Due to the red dirt of Samburu National Reserve in the north of Kenya, the elephants take on a much more reddish tint than their identical, but grey, counterparts in the south. I used my wide-angle lens for this one, when the entire herd walked past us about ten feet away. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 24-70mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 250, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.
Tasmanian devils are the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial. They once thrived throughout Australia, but are now confined to the island state of Tasmania. Their numbers have been plummeting due to the lethal facial tumor disease. There seems to be no stopping the disease, which is spread through social interaction when they nip and bite each other. Saving this iconic symbol of Tasmania might mean they have to first go extinct in the wild, before healthy populations, raised in quarantined areas, can be released to re-populate. Many captive breeding centers have sprung up throughout Tasmania and the southern Australia mainland. This devil was photographed at one of these centers adjacent to Cradle Mountain National Park. I also saw and photographed a few devils in the wild, where they are strictly nocturnal. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.
Here’s another look at the Guianan cock-of-the-rock, one of the key species I went to Guyana to photograph last February. Certainly one of the most unique birds I’ve had the pleasure of viewing in the wild. Seeing that bright reddish-orange plumage contrasted against all the green of the Iwokrama rainforest was pretty spectacular. Not to mention, it has one of the coolest beaks around (although that black-lined disk isn’t actually the beak, but rather an ornamental crest). The beak is quite small and at the tip of the crest. The rainforests of Guyana are among the four most pristine tropical forests in the world. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 6400, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
I was able to lower the camera into the grass for this portrait of a black-backed jackal. We saw quite a few of these crafty scavengers on our last trip to Kenya in April — this one at the Ol Pajeta Conservancy in Laikipia. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 160, f/5.6 at 1/1250th of a second.
We will be visiting mountain gorillas in Uganda again in June of 2025. Here’s one from our 2023 trip to Mgahinga National Park. The family of nine had three silverback males, which is unusual for such a small family. This guy was relaxing, while keeping a close eye on the rest of the family. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second.
This one goes back to 2008 when I traveled to the Pampas region of Bolivia. It’s difficult to make an exact identification as there are multiple species of mouse opossum, but I believe this to be the Linnaeus’s mouse opossum — a nocturnal marsupial I spotted on a night hike. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/60th of a second.
Red lechwe are specialists of flooded, marshy areas, making them well-adapted to the flooded savannas of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. This is a female. The males have long, spiral horns. Living in knee-deep water is a defense mechanism against predators. They even have a water-repellant substance that covers their legs allowing them to run faster in the shallow water. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
I was with some friends reminiscing about Japan this weekend, so thought I’d take a look back at my snow monkey pics from my trip to Nagano’s Jigokudani Monkey Park back in 2007. Here’s a simple portrait of one of the monkeys, or Japanese macaques, enjoying the natural springs of the area. Snow monkeys are the most northerly-living primates other than humans.Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 116mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second.
These two female lions had just finished a meal of Cape buffalo and were playing in the late afternoon just before the sun went down. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1100, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
Galápagos sea lions are easy to find. You just have to go to the Galápagos Islands. We not only encountered them on land on each of the islands we visited, we also had the opportunity to swim with them every afternoon. This little guy was just learning how to use those flippers to move across the volcanic rock of Santiago Island. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm), ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/640th of a second.