The Indian jackal is a subspecies of the golden jackal. They can have a lot of neck — as is evidenced by this simple portrait. Golden jackals resemble, but are not closely related to the black-backed or side-striped jackals that can be found in Africa. This one was photographed in Bandhavgarh National Park in Central India. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
Last week the swallowtails were on duty pollinating the flowers in our gardens. This week it’s the monarchs. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.
Rockhopper penguins can be quite boisterous as a group. This individual, however, was taking it to another level. Photographed on Saunders Island in the Falkland Islands. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
A bee appears to be waiting patiently while an eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly fills up on nectar from the bee balm flowers in our front yard. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second.
I had been photographing snowy owls for a few days at Boundary Bay in British Columbia and wasn’t having much luck with flight shots. The owls wouldn’t fly often, but when they did they would take off in the opposite direction from where I was situated. Finally, at the very end of day two, one flew directly over my head. It got so close that I couldn’t keep it all in frame. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
This black-crested macaque (also known as the Celebes crested macaque) seemed to be telling me what she thought of me taking her picture. Actually, these monkeys were one of my favorite primate encounters in the wild and they were quite accepting of my presence. Photographed in Tangkoko National Park in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where one of the only populations still remains. They are considered critically endangered and without drastic measures their future is very uncertain. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second.
I’m surprised I don’t get more wild turkeys walking through my camera trap. I see them in the yard quite often but they always seem to sidestep the camera. A few days ago, however, this mother and one of her poults (the name for a baby turkey) obliged. 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 remote flashes.
There is a healthy population of wild burros that roam Box Springs Mountain Park in Moreno Valley, California. I was there some years back and caught these two chasing each other through the wildflower-covered hills. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/13 at 1/80th of a second.
Depending on how you look at it, this is either a zebra walking past a bustard, or a bustard walking past a zebra. Either way, it was taken early morning in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. Kori bustards are known for being the largest flying birds in Africa. Burchell’s zebras are known for being known by many names: Bontequagga, Zululand Zebra, Idube, Bontsebra, Mangwa, and Damaraland Zebra. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/7.1 at 1/400th of a second.
This wasn’t exactly a friendly greeting. The two male elephants were sizing each other up, which led to a brief fight before the larger of the two maintained his superiority. Photographed in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/2000th of a second.