Also known as the South American gray fox, the chilla and the gray zorro, the Patagonian fox lives throughout southern South America. I came across this one in extreme southern Chile in Torres Del Paine National Park. He seemed particularly pleased with his scratching technique. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
Here’s another photo from my ocelot encounter when I was in the Peruvian Amazon back in late October. This exposure seemed to be a bit brighter than the first one I shared. As mentioned previously, this was one of the more exciting sightings of my years in the wild — spotted along a river bank while heading back to the lodge late at night. I didn’t actually see the ocelot from the boat, but my guide did, so we set out on foot and after searching around for about five minutes, we saw it again in the rainforest where it posed for a few portraits. Note the three porcupine quills stuck in the ocelot’s right shoulder, no doubt a lesson learned. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/8 at 1/125th of a second, Godox V860iii flash on a remote bracket.
*Some wild cat experts saw this post and believe it to actually be a margay, an even more rare cat to see in the wild. It looks very similar to an ocelot, but smaller and with bigger eyes. The definitive way to tell the difference is the tail, but I didn’t get any shots of the tail.
Always good to see trogons when hiking in the tropics. This collared trogon was photographed on my recent trip to the Peruvian Amazon. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/40th of a second, Godox V860iii fill flash.
The boat-billed heron, or boatbill, is a nocturnal heron living in Central and South America. We saw one or two of these large birds each time we took the boat out at night in the Peruvian Amazon. They obviously get their name from that oddly shaped scoop-like bill. They feed on everything from smaller mammals to frogs, insects, crabs and fish. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/6.3 at 1/125th of a second, Godox V860iii flash.
This guy was the epitome of a wily coyote. Tall, lean, scrappy, unafraid, and making the rounds at the end of the day in the southern California desert. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
This howler monkey didn’t like the look of me as we drifted past on a boat in Brazil’s Pantanal. Hopefully this post sends out an email. I’ve been having all sorts of trouble with my notifications not working. If you missed a few posts, use the “previous” button under each photo to see the previous posts. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (with 1.4 extender for 550mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
Potoos are known for their comically cartoonish mouths and big yellow eyes. Neither of which you can see when they’re asleep. Which is when this photo was taken. The large owl-like bird was in a tree just outside my room in the Peruvian Amazon, and doing exactly what potoos do — sleeping during the day. I was hoping to get another glimpse when the potoo woke up at night but my timing was off and I missed the opportunity. Until next time. And by the way, you can see the closed eye and beak if you look close (head is in profile and facing toward the right edge of the frame). Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second, Godox V860iii fill flash.
A group of bighorn lambs showing why it can be hard to spot a group of bighorn lambs. These guys were playing amidst the eroded buttes in Badlands National Park. In addition to their great camouflage, they also are well adapted to the steep, almost vertical landscapes they live in. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
Here’s another raccoon captured on my camera trap. This one was taken in August of ’21. Back then, a group of raccoons were using this fallen log nearly every night to go foraging in the woods behind my house. Their visits have become more infrequent since then but they still show up from time to time. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.
This is actually a Pacific green sea turtle, but that barnacle really picked a conspicuous spot to latch onto. Unfortunately for the turtle (or maybe not) barnacles never move once they attach to a hard surface. You can’t tell from this photo, but there’s a second turtle just under the water and the two were mating. Photographed off Isabella Island in the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second.