (there are so many of them) but these six boys (clearly they are boys) were roosting in a cave in Sumatra, Indonesia. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 500, f/10 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Continuing with the Halloween theme for this week, here is an insect wearing a stick costume. I photographed this lanky fellow in the cloud forest of Ecuador, about two hours drive from Quito. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/14 at 1/125th of a second
Here’s another one with a bit of a nod to Halloween. This is a least chipmunk. Very common, but can be difficult to photograph because they rarely stop moving. I caught this little guy enjoying a nut — and looking a bit evil — at a campground parking lot in Yellowstone. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Seemed an appropriate time of year to post this Halloween pennant dragonfly. In Florida, these guys can be found year round. This one was photographed in Everglades National Park a few years back. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
This pronghorn was quite relaxed as the sun was setting behind him. He allowed me a fairly close approach and I was able to get down on the ground for this photo. Always nice to capture the rim light on larger, iconic mammals. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second
There are three scrub jays in the United States, the Western scrub jay, the Florida scrub jay and the island scrub jay. Both the Florida and the Island inhabit a very small region of the country (especially the island scrub jay which exists only on the island of Santa Cruz in the Channel Islands — the smallest range of any bird in the US). I’ve yet to be to Santa Cruz Island so that scrub jay will have to wait for another day. The Western scrub jay above was photographed in the Santa Monica Mountains last year, while the Florida scrub jay (which also has a very small range limited to central Florida) was photographed on Merritt Island. The Florida scrub jay is a threatened species due to loss of its scrub habitat and they are closely monitored, as evidenced by the band on the bird’s lower leg. Top Photo — Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Bottom Photo — Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second
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There are essentially four commonly recognized species of kangaroo living in Australia. In addition, there are about 50 other species of macropod — kangaroo-like creatures such as wallabies and pademelons. On Tasmania, the only true kangaroo is the eastern grey, or as it is locally called, the forester. This large male was grazing under the setting sun in Narawntapu National Park. Narawntapu was formerly known as the Asbestos Ranges National Park but has since reverted to its aboriginal name. It is a remote park on the northern coast and is one of the last strongholds of foresters in Tasmania. Expansive grasslands full of kangaroos, wombats and wallabies have led to the park’s nickname as the “Serengeti of Tasmania.”
