Bat-Eared Fox Pup on the Move
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.
Raccoon
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.
Polka-Dot Tree Frog
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.
Two More Bobcats
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.
Gerenuk Portrait
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.
Bobcat
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.
Leopard in Tree
This leopard was watching an unsuspecting herd of impala as they slowly moved toward the tree. Unlike lions, leopards are solitary cats that hunt on their own. It’s rare to see more than one at a time unless it’s a mother with a cub, or a mating pair. I photographed this one in Botswana. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.
Capybara Feeling It
A capybara seems a bit too comfortable along the Yacuma River in the Pampas region of Bolivia. In reality, there’s not a lot of time to relax for capybaras as they are the favorite prey of larger animals in the area like jaguars and caiman. Capybaras are quite robust themselves, and noteworthy for being the largest rodents in the world. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.
Roseate Spoonbill
I’ve photographed roseate spoonbills in Florida and Texas, but capturing a few images of them in the Pantanal of Brazil is even better. Much like flamingos, roseate spoonbills get their pink coloring from the carotenoids in the foods they eat, including crustaceans and other aquatic invertebrates. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second.
Honey Badger
I’ve had a few encounters with honey badgers on my travels to Africa. This was the first of those encounters, photographed late afternoon in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. Honey badgers have a fierce reputation due to their ability to fight back against larger predators. Their main defense is unusually tough, while at the same time loose skin. When a predator like a leopard gets ahold of a honey badger, the honey badger is able to turn around inside its own skin and fight back while the leopard tries to navigate a fatal bite. This toughness allows the smaller animal to make frequent escapes. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.