I believe this to be a giant broad-headed frog. It was photographed in north central Brazil. I don’t know much more other than that. And even that might not be correct. Frogs, birds and bugs can sometimes be a challenge to identify. Any herpetologists out there agree or disagree (of course, I realize not much to go on with the hidden body)? Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 180mm with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 125, f/22 at 1/60th of a second.
Not the greatest shot (and a bit of a large crop) but wanted to show this flying squirrel that my camera trap caught doing a bit of ground work. These guys show up from time to time in the camera trap images but usually on a distant tree or hidden in the leaf litter while foraging for nuts. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.
Yesterday I posted a small cat, today a big one. This time a jaguar, the largest cat in the Americas and third largest in the world behind the tiger and lion. I didn’t get too many sightings while in the Pantanal of Brazil, but I did have a few. On this occasion, I was shooting from a boat and tracking the jaguar as it moved along the top of a river bank, mostly obscured by foliage. Finally it stepped into a clearing and I was able to get a sequence of shots before it headed down the hill, into a thick mass of foliage and disappeared. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 550mm with 1.4 TC attached) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/200th of a second.
When they’re young, cheetahs have a bushy patch of white fur across their backs. Some zoologists believe it’s an adaptation to make them look more like honey badgers, and therefore more ferocious looking to would-be predators. I photographed this not-so-scary-looking cub one afternoon in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/800th of a second.
I went to Boundary Bay in British Columbia to photograph snowy owls a few years back. I also saw a few bald eagles. This one was coming in for a landing atop a leafless tree. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.
I took this one while snorkeling in Belize a few years back. Like most sea turtles, the Pacific green is an endangered species. Many factors, including hunting, poaching, and egg harvesting are to blame. But even bigger threats come from accidentally boat strikes, fishing nets, pollution and habitat loss and destruction. A pretty grim picture, but at least they are now globally protected. Sony RX1005 at 25.7mm in Ikelite housing, ISO 125, f/10 at 1/100th of a second.
I’ve posted a few images of bowerbirds in the past. There are several species. This is a male regent bowerbird. Females are more uniformly brown. Males also give bowerbirds their name, given rather sophisticated architectural skills when it comes to attracting a mate. According to Wikipedia, “regent bowerbirds are known to mix a muddy greyish blue or pea green ‘saliva paint’ in their mouths which they use to decorate their bowers. The male builds an avenue-type bower consisting of two walls of sticks, decorated with shells, seeds, leaves and berries. Regents will sometimes use wads of greenish leaves as ‘paintbrushes’ to help spread the substance, representing one of the few known instances of tools used by birds.” So that’s kind of cool. Photographed in Queensland, Australia. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.
This is one of the smallest elephants I’ve ever seen. I’m assuming that to be the mother — a big assumption considering she was also quite small compared to the rest of the elephants in the herd. Photographed after sunset in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 190mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/500th of a second.
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.