Purple honeycreepers are small little things — not all that much bigger than a hummingbird. They are in the tanager family and live throughout the northern half of South America and into the Caribbean. I photographed this one in Trinidad. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
We got up and out before the hippos got up and in. They often leave the water at night and can be found grazing at dawn. As soon as the sun gets hot, however, they generally get back into the water. Their skin is very susceptible to burning and they spend the hot part of the day with their bodies fully submerged. You can see cape buffalo in the background not yet fully awake. Photographed on the Masai Mara plains in Kenya. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.
With this momentary window of warm weather, I suspect the bears will be out and about tonight. Here’s one I took back in early October. Or should I say she took the photo of herself when walking through my camera trap. Most of my bear camera trap photos over the past year have been at night. This was a rare instance of daytime action. I actually watched as she and her two cubs came through the back woods, tripped the shutter, and then continued on through my side yard. On this particular pass through, the cubs stayed out of frame and to their mother’s left. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/14 at 1/80th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitors and remote flashes.
The town of Olney, Illinois is known for its population of white eastern gray squirrels. A few years back I happened to be in town and photographed a few of the locals. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
Also known as the long-tailed macaque, the crab-eating macaque is a fairly common monkey throughout much of southeast Asia. This one looked like he was heading out for some of those aforementioned crabs. Photographed in Sumatra, Indonesia. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/80th of a second.
It was late in the day and the colors of the swamp were intensifying as the trees were reflecting off the surface of the water. The perfect time to photograph half-submerged alligators in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
With snipes, it’s all about the beak. This is the Magellanic snipe, just one of many snipe species in the world. But back to that beak, which is highly complex and can distinguish between many different delicacies beneath the soil such as larvae and other food sources. Apparently extra sensory filaments within the beak are what allow the snipe to be so discriminating. Photographed on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands. Nikon D800, with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/2500th of a second.
Not all Panamanian white-faced capuchin monkeys are found in Panama. Like this one that I photographed in Costa Rica. In fact, they can be found in much of Central America and into the northern regions of South America. These monkeys are highly intelligent. They’re also very common. They are the traditional organ grinder monkey, the monkey that is most often seen in movies (like Pirates of the Caribbean) and they’ve even been known to assist paraplegic humans. This particular white-faced capuchin kind of looked like he was brushing his teeth with a palm frond. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 135mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/100th of a second.
It’s that time of year again when deserts start to bloom. Now if only I could get to a desert. This photo was from years ago in Joshua Tree National Park. Not sure of the exact species of cactus — claret cup or kingcup or something like that, with Joshua trees in the background. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/16 at 1/125th of a second.
Last week I posted an older opossum. Here’s a youngster. This was the first opossum my camera trap captured back in early October. Joeys stay with their Moms for about 100 days. They become sexually mature in six to eight months. And they typically only live for about two years. Here’s hoping I can capture babies with a mother in the same frame come spring. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/10 at 1/100th of a second, Cognisys camera box, triggering system and remote flashes.