These birds are fairly common throughout much of South America. I photographed this one way down toward the southern tip of the continent in Puerto Natales, Chile. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second.
The platypus is a prized sighting in Australia. I was lucky to see this one on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. There were a series of small water holes in a heavily wooded area, thus the dark reflections on the surface of the water. Certainly one of the more interesting animals I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. The platypus is the only species in its own unique genus. They are one of two types of monotremes — along with the echidnas — distinguished by being mammals that lay eggs. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
A mother orangutan and her baby enjoy some sort of fruit early one morning in the jungles of Borneo. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second.
This deer proved to be very, very habituated. I started with my 200-400mm zoom, then went to the 70-200 and got a bit closer when it was clear that she was very relaxed. Then to the 17-35. And finally this shot with the 15mm fisheye. I felt I could have sat down next to her and had a conversation. Photographed along the northwestern Florida coast. Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
A bat-eared fox pup runs toward the den to play with a sibling — late afternoon in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
Bobcats aren’t the only locals taking photos of themselves with the camera trap. Earlier in the summer, this raccoon stopped by for a visit. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.
A month from today, I’ll finally be back to my international wildlife travels for the first time since before Covid. It’ll just be for a week, but I’ve chosen the Peruvian Amazon. I’ve always loved the Amazon for all it’s varied life both night and day, including the nocturnal tree frogs. This image was taken years ago in the Bolivian Amazon. It’s a polka-dot tree frog. Interesting note about these guys. In 2017, scientists discovered — quite by accident — that their skin is naturally fluorescent. They were studying a frog for other reasons and put it under ultraviolet light. That was only five years ago, but biologists now know that quite a few species of frogs exhibit a natural, bright green fluorescent glow when exposed to UV light. It’s thought that the fluorescence plays a role in communication, camouflage and mating. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
Here’s another bobcat shot. This time there are two of them and they were visiting late morning last Wednesday. My surveillance cam was off so I didn’t get to see a video of their reaction, but it seems as if they were really checking out the flash mounted to a tree along with the trigger sensor. It’s hard to tell from this image, but the bobcat in the back is actually bigger than the one in the front. Most likely a mother with an older kitten. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.
Gerenuks are known for their extremely long necks and are often called giraffe gazelles. But they also have rather interesting ears. Not just in size, but also in pattern. This is a female, photographed in Samuburu National Reserve in Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
It was a slow summer up at the camera trap, but summer’s not quite over yet. This bobcat, and a friend, made several appearances over the weekend. In one of the photos, the bobcat had a rabbit in its mouth but was a bit too far from camera for a usable image. Here, the bobcat appears to be looking toward one of my flash units that is mounted on a nearby tree. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.