I photographed a few of these carnivorous marsupials in the wild, but I also got up close and personal at a few rehab centers in Tasmania. This eastern quoll was photographed at Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/1250th of a second.
I mentioned in yesterday’s post that the usually-active wildlife corridor in my backyard has been very slow this summer. The bears must have heard me. They finally showed up today. A mother with two cubs. They navigated around my camera traps, but I was able to grab a few snapshots as they clung to the perimeter of the yard on their way through. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/1000th of a second (top photos), ISO 2000, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second (bottom photo).
In lieu of much recent activity up at the camera trap, here’s a shot of a young Virginia opossum from back in the fall. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/14 at 1/80th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.
The Barrow’s goldeneye is a sea duck that lives mostly in the Pacific Northwest, but can also be found in a few other pockets of the world. They were one of the species hit hard by the Exxon Valdez oil spill back in 1989. I photographed this male near Vancouver, Canada. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.
Squirrel monkeys are the smallest of the four species of monkey found in Costa Rica. I was down on the Osa Peninsula near the Panama border when a troop of these little guys came for a visit — eager to feast on the red berries that were ripening on the local trees. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/180th of a second.
Secretary birds are quite large and spend most of their time on the ground roaming the grasslands of east Africa. But they can also be seen perched atop acacia trees from time to time. I photographed this pair in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
A couple of marmots engaged in marmot-y behavior. These are the yellow-bellied species and they were photographed at Mount Evans in Colorado. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/125th of a second.
Great grays are certainly majestic owls. But they do look kind of funny when they’re on the ground — often half sunken in snow — just after diving for a vole or other prey. I’m not entirely sure if this was a successful attempt or not. The owl hung out for quite some time in the snow and then turned and flew in the opposite direction. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.
Looking forward to someday returning to Madagascar. Ring-tailed lemurs were the first of the 23 three species of lemur I ended up photographing on my three-week trip back in 2007. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 100, f/2.8 at 1/1250th of a second.
This young giraffe lost track of mom and was heading back to safety. You can see the scrub land conditions that cover much of the Linyanti region of Botswana. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second.