Chestnut-Eared Aracari
Aracaris are medium-sized toucans. This is the chestnut-eared aracari, fairly common throughout the western and southern Amazon basin. It was photographed in Brazil’s Pantanal early morning when it landed near our lodge, looking to feast on the mangoes that were growing nearby. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
Southern Flying Squirrel
We had an infrequent visitor to the camera trap the other night — a southern flying squirrel. There are two types of flying squirrels in Connecticut, the southern and the northern. I’m pretty sure I got the identification on this one correct. I’ve seen them a few times gliding through the air while out walking the dog late at night. That will be the next challenge — to catch one mid glide. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Camtraptions camera box and trail monitor, Nikon SB-900 flash units.
Woolly Monkey
Here’s another look at the very friendly woolly monkey I met in the rainforest of Peru’s upper Amazon basin. In this image, you can sort of see the leather padding on the underside of tail tip — essentially a third arm as the monkey moves effortlessly through the forest. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
Snowy Owl Portrait
Years ago I made a trip to southern British Columbia in search of snowy owls. I’ve already posted a lot of the flight shots from that trip. Here’s a simple portrait of one of the owls perched on a post at the end of the day. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second.
Short-Beaked Echidna
Monotremes are egg-laying mammals. There are only 5 monotremes in the world — the platypus and four species of echidna. This is the short-beaked echidna. I spotted him/her on the side of the road, while driving to Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.
Giraffe Affection
Those long necks are used for more than just to reach the top leaves on an acacia tree. Males will often use their powerful necks to battle over territory. Fights can get quite aggressive as giraffes swing their necks violently hoping to land body blows against their opponents. But they also use their necks to show affection. Thus was the case with these two reticulated giraffes in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. They’re both males, but clearly quite fond of each other as they perform a gentle dance. Nikon Z8 at 4K at 120 fps.
Plains Zebras
Generally, the more common the animal, the less sought after by safari goers on the trips we lead to Africa. Everyone wants to see the cats and other more difficult to track down species. But there are a few notable exceptions. Zebras being one of them. And they tend to be really common. At least the plains zebras. Enjoy this quick video of some of the zebra action on our trip to Kenya in April. Nikon Z8 at 4K.