This was the only owl I saw on my trip to Patagonia — a Magellanic horned owl. It may look like our great horned owls, but is a separate species. Also known as the lesser horned owl, they range from the southern tip of South America up to the central Andes. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
These coatis really seemed to be enjoying themselves. They look like they were laughing hysterically but they were actually resting, cleaning themselves and scratching their backs on the rocks. I was deep in the woods of Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica when I spotted a group of about 20 of them. I sat still for quite a while and they went about their business as if I wasn’t there. Always a bonus of hiking solo and being patient. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/160th of a second.
Just a simple portrait of a sea otter, but I liked all that soft light filtering in from the early-morning sun. Captured in central California.
The meerkats put on quite a show when I visited them in the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana. Lots of action as they foraged, played and ran around alerting each other of potential danger. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/2500th of a second.
This is the spectacled owl. There are six subspecies that range from southern Mexico down through much of South America. I photographed this one in the highlands of central Panama. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
Just north of San Francisco at Point Reyes National Seashore lives a small group of tule elk. On this particular evening, I caught them on a ridge line well after the sun had set. I bracketed in a bit of light to brighten up the scene and reveal the rolling hills and fog that had nestled into the valley below. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/50th of a second.
Less favorable light than I typically like to shoot in, but at least I was able to get a clean background for this dwarf mongoose in the Okavango Delta of Botswana. Interesting fact about the dwarf mongoose — they have a mutualistic relationship with hornbills (like the one I posted on February 8th). They will forage alongside each other in order to warn one other of any approaching predators. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1600th of a second.
Aracaris are in the toucan family. Not quite as impressive of beak, but almost. This chestnut-eared aracari landed on a branch just outside the lodge I was staying at in Brazil’s Pantanal, allowing me to capture a close up portrait. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/1600th of a second.
Meet the potgut. At least that’s what you’d call this guy if you lived in northern Utah. Elsewhere he’s known as the chisler. But officially, he’s called the Uinta ground squirrel. We made our acquaintance in Yellowstone National Park years ago when I was on a wolf-searching mission. And that’s the great thing about wildlife photography. You may not find the species you were looking for, but it’s about all those others you find along the way. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.
The piping plover is a globally threatened and endangered shorebird. There are two subspecies in the United States — an eastern and midwestern variant. Pictured is the eastern subspecies, photographed at Cape May in New Jersey some years back. Conservation efforts have led to slow increases in numbers but it is feared that if those efforts stop, the trend will quickly reverse. That’s why you might see cordoned off areas of mid-Atlantic beaches during the breading season which starts in late April. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/1000th of a second.