I came across this fine looking young lady one afternoon in Maroantsetra, Madagascar. She was in a tree just outside my bungalow. Always nice to make such an acquaintance before even heading into the woods. Not only do chameleons change color based on location, state of alertness and other factors, they also exhibit different colors based on sex.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, 2 Nikon SB-800 flash units
There was no Africa trip this year, and I didn’t get out with the camera with the frequency of some previous years, but 2014 was still a great year for me and wildlife. The time that I did spend in the field yielded some excellent sightings, even when I was only able to get away for a day or two. The following photos represent some of the highlights of the year — all new shots that I haven’t shared yet. Enjoy, and thanks for continuing to check out my posts on a daily basis.
Things started a bit slow in Yellowstone back in February. I’ve been to Yellowstone many times, still hoping for better looks at wolves. It didn’t happen this time, but I did have some great opportunities with bighorn, pronghorn, bison and all the other usual suspects. This ram was working hard to find grass beneath the thick bed of snow.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second
I went to Costa Rica for a long week in March, hoping to photograph tapirs and photograph tapirs I did. In fact this one I photographed from only about a foot away, as I remained very quiet, on the ground, with my wide angle zoom.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second
In May, Karen and I took a five day trip to Tulum, Mexico. It was mostly a beach holiday, but I got away one afternoon and headed to the Punta Laguna Nature Reserve where I was able to photograph spider monkeys.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
In June, I headed out to the great parks of southwestern South Dakota. Badlands is one of my favorite parks in the country and never seems to disappoint. It was the time of year for baby prairie dogs and I saw many of them.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
In July, I had to be in Los Angeles for business. I was able to get away for a night over the weekend so I headed to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. This was the 122 degree day that I’ve talked about in several posts. I love photographing black-tailed jackrabbits and have posted a few from this trip. My mother had asked about whether or not their ears are ever down. Well, here you go. When relaxed and at rest, the ears are down, but when they hear something or are on alert, the ears stick straight up.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
And finally, my big trip of the year was to the Falkland Islands in October/November. I’m still going through all the photos from this trip — two awesome weeks with five different species of penguin and assorted other creatures. I photographed these four king penguins at twilight at Volunteer Point, on the main island of East Falkland.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Pictured up front is a single Grevy’s zebra — the largest and most endangered of the zebra species. In the background, a herd of eland — Africa’s largest antelope — graze under the twilight sky in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. I used a graduated neutral density filter to hold the color and detail in the sky while exposing for the foreground.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 90mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second, graduated neutral density filter
This was the first of many coatis that I saw on my trip to Costa Rica back in March. These guys are pretty widespread throughout much of South and Central America and even range up into the southwestern United States. I had my camera on the ground when this one passed by, foraging in the leaves — most likely looking for crabs — in Corcovado National Park.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 250mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
This one is from my trip to the scorching hot southern California desert earlier this year. During the heat of the day, it reached 122 degrees in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. There was no life to be found. As soon as the sun went down, however, the jackrabbits and coyotes started to creep out from their daytime resting spots. This guy stopped for a quick peek at me before continuing the hunt for food (or more likely, water) with three other coyotes.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
One more to take us into the holidays. This gentoo penguin colony was just outside the front door of the lodge on Sea Lion Island in the Falklands, making it quite convenient for early morning, sunrise shots. Most of the penguins were sitting on eggs that would eventually hatch a few weeks later. Hope everyone has a great holiday. I’ll be back Monday with new posts.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/22 at 1/60th of a second
This is an old one from my trip to Madagascar back in 2007. Sometimes you have your best sightings on your way into national parks. Thus was the case with this little tree frog that I saw along the side of the road in the town of Perinet on my way into Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. It’s called an Elena’s tree frog. Not sure who Elena was but she discovered a rather dashing frog.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 145mm) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units on a Really Right Stuff bracket
Here’s another imperial shag (also known as imperial cormorant), this time showing a bit more detail of the blue eye and orange nasal knob. In the breeding season, they also have those nice white whiskery things above the eye. This guy was obviously taking a bit of a rest — a difficult task I would imagine amidst all the noise of the rockhopper penguins and other shags.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
I took a lot of photos of different penguin prints in the sand. I kind of liked the curve to this gentoo’s journey as it headed back to the colony after an afternoon of fishing.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17 to 35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/11 at 1/250th of a second
Leaf tailed geckos are pretty crazy looking creatures. From the expression on this guy’s face, it’s hard tell if he was pleased to see me or if he wanted to eat me. He was actually displaying his bright red mouth as a warning sign to stay away. My guide and I were heading back to camp late one afternoon on the island of Nosy Mangabe, just off the east coast of Madagascar.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash