Like many of the animals on Madagascar, tomato frogs are endemic to the island nation. This is a male and a female — the female being the large red beast on the right. Obviously, tomato frogs get their name from the females’ appearance. Males are much smaller and more yellowish brown in color. When captured, the tomato frog will release a gummy toxin that closes up the would-be predator’s eyes and mouth and causes it to release its grip. The poison will not kill a human but can cause an allergic reaction. I was sure to photograph only and not touch. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units
Perhaps the zebra on the left had bad breath. Perhaps he told a bad joke. Whatever the case, the zebra on the right was clearly not having any of it. This shot was taken during the short rains in Kenya, when the males are busy fighting for dominance and mating rights. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm (at 290mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second
The purple honeycreeper is a very small bird in the tanager family — only about four and a half inches long. Its range extends from Panama in the north, as far south as the Pantanal in Brazil. The subspecies that exists on Trinidad has a slightly longer beak than those on the mainland. I saw quite a few of these guys at the Asa Wright Nature Center but they don’t stay still for very long and proved to be difficult to photograph. With their purplish-blue feathers and bright yellow legs, they provided a spectacular splash of color to the rainforest. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/800th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
Coatis are fairly common in Costa Rica. They are comfortable both on the ground and in trees. This guy was resting during the heat of the day in Corcovado National Park. You can see why they have the nickname of “hog-nosed raccoon.” Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
It’s my wife’s birthday today… so I figured why not post a picture of her walking across the African savanna behind a cheetah. Happy Birthday Baby.
I also wanted to pay tribute to my mother’s dog Rogan today. Rogan passed yesterday after a long, happy life. Rogan was a golden/Irish setter mix, not a polar bear, but he did like to lie on the ground in the exact pose as the bear below — a position, no doubt he’s in right now in doggie heaven. Rest well Rogan. Top Photo: Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second
Bottom Photo: Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second
Some animals I like just because of their names. Thus is the case with the Mexican hairy dwarf porcupine. I was lucky enough to come across this one early in the morning in Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica. Porcupines are primarily nocturnal so it was great to photograph this bristly beast in daylight. Even so, the light was very dim, but due to the fact that he/she was resting, I was able to use a slow shutter of 1/30th of a second with no worry of motion blur. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second
I don’t take much video when in the field but I’m going to make an effort to start shooting more. I have a lot to learn about video editing and this clip is very flat compared to stills that I took at the same time. As for now, however, it’ll have to do. This leatherback got to the beach late and was still attempting to lay eggs when the sun came up. She also didn’t get high enough onto the beach to give her eggs a chance. As you can see the surf was reaching the ditch that she dug and the tide will almost certainly wash away any eggs she was able to bury. Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens
The white-necked jacobin (also known as the great jacobin or the collared hummingbird) was just one of the many beautiful hummingbirds that I saw while in Trinidad at the Asa Wright Nature Center. This is the male of the species. The females are more uniformly green. A hummingbird’s wings can flap at up to 80 times per second, so I used a reduced flash setting to help freeze the action, with only slight ghosting of the wingtips from ambient light. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units at 1/16th power
One thing about lemurs — they can really jump. This is a common brown lemur that I photographed in the town of Perinet in Madagascar. I was using my usual two-flash set up on a bracket, only this time with my wide angle zoom. The lemurs were very habituated so I could get really close. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units
A quick break from the Caribbean to get back to the rest of the wild world. These two lion portraits were taken seconds apart in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. The light was challenging and the subject matter was a bit gruesome as a pride of lions feasted upon a zebra. Every so often, however, one of the lions would move into a decent position and allow me to make use of the high-in-the-sky backlight. Top Photo — Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second
Bottom Photo — Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
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Like many of the animals on Madagascar, tomato frogs are endemic to the island nation. This is a male and a female — the female being the large red beast on the right. Obviously, tomato frogs get their name from the females’ appearance. Males are much smaller and more yellowish brown in color. When captured, the tomato frog will release a gummy toxin that closes up the would-be predator’s eyes and mouth and causes it to release its grip. The poison will not kill a human but can cause an allergic reaction. I was sure to photograph only and not touch.
