These are male golden-headed manakins that I came across at a lek early one morning in Trinidad at the Asa Wright Nature Center. Manakins are sometimes called Michael Jackson birds because of their courtship display — it resembles the moonwalk as they slide forward and then backwards on their perches.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Pademelons are a very small marsupial related to both wallabies and kangaroos. Seeing one bouncing through the forest almost looks like a large rabbit. This mother and her joey emerged from the forest at the end of the day to forage on the open lawns of Lamington National Park in Queensland Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/80th of a second
This is one of those that you might have had to be there to appreciate. I was in Carrizo Plain, a large desert-like grassland about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. I had been in search of the elusive kit fox and having no luck. Suddenly the sky lit up with this colorful cloud formation, providing at least something to photograph before calling it a night.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/6400th of a second
With all the hummingbirds that I saw at the Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad, you’d think I’d see a few nests around, but this was the only one that I could find. Sitting inside is a copper rumped hummingbird. She was flying back and forth, collecting material to reinforce the nest.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
It’s obvious, of course, where the ring tailed lemur gets its name. In this shot that tail is on display (along with a few other parts) in all its bushy glory. Some day I hope to get back to southern Madagascar to visit these amazing primates once again.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/2.8 at 1/40th of a second
The spotted hyena is a fairly common sight in East Africa. The striped hyena is not. They are classified as near threatened due to a consistent decline in population. Less than 10,000 individuals currently exist in the wild. On top of their scarce numbers, they are almost strictly nocturnal, so it is very rare to see one in daylight. We came across this striped hyena in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya, just after the sun had set.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/30th of a second
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday (at least everyone from the US). Here’s another group of king penguins doing their king penguin thing first thing in the morning as the sun rises on another day in the Falkland Islands.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/2500th of a second
Karen and I will be away for a few days, so this will be the last post until after the holiday weekend. Until then, here’s a brown capuchin monkey worrying about the future of Brazil’s palm nut industry.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
Seemed like a good day for a lion mother and her cub sharing a nice moment in the bushes. I’ve posted other shots of these two lions before. They were separated from the rest of the pride and the mother had just dragged her zebra kill into the bushes. The cub seemed a bit anxious to get back to the rest of the family and kept alternating between rubbing up against mom and coming out into the open to investigate us.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 250mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
I usually only honor requests from those under ten years of age, but my boyhood friend Lonnie Quinn requested an orca the other night and an orca I shall deliver. In fact, here are two shots of orcas — hunting close to shore on Sea Lion Island in the Falklands. The light changed from the orange hues of sunset to the blues of twilight as the orcas patrolled vigilantly for careless sea lions and elephant seals.
Top shot: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second
Bottom shot: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/500th of a second