In Madagascar, you never know when you’ll see a lemur’s eyes peering out from inside a tree. This species is a red fronted brown lemur. I saw quite a few of them in the dry forests of southern Madagascar.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/3.5 at 1/640th of a second
The strawberry poison dart frog is common throughout its range in Central America. There are believed to be up to 30 different color variations of this frog — the most common being the blue jeans morph. Other than those smart blue trousers, another nice thing about these frogs is that they are active during the day, making non-flash photos possible. I came across this little guy in the forest leaf litter at a place called La Selva in Costa Rica.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens (at 200mm) with Canon 500D close up filter attached, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/8th of a second
This photo was taken in the same general area as the previous one I posted from Vicksburg. In the distance to the left is the Louisiana Memorial. To the right is the Illinois Memorial, perhaps the most impressive structure in the park. In the middle, you can see how hilly the terrain is, making it difficult for either the Union or Confederate armies to gain much ground. Tomorrow, back to the animals.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/22, shutter speeds of 1.6, .4, .8, 3 and 6 seconds (5 shot HDR image)
This is the same cheetah that I am petting in my bio photo on my website. Her name is Sheba and she was injured and caught in a barbed wire fence when she was just six weeks old (her right eye was permanently damaged in the accident). In this photo, she is six months old (almost fully grown). Ever since her injury, a Masai warrior had been tending to her — taking her out for walks and watching over her as she learned how to fend for herself in the wild. By the time I took this photo, she was already making kills on her own of impala and zebra — and she was only about two weeks away from being completely released back into the wild.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second
At first I was disappointed with the near white out conditions that I was greeted with several years ago down on Sanibel Island in Florida, but then the mist lifted and I was able to get some nice pink on white shots of spoonbills and their reflections in the water.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 550mm with Nikon 1.4 teleconverter) ISO 400, f/9 at 1/640th of a second
No, just a leopard who thinks she’s all that. This one was taken just north of the Masai Mara at a place called Olare Orok. She’s referred to as Pretty Girl by the locals and apparently she’s taken the name to heart.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second
These yellow squirrel monkeys kind of reminded me of Hasbro’s old barrel full of monkeys. It was late in the day and I was on a canoe on Lake Chalalan in Madidi National Park in Bolivia. A large troop of squirrel monkeys came to the water’s edge in a flurry of activity before finding a suitable place to rest for the night. They can be very quick, and they were tumbling and jumping and hanging from one another as they moved through the trees. The monkeys and I would also like to wish my fiancé Karen a happy birthday today.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
This is an old one from my Australia trip back in 2006. Kangaroo Island is just south of Adelaide in Southern Australia. It’s a haven for wildlife, including quite a few seals and sea lions. Seal Bay is accessible by guide only and, unfortunately, viewing times are well after sunrise and well before sunset. On this particular day, however, I got lucky when the stormy clouds rolled in, providing a respite from the harsh mid-day sun and adding drama to the sky.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second
This one goes out to the first graders of the Learning Community school in Rhode Island who are currently learning about Africa. Lions are very social for wild cats and they typically live in prides with several other family members. This mother and her cub were members of a pride of about 14 lions living in the Olare Orok Conservancy of the Masai Mara in Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second
The ostriches were out in full force on this particular day in the Masai Mara of Kenya. They are big. A full grown male can weigh up to 320 pounds.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second