Sea Otter with Clam
A sea otter really digging into the raw bar. Photographed in Morro Bay, California. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
Banded Mongoose
The banded mongoose is unlike most other mongoose species that live relatively solitary lives. Not this guy. He hangs with his fellow mongoose mates in colonies. Together they share a rich social structure. True, this one is alone in the above picture, but just behind him and out of frame are his fellow “mob” mates, as they are technically called. Photographed on the plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
Southern Yellow Hornbill
The southern yellow hornbill lives in southern Africa from Namibia in the west to Mozambique in the east. I photographed this one in Botswana. They are large birds and spend most of their waking hours on the ground, foraging for insects. At night, they find a spot high in a tree to stay away from any would-be predators. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
Hanuman Langur
Seemed like a good day for a baby monkey. This one being a hanuman langur, photographed in Kanha National Park in India. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/200th of a second.
Great Gray Dive
Here’s another one from my trip to northern Minnesota back in December. This great gray owl was diving head first into the snow in hopes of catching a vole. I suspect this particular attempt was a miss. It was hard to tell as the owl entered the snow behind a clump of grass and spent some time on the ground before heading back to his/her perch. Karen and I are off to New York for a few days tomorrow. Enjoy the weekend. I’ll be back Monday with my next post. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.
Masked Weaver
This masked weaver was in the early stages of building its nest. That ring of grass will eventually be an intricate orb dangling from the branch. Photographed on my first trip to Uganda when I went to Queen Elizabeth National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.
Bobcat — The Other Subspecies
The recent bobcat activity at my camera trap got me doing a bit of research. Thirteen subspecies of bobcat are claimed but only two are officially recognized. Lynx rufus rufus, exists east of the Great Plains — thus the guy that occasionally visits my backyard — and Lynx rufus fasciatus exists west of the Great Plains. The latter, pictured above, was the first of the subspecies that I got good looks at with camera in hand. Photographed in the same place as yesterday’s ruddy duck, but back in 2011, just south of Los Angeles. Still a great memory as I was able to get down on the ground as the bobcat strolled past on its way to stalk ducks in a nearby pond. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.
Ruddy Duck
Here’s one for the duck fans out there. As far as ducks go, the ruddy duck is one of my favorites, especially males like this one in his summertime breading plumage, which includes the chestnut feathers and sky blue bill. Photographed at the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, California. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second.
Polar Bear Challenge
These two polar bears were passing the time waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze over so they could go hunt for seals. This was nothing more than a playful challenge — who can open his mouth the widest. Or maybe they were just checking each other’s breath? Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
Dark-Eyed Junco
Dark-eyed juncos aren’t very flashy, but they make up for it in personality. They’re quite common and we see them around the yard throughout the year. They like to spend a lot of time on the ground, mainly eating insects and seeds. I had my camera trap set up on the edge of the yard during a snowstorm last winter to capture this one. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trigger and remote flash units.