I was in northern Minnesota for the last four days in search of great gray owls. But more on the owls tomorrow. For today I wanted to post the trip’s unexpected surprise — an American mink. I’ve been after mink for years but have only caught a fleeting glimpse here and there and no photos. But while scanning for owls yesterday morning, I saw this little thing out of the corner of my eye. It scurried across the ice, before diving into a hole in snowbank. I thought the encounter was over, but a few seconds later the mink popped its head out of the hole, came out on the ice, rolled around a bit, and then headed back inside. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
A female gerenuk stands on her hind legs and eats from a bush in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Enjoy this last post while I take a week off to visit some friends in New York and then head out to northern Minnesota for a few days searching for owls. Hopefully I’ll have something new to share toward the end of next week. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
Here’s another one from a few months back when my camera trap was at the end of a fallen ash tree in the back woods. Always nice when the birds stop by for a photo. In this case a blue jay pausing for a moment before moving on. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and three remote flash units.
A bighorn ram finds a patch of exposed grass on a steep, snow-covered hillside. Photographed in Yellowstone a few years back. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
This black bear stuck his head into frame while passing through the backyard a few months ago. I’m assuming the bears are all settling in for the winter at this point, but you never know. They don’t fully hibernate and may wander around a bit on unseasonably warm days. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.
It’s pretty self-explanatory as to why this fox is called the crab-eating fox. What’s less evident, is why it’s also called the forest fox, wood fox, bushdog or maikong. They do have a fondness for crabs, but they’ll eat just about anything they can scavenge. This one was creeping around our lodge in the Pantanal of Brazil in search of easy scraps from our dinner. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 86mm) ISO 200, f/9 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units.
Green crested lizards are a species of agamid lizard and are native to Southeast Asia. I came across this one on a hike in Sumatra, Indonesia. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/80th of a second.
I met this masked palm civet one night while he/she was sniffing around my campsite in Kaeng Krachan National Park in Thailand. I was busy trying to photograph a porcupine when I suddenly saw this white head staring at me from the edge of the forest. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/18 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.
The green honeycreeper can be quite common in its range. That range extends from Mexico down into Brazil. Despite the ubiquity, however, they are a fine specimen to behold. This is the male of the species. The female is more uniformly yellow/green, as opposed to this bluish green, and lacks the black face and bright red eye. I captured this one at close range in central Costa Rica. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/40th of a second.
There are four different species of basilisk lizard that range from southern Mexico into South America. I believe this is the brown basilisk. All of them go by the common name of the Jesus lizard because of their ability to run across water. Photographed on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second.
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I was in northern Minnesota for the last four days in search of great gray owls. But more on the owls tomorrow. For today I wanted to post the trip’s unexpected surprise — an American mink. I’ve been after mink for years but have only caught a fleeting glimpse here and there and no photos. But while scanning for owls yesterday morning, I saw this little thing out of the corner of my eye. It scurried across the ice, before diving into a hole in snowbank. I thought the encounter was over, but a few seconds later the mink popped its head out of the hole, came out on the ice, rolled around a bit, and then headed back inside. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
