Before mating with a female, the male least tern must sufficiently impress her with the gift of a fish. If she finds the fish unsatisfactory she will pass on the offer and he must either find another fish, or another tern less particular about her seafood. Or something like that. On this occasion, she agreed it was a mighty fine fish. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second.
Sometimes dinner comes pre-garnished for a river otter. In winter, river otters will see to it that select entry points into and out of a frozen body of water remain unfrozen. This guy had just emerged from one of those entry points and dropped dinner onto the ice before digging in. Photographed in southern Indiana. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/500th of a second.
Hermit crabs have two sets of antennae they use for various sensory input. The inner antennae are shorter and used for taste and smell. In this image you can see the longer, outer antennae, known as feelers, which they use to navigate what’s in front of them. I photographed this Caribbean hermit crab, also known as a purple pincher on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
Vultures don’t get a lot of love out there on the African savanna. I mean, they’re vultures after all. But they shouldn’t be overlooked. Especially white-headed vultures, who on closer inspection, are surprisingly fine looking birds. This one was no doubt hanging around waiting for something to die — as any self-respecting vulture does of course. Photographed north of the Masai Mara in the Olare Orok Conservancy of Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
Thanks to Connecticut Magazine for the Q&A feature in their May issue. And thanks to my wife Karen for taking the cover image which you can click to get to the full digital version of the article.
In this large troop of 23 mountain gorillas, there were a couple of babies. This one was putting on show for me while Mom remained somewhat disinterested. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/60th of a second.
No animal in this one, just the glory of terra firma to celebrate on Earth Day. This was taken on Mount Rainier many years ago when the mid-summer alpine wildflowers were at their best. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm), graduated neutral density filter, ISO 200, f/18 at 1/25th of a second.
With an average lifespan of 150 years, Galápagos giant tortoises are the oldest reptiles on planet earth. And they really are giants — full grown adults can exceed 550 pounds. They also happen to be endangered and have become a flagship species for conservation efforts in their isolated home range. It was a great experience to be in their presence in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island in the Galápagos. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 22mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/1000th of a second.
Identifying the various species and sub-species of squirrel monkeys can get confusing. This is the Bolivian squirrel monkey, but also goes by the yellow squirrel monkey. Photographed from a boat in Madidi National Park in the Bolivian Amazon. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
Gambel’s quail are quite sartorial with that head plume they strut around with. These birds spend the majority of their time on the ground, only occasionally taking to the air. I photographed this one in the Anza-Borrego desert of southern California. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.