These two fine looking birds are the only true feathered locals in the Falkland Islands. Both endemic to the Islands, they don’t live anywhere else. The steamer duck possesses very short wings and is incapable of flight. They make up for it in personality, however, and were fun to watch as they waddled along the shoreline. The Cobb’s wren was also quite personable despite its rather plain appearance. On Carcass Island, where I photographed this one, they are very tame due to a lack of predators (there are no rodents or foxes or any other small ground carnivores on the island). Along with the tussacbirds (who you’ll meet in a future post), they would literally fly right up to me, even hopping on the front of my lens a few times. Steamer Duck: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/2500th of a second
Cobb’s Wren: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
A young fox can either be called a pup, a kit or a cub. I usually go with pup. Being a canine it just seems right to me. These two little guys were having some early morning fun while mom was out hunting for breakfast in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second
Last week I posted a Magellanic oystercatcher. This guy is the other species of oystercatcher that I photographed in the Falkland Islands — the appropriately named blackish oystercatcher. I didn’t see nearly as many of these guys but was able to get a few good looks. I liked this one against the similarly blackish background. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
This one seemed particularly prehistoric to me. Marine iguanas are everywhere in the Galapagos Islands. So much so that you have to be careful while hiking so that you don’t step on one of them. They can be colorful — in shades of orange and green — but most are black and blend in with the lava rock that blankets much of the islands. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second
This lemur is called a Verreaux’s sifaka. Of all the different lemur species, I always thought that these guys looked the most like stuffed animals moving through the trees. On the ground, they perform a ballet-like dance as they quickly move from the safety of one tree to the next. Nikon D40X with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 26mm) ISO 100, f/9 at 1/30th of a second
There’s something very West Side Story to me about this one — the Sharks vs. the Jets — or in this case, the Magellanics vs. the Kings. Looks like the three Magellanic penguins on the left mean business while the three kings on the right can’t believe the audacity of their shorter rivals. It’s about to get ugly and only a matter of time before all six break out in song and dance. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 116mm) ISO 800, f/11 at 1/250th of a second
Beneath all that sun flare is an elephant enjoying a drink of water before calling it a night. This one was taken in the Linyanti Concession of northern Botswana late one afternoon. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 95mm) ISO 400, f/22 at 1/60th of a second
I’ve searched for few animals with as much determination as I have the platypus. Halfway through my three week trip to Australia back in 2006, I almost gave up to concentrate on more common species like kangaroos and koalas. That’s when I came across this guy. I was on Kangaroo Island just south of Adelaide. This odd little fellow was in a small water hole. It took me a while to habituate the notoriously shy animal, but once I did I was able to get several shots as he/she splashed around on the surface of the water. This was one of the first frames I took that day, at a rather slow shutter speed, but I liked the effect that it had on the water. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second
The twelve different species of oystercatchers are widely spread throughout the world. I’ve always been a big fan of these birds and have photographed them on several continents. This guy is the Magellanic oystercatcher — along with the blackish oystercatcher — one of the two species that live in the Falkland Islands. Magellanic oystercatchers can get pretty feisty and I saw them continually dive-bombing a caracara (eagle-like raptor). The caracara must have been too close to a nest that was on the ground. Whatever the case, it gave me a good opportunity to capture flight shots as the two oystercatchers kept circling before diving down. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second
This little guy was one of the first orangutans that I met when I was in Borneo. He was shy and clinging to mom one minute, while the next he was acting as if he wanted me to join him at play. I guess, pretty much like his human relatives. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
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These two fine looking birds are the only true feathered locals in the Falkland Islands. Both endemic to the Islands, they don’t live anywhere else. The steamer duck possesses very short wings and is incapable of flight. They make up for it in personality, however, and were fun to watch as they waddled along the shoreline. The Cobb’s wren was also quite personable despite its rather plain appearance. On Carcass Island, where I photographed this one, they are very tame due to a lack of predators (there are no rodents or foxes or any other small ground carnivores on the island). Along with the tussacbirds (who you’ll meet in a future post), they would literally fly right up to me, even hopping on the front of my lens a few times.
