Leopards will often drag a kill up into a tree to hide it from scavengers, primarily hyenas. You can see a bit of the impala that this leopard was keeping watch over. We saw her go up and down the tree a few times over the course of a day in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.
This is one of those shots that I haven’t shared yet because it’s pretty mediocre photographically. But it is a species of note. Known locally as the culpeo. Or zorro culpeo. Or Andean zorro, Andean fox, Paramo wolf, or Andean wolf. Mostly, however, they call it the culpeo fox. But it isn’t a true fox. It’s more closely related to wolves and jackals. And it isn’t particularly rare. Or endangered. That said, the culpeo, for the most part, stays out of sight. We caught this one walking through the tall grass while we were driving from the southern tip of South America, up into Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. It’s the second largest canid species in South America, behind the maned wolf.Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
It’s been awhile since I posted a puffin. In fact, it’s been a while since I’ve seen one. This photo was taken on my first trip to Machias Seal Island — off the coast of Maine — back in 2008. Not sure what that little eel-like thing in its beak is, but it was nesting season and all the Atlantic puffins were busy flying back and forth from sea to nest, bringing meals to their young. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.
This was one of three puma cubs we observed from a small cliff. The mother led the siblings out of the thick brush before strolling along a lake and disappearing into the distance. Photographed in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
The chestnut-colored woodpecker ranges from Mexico down into Panama. I’ve seen and photographed them a few times in Costa Rica. This one was right outside my lodge in La Selva, not far from the capital of San Jose. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
An encounter with a red fox is always a good thing. This guy looks like he knows something that I don’t. Photographed while on a coastal brown bear trip in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.
This barred owl had just devoured an eastern lubber grasshopper and was looking back toward the branch he/she had just descended from and would eventually fly back to. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
A few winters back I captured this bighorn ram working his way down to a patch of exposed grass on an otherwise snow-covered mountain. Photographed in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/500th of a second.
Here’s another of the white squirrels I met out in Olney, Illinois. The town has a healthy population of this white variant of the eastern gray squirrel. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
Two coastal brown bears look back in unison as they patrol the shoreline of Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. In late summer through fall, the bears come to the beach in search of salmon. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.