A polar bear walks along the shoreline of the Hudson Bay, waiting for the water to freeze so that he can venture out to hunt for seals. Photographed at Seal River in northern Manitoba, Canada. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/500th of a second.
I believe this frog to be the species Boophis Goudotii, indigenous to Madagascar. I came across him/her on a night hike in Ranomafana National Park in the south central part of the country. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 92mm with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 100, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.
As you might imagine, I get more squirrels in my camera trap than any other animal. Sometimes I find the shots quite amusing. This was one of those times. This guy seemed to pause to admire the complexity of my set up before bounding off into the woods. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.
Magellanic penguins cry out, or bray, like donkeys, earning them the nickname jackass penguin. They’re unique among the penguins on the Falkland Islands in that they don’t live in colonies, but rather burrows underground. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/250th of a second.
A leopard eyes a herd of approaching impala from her hiding spot up in a tree. She would later drop from the tree onto the unsuspecting impala. I would later go back to camp for lunch and miss all the action. You never know what might happen on safari, but patience is usually a good thing. Lesson learned. Photographed in Botswana. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.
The camera trap doesn’t always work out as planned. I keep a few surveillance trail cams around to see where the animals are crossing through the yard and also to monitor the effectiveness of my outdoor studio. These two black bears were in quite a playful mood as they made quick work of my camera, throwing it to the ground before actually tripping the shutter. You can see that this is a three flash set up — two hanging from trees and a third on a tripod. Of course, the light doesn’t matter if the camera is facing into the ground. Thought everyone might enjoy this look behind the scenes.
Always fun to see what the birds are up to back at the camera trap. This white-throated sparrow was frozen in action just after take off. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.
June is bighorn lamb season in Badlands National Park. A few years back I photographed this young one running up and down the eroded buttes of the park. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.
Continuing on with the monkey theme from last week, here’s another of Uganda’s many primates, and undoubtedly it’s most conspicuous, the vervet monkey. In fact, I saw many of these guys on my first day in the country in a city park in Entebbe, not far from the international airport. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/320th of a second.
I was staying down on the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica several years back. I’d take short walks around the property of the lodge at night and came across all sorts of creatures. On one of those walks, I found this little hourglass tree frog tadpole. Back in those days I was using a screw on filter on the end of my lens for macro work. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 400, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-600 flash units.