The lilac breasted roller has few rivals as the most colorful bird in Africa. It also happens to be a fairly common bird. I was able to get a few shots of this one perched on a branch before if flew off.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/1600th of a second
Late in the afternoon toward the end of our Botswana trip, we came across a large troop of baboons. Most of them scattered upon the approach of our vehicle, but several stood their ground, including this mother and her baby. There were lots of other babies as well, all curiously peeking around their mothers to get a better look at us.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
Chestnut-mandibled toucans are fairly common throughout Costa Rica. I saw this one at a place called La Selva, about an hour and a half drive from San Jose. This species primarily eats fruits from trees, but will occasionally eat insects, lizards and frogs.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, 600mm, f/5.6 at 1/90th of a second
Here’s another look at a Sally Lightfoot crab — this one on Santiago Island. These bright orange and blue crabs create quite the contrast against the black volcanic rock of the Galapagos Islands.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second
Hope everyone had a great holiday. Here’s a cheetah cub to get the week started right. There were actually two little cubs tucked behind their mom on the northern plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
It could have been our national bird, but instead became our national feast. That’s right, Benjamin Franklin petitioned for the turkey to be the national bird instead of the bald eagle. I photographed this one a couple of weekends ago when I was in Zion National Park in Utah and thought it would be appropriate today as the last post before the long holiday weekend. This guy was doing his strut, feathers out, trying to impress the five or so females that were in the area. Enjoy, and have a great weekend. I’ll be back on Monday with the next post.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
Jacanas are odd birds to begin with. For one, they have enormous feet which enable them to walk on floating vegetation, like lily pads, without sinking. The females of the species are polyandrous — meaning they will take two or more (usually 4) mates at the same time. The males will incubate the eggs, while the females defend their various nests. But perhaps the most curious thing about certain jacanas, including this wattled jacana from Brazil, are the wing spurs. It remains uncertain as to what exactly the purpose of the spurs is.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
Dik Diks are the smallest antelope species in Africa. It’s hard to get a sense of just how small they really are in a photo like this because there is no frame of reference. That being said, the average height of a dik dik at the shoulder is about 13 inches. If you don’t get a clear look at one bounding through the grass, you might mistake it for a large rabbit. As to why this one was smiling at me like that, I couldn’t say.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
There are twenty two different species of marmosets that live in South America. This black-tailed marmoset was photographed in the Pantanal region of Brazil. An interesting fact about these somewhat primitive primates — they have claws, rather than nails.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/7.1 at 1/160th of a second
Sometimes, it’s nice to put the big lens down and go a bit wider to include the environment. In this case, the first rays of the Botswana sun were illuminating this tree and the three impala that were grazing beneath it, turning them all a deep red.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/4000th of a second