Yellow-necked spurfowl are a common sight in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Also known as francolins, they are often referred to as African chickens for their habit of always running out of the way as safari vehicles pass by. This image gives a good look at that yellow neck. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
I photographed this Tasmanian pademelon early in the morning before the sun had broken the horizon. I used a bit of flash to add to the faint light of dawn. Pademelons are one of the smallest macropods — the family of marsupials that kangaroos and wallabies also belong to. Photographed on Maria Island, just off the coast of Tasmania. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/160th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash.
A southern stingray drifts across the top of the seagrass at Shark Ray Alley Marine Reserve in Belize. These guys have quite a range in coastal Atlantic waters, from southern Brazil in the south on up to New Jersey in the north. Sony RX100V at 8.8mm (24mm equivalent) with wide angle wet lens and Fantasea Underwater Housing, ISO 250, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.
It was very late in the day and the sun had already set when I spotted this snowy owl flying right toward me and then over my head to what I assume was its night-time perch. I was shooting manual mode and thought there was no way the exposure would work given the light and my camera’s settings. But the dark background contrasted with the white owl ended up working nicely. Shot at Boundary Bay in southern British Columbia, Canada several years back. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
This one is a rarity. The brown hyena, or as it’s also called, the strandwolf. I’ve only seen two. The other was in the burrow below this guy. They can only be found in the southern tip of Africa, mainly in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. I took this photo in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana. The light was very low, much darker than the picture indicates and I was forced to use a high ISO of 6400 and wide aperture to squeeze out just enough light for the shot. Moments after I released the shutter, both disappeared into the burrow. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens, ISO 6400, f/2.8 at 1/40th of a second.
In just about the same spot that I photographed the bear last Friday, I captured this wild turkey today. There were actually about twelve of them roaming the backyard — a mother and her almost grown chicks. I’m still waiting for the male with open tail feathers to pay a visit. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/50th of a second.
A mallard drake takes a look beneath the surface. Photographed in British Columbia just outside of Vancouver. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.
This guy made an appearance in our backyard on Friday evening. Our yard slopes up in the back and catches the last rays of the sun, just a bit of which were hitting his nose and the surrounding foliage. He took a quick look our way before disappearing into the forest. I’m still waiting for him, or one of his friends, to show the courtesy of walking through my camera trap. Maybe tomorrow. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second.
A female gerenuk emerges from the bushes in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. Their unusually long necks, as well as their habit of rearing back on their hind legs, allow them to reach foliage that other antelope species can not. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
As I’ve mentioned before, the silver fox is actually just a black variant of the red fox. There’s also a cross fox, which is part reddish and part blackish. The “silver” fox name comes from the white (silverish) tips to the fur that you can see on the in-focus part of this guy’s face. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/50th of a second.