This blue footed booby chick kept trying to get its mother to regurgitate dinner. The chick was relentless, constantly pecking at the mother’s throat. The mom kept trying to walk away, but the chick would just follow wherever she went.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2000th of a second
Grand Teton National Park is a great place to view American bison. This cow was nursing her calf beneath the majestic Teton range. Also of note here is her exceptional beard.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105 macro lens, ISO 1600, f/13 at 1/125th of a second
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/8 at 1/160th of a second (- 1/3 stop ev)
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/13 at 1/200th of a second
I thought that this rather interesting insect warranted three angles. It’s called a dead leaf mantis. There are many species of dead leaf mantises and as the name suggests, they mimic dead leaves. Like yesterday’s bird, this guy was also photographed in the cloud forest of Ecuador. Unlike the bird, I don’t have a dead leaf mantis call to share.
This colorful little tanager, the moss-beaked tanager, was just one of the many beautiful birds that we saw in the cloud forest of Ecuador. Click below to hear its call.
Moss-beaked Tanager
This white rhino calf was making all sorts of crazy faces at us. Young rhinos are very playful and act almost like energetic golden retriever pups as they bounce around in the grass. This one was photographed in Lewa, Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Okay, I realize that I just posted a Brazilian burrowing owl a few weeks ago, but this is a completely different owl. And c’mon, who couldn’t use another burrowing owl to start the morning? Enjoy.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second (-1/3 stop ev)
I saw quite a few of these little green day geckos in Madagascar. As the name would suggest, they are active mainly during the day (most other geckos are nocturnal). I saw this one scurrying down a tree in the dry western forest of Ankarafantsika National Park.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second (-2/3 stop ev) Nikon SB-800 flash
This coyote was working on a carcass that was buried beneath the ridge line of the snow. Perhaps the coyote chanced upon an elk or deer that couldn’t make it through the harsh Yellowstone winter. Or, more likely, wolves had abandoned a kill that subsequently got buried beneath the drifting snow. Either way, the coyote kept a watchful eye on me as it feasted away.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (400mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/640th of a second (plus 1.33 stops ev)
The male magnificent frigatebird and its balloon-like red throat pouch is one of the iconic images of the Galapagos Islands. The males will inflate their pouches during the mating season to attract females. This guy seems to have been successful in his mission.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second (-1/3 stop ev)
As any long time subscriber to my blog can attest, I’m a big fan of the spectral tarsier. Here’s another look at these little primates from the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia — this time I couldn’t help but think of Dr. Evil from the Austin Power’s movies — “One million dollars.”
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 200, f/10 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash