Butterflies in the genus caligo are commonly called owl butterflies because of the large spots on their wings that resemble the eyes of an owl. I saw quite a few of these butterflies in the cloud forest of Ecuador, but only this one that appeared to have a tear running from the eye.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/400th of a second (-0.33 ev)
Here’s another wood duck — this time, just after it lifted off from a pond. Wood ducks get their name because they nest in trees. The females will lay 7 to 15 eggs in the tree cavity and the day after hatching, the ducklings will climb to the nest entrance and jump to the ground. Miraculously, they can jump from a height of 290 feet without injury. Even so, the parents will try to find a tree over a body of water so that the landing will be softer than if over the ground. The mother will call to the young ducklings, but they are able to swim and find food on their own by this time.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/1250th of a second
It’s been a while since I posted one from the Pantanal in Brazil so here’s a giant river otter — the largest otter in the world. They can grow to almost six feet in length. This one was quietly slipping back into the water after being on the riverbank taking a rest.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
A week of owls is never enough, so here’s another snowy from my weekend at Boundary Bay. This photo was taken after the sun had set, in the fading glow of twilight. I had just enough light to up the ISO and still keep a reasonable shutter speed for a flight shot.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
A nice moment here between a mother Galapagos sea lion and her young pup. Galapagos sea lions are just slightly smaller than their relatives in California. They occur on each of the islands in the Galapagos archipelago. Every place we saw a bit of sandy beach, we also saw sea lions. When there was no sand, they were basking in the sun on the rocks… or in the middle of a trail, or on a boat, or on the park benches and sidewalks of the few larger islands that were inhabited by people. These two were on our favorite island, Fernandina — a beautiful place, devoid of any people but full of all the creatures that the Galapagos are famous for.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/500th of a second (0.33 ev)
In addition to the owls and ducks, bald eagles were also patrolling the coast of Boundary Bay. Most often, I saw them perched in tall trees against bright, unattractive backgrounds — or on the ground but too far away in the middle of a plowed field. Occasionally, however, I caught them in flight with halfway decent light. I still need to do a proper bald eagle trip to Alaska, but in the meantime, it was nice to get a few more pics in my library of our national emblem.
A quick break in the action from all the avian posts of late. These three rhioncerouses — or rhinoceri if you prefer — were photographed late one morning in the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy of Kenya. Lewa is home to both white and the black rhinos. These guys are the former, although they aren’t actually white in color. Nor are they the reddish brown that they appear to be in the photo. They are more greyish, but they take on the brown tint from all the mud that they wallow in at Lewa. White rhinos are quite a bit larger than black rhinos and can weigh up to 6,000 pounds (black rhinos top out at just half that).
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 400, f/9 at 1/500th of a second
In addition to the owls, I also came across quite a few ducks last weekend while in British Columbia, including wood ducks, mallards, wigeons, pintails, goldeneyes and shovelers. This male wood duck was kind enough to stop and pose for a portrait in front of a nice dark background. You can see why they are generally considered the most beautiful of all North American ducks.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/1000 of a second
To close out owl week, here’s another snowy owl from Boundary Bay in British Columbia. This adult female was perched on a nearby post for quite a while giving us ample opportunities for portrait shots. What we were all hoping for, however, was a flight shot — and she eventually obliged, flying right past us and out into the marsh.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens attached (at 340mm) ISO 800 at 1/1000th of a second
I figure I might as well make this owl week. This is the third species that I saw last weekend in British Columbia. The saw whet owl is one of the smallest owls in North America. They weigh only about 2.8 ounces and are just 7 inches tall. When perched and sleeping in a tree, their round appearance is about the size of a softball. They are strictly nocturnal and sleep throughout the day, hidden deep within the foliage of trees. I kept going back to visit this one, hoping that it would wake up for just a second. It finally rewarded me with a single eye glance.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/60th of a second.