Bears weren’t the only creatures I came across last weekend in Minnesota. I saw quite a few painted turtles as well, usually attempting to cross the road. Have a great 4th of July everyone. See you back on Monday with more from the north woods.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second
Here’s another from this past weekend in northern Minnesota. These two young black bears seemed a bit smitten with each other. You can see the clear difference in coat colors between the two.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 82mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second
Just back from a weekend up in northern Minnesota photographing black bears. Haven’t gone through all the photos yet, but just quickly grabbed this one of a young chocolate cub climbing down a tree. Black bears come in many colors, from black to blonde. I kind of like this chocolate color. Many more of these bears to come.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
This is an American marten, also commonly known as a pine marten. Martens have very shiny and luxuriant fur and at the turn of the century, they were nearly wiped out in North American due to the fur trade. They have since made a nice comeback thanks to conservation efforts and the population is now healthy throughout much of Canada and pockets of the United States. I photographed this one in front of a wood pile just outside of the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Silver Gate, Montana.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
This spotted hyena seemed to be waiting for the rain to let up before venturing completely out of the den. Photo taken on the Laikipia Plains of Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Chameleons are among the most stealthy animals on the planet. They can completely change color to blend in with their surroundings, they have tongues that shoot out of their mouths to catch prey, and they can look in two different directions at the same time. This Parson’s chameleon was doing the latter when I took this photo — one eye staring directly into my camera, and the other checking out the situation off to the right hand side.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 lens
This little baboon was making all sorts of faces and seemed to be having a great time playing in the rain and jumping around in the wet grass on the Laikipia Plains of Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
Always nice to start the week off with a seal face. This particular face happens to belong to a harbor seal. Harbor seals can be very curious and they tend to follow behind kayakers in Elkhorn Slough — just north of Monterey, California — where I took this photo. As soon as you turn around, however, they often dive beneath the surface.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
I went to Borneo to photograph orangutans, but I also really wanted to see a few of these proboscis monkeys — especially the males with their potato like noses. I ended up seeing quite a few of them as we meandered up and down the rivers of Tanjung Puting National Park. This handsome fellow had a particularly impressive snout.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
Black shouldered kites — also known as Australia black shouldered kites — are found in open habitat throughout much of Australia. They are smaller raptors, with a wingspan of up to 37 inches. Mostly white and grey in appearance, they have piercing red eyes set against patches of black — very cool looking birds. I saw this one on my last morning on Kangaroo Island in Southern Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikon 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/8 at 1/250th of a second