A while back I posted a common brushtail possum from Australia. Here is another species, the coppery brushtail. These guys are common in their home range, but that range is very small — restricted to the Atherton Tablelands area of Queensland in the northeastern part of the country. As you can see, it gets its name from the copper color of its fur — the common brushtail being much more grey. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/11 at 1 second, Nikon SB-800 flash
There are several different species of caiman that live throughout Central and South America. One of the most common is the spectacled caiman, otherwise known as the white caiman or the common caiman. It gets its name from the bony ridge between the eyes that resembles a pair of glasses. This particular spectacled caiman was enjoying the early morning light along the Yucama River in the Pampas region of Bolivia. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
I took this one a few winters ago in southern Indiana. I was at Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge to photograph river otters, but it’s also a great place for birds. There were quite a few cardinals around, including this male (top) and female. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 460 with Nikon 1.4 teleconverter) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second
Valentines come in many forms — for some a box of chocolates, for others a salty fish. This male least tern is presenting a gift to the female. Acceptance of the gift means acceptance of the mate. In this case, she accepted, and, well… let’s just say that a lot happens on a least tern’s first date. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second
As I mentioned yesterday, I was after wolves this weekend so didn’t really concentrate on any other creatures. That being said, there were bison everywhere, especially on the road. It’s much easier for them to move from one place to another by traveling on the plowed road than through four feet of snow. The guy above walked right past my driver’s side window. I recorded a little iphone video after I took the shot. See below:
Photo: Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 280, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
Movie: iphone 5
There were quite a few bighorn rams in Yellowstone this weekend. The ewes that I saw, on the other hand, were all just outside of the park. Rams and ewes only come together during mating season. The rest of the year the rams hang out in bachelor herds while the ewes hang out together and tend to the young. This guy was trudging through the snow looking for whatever vegetation he could find. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second
This is the twelfth time or so that I’ve been to Yellowstone — and I’ve still yet to get a usuable shot of a wolf. That’s the way it is with wildlife photography. One day you’re witnessing the rarity of a leopard stalking a pangolin in Africa and the next, you drive around all day in “America’s Serengeti” and don’t come back with a thing. So until I finally get that elusive wolf in the wild, here’s one I took about six years ago in a drive through animal park in South Dakota. As for bighorn and bison, well I got plenty of them over the last few days. Stay tuned for upcoming posts. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/800th of a second
Some of you might remember this black-handed gibbon from Borneo, also known as the agile gibbon. He was quite curious — perhaps because he thought that I had something to eat in my camera bag. I was able to get several shots with my wide angle lens. These gibbons live in the same range as the Bornean orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park. Tomorrow, I’m off to a much different environment — Yellowstone for the weekend for a little winter wildlife photography. It’s been a while since I’ve been there in the dead of winter. Here’s hoping I return on Tuesday with a decent wolf photo or two. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/500th of a second
The oryx is a mysterious creature, some believing that it is the antelope on which the unicorn is based. The oryx, of course, has two straight horns, rather than just one, but I can see where the comparison makes sense. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/13th of a second
This giant river otter is obviously up to something that he doesn’t want you to know about. What sort of illicit activity was going on over there by the bank of the river, I have no idea. What I do know is that this was in the Pantanal of Brazil, and that giant river otters are big. Very big. They can be six feet in length and weigh up to 70 pounds. And from the look of this guy, they really would prefer that you don’t know anything more about them. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
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