I’m always reluctant to post birds because I know I have a lot of subscribers who much prefer the fur to the feather. In fact, I’m traditionally a fur over feather type myself, but lately, I’ve really been embracing the birds. This is a shot I took a couple of years ago just after a client meeting in Orrville, Ohio. After the meetings wrapped I headed north to Cuyahoga Valley National Park where I captured this red-bellied woodpecker amidst the red of autumn oak leaves. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
Here’s another one from last weekend in Colorado. In this photo I wanted to show a bit of the alpine tundra and late summer wildflowers that blanket the ground at higher elevations where mountain goats roam. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/14 at 1/160th of a second
Here’s another one from last weekend at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal near downtown Denver. Nothing special here. Just a regular old cottontail. But an angry regular old cottontail. And that’s the best kind of cottontail. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
This one goes out to my little friend Jackson who I met this weekend in Denver. Jackson likes penguins. This is a king penguin and her chick (lots of mothers and babies this week). The chick is prodding the mom to regurgitate food. You can see all the feathers on the ground from all the other molting chicks (under all that brown, the feathers are actually white). I like how the chicks look almost bigger than the full grown adults. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 140mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second
Just east of downtown Denver is the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge — almost 16,000 acres of spectacular mixed prairie, wetland and woodland habitat that used to be a United States Army chemical weapons manufacturing facility. Following a costly environmental clean up program, it’s amazing that a site that was once contaminated with deadly pollutants is now home to thriving wildlife populations, including bison, coyote, owls, pelicans and both white tailed and mule deer. I photographed this mule deer mother and her fawn early Monday morning, just as the sun began to rise. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/3200th of a second
Just back from a long weekend in Colorado visiting friends. Of course, I also took my cameras and had the opportunity to get to a few of my old hotspots. These goats were photographed at Mount Evans, the highest paved road in North America — and one of the best places in the country to see mountain goats. You can see clouds down below in the background. More on these guys in future posts when I have time to process all the shots. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/2000th of a second
The maned wolf is graceful and yet a bit awkward at the same time. Often referred to as a fox on stilt, they are native to the central portion of South America — mainly in Brazil, where I photographed this one. They are mostly nocturnal and I used a dual flash setup and a ground level perspective to capture this image at night. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 200, f/8 at 1/60th of a second
This is a northern tamandua, also known as a lesser anteater. I saw quite a few of these guys on my first visit to Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica back in November of 2007. They have a terrible sense of sight, but a good sense of hearing. For this shot, I sat motionless under a tree and patiently waited until the tamandua forgot I was there. Satisfied it was alone, it started to descend. From experience, I knew that once I clicked the shutter, the animal would either freeze, head back up the tree, or scamper away on the forest floor. I took only one shot at close range before the tamandua froze for what must have been ten minutes. Once satisfied that it was alone yet again, it proceeded on its way. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 45mm) ISO 500, f/5.3 at 1/80th of a second
Here’s another look at the tufted coquette. This diminutive hummingbird (not much larger than a big bee) was the reason I went to the Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad. There weren’t many of them around, and they were difficult to photograph as they would suddenly appear and then flit from flower to flower, but I was able to get a few keepers. This is the male bird, far more stylish than the female, with his flashy feathers and spots. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 640, f/11 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units
I’ve posted a few of these bat stars in the past. Here’s another take, from Montana De Oro State Park in Los Osos, California. This was several years ago, but if I recall correctly, I ended up with very wet boots just after taking this shot. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/20 at 1 second
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I’m always reluctant to post birds because I know I have a lot of subscribers who much prefer the fur to the feather. In fact, I’m traditionally a fur over feather type myself, but lately, I’ve really been embracing the birds. This is a shot I took a couple of years ago just after a client meeting in Orrville, Ohio. After the meetings wrapped I headed north to Cuyahoga Valley National Park where I captured this red-bellied woodpecker amidst the red of autumn oak leaves.
