This is an old one from my trip to Australia back in November of 2006. In fact, it’s one of the first frogs that I photographed with my original macro set up — which at the time consisted of a Nikon 80-200mm lens with a Canon 500D close up filter and two Nikon SB-800 flash units. This was in the backyard of a lodge I was staying at in Daintree National Park in the tropical northeastern corner of the country. I realized that I could take photos in the middle of the night, but with a nice green background, could make it almost look like mid-day. The little green frog is called a dainty tree frog, also known as the graceful tree frog.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) with Canon 500D close up filter attached, ISO 200, f/22 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

This one goes out to my little sister Mo on her birthday today. Mo’s been a big fan of frogs since we were little kids. This particular specimen is a white-lipped tree frog. We had the pleasure of meeting in Daintree National Park in Queensland, Australia back in November of 2006. Hope you like it Mo. Very Kermit like. Happy Birthday.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 80mm) with Canon 500D close up filter, ISO 200, f/16 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

In honor of the return of Game of Thrones (and Khaleesi’s dragons) this weekend, I offer up this slightly less menacing beast — a Boyd’s forest dragon. These guys live in the rainforests of Queensland, Australia. They are sit-and-wait predators, preferring to remain motionless until an unsuspecting insect wanders by.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 100, f/5 at .7 of a second

This is a pademelon — the smallest of the macropods. Macropods, of course, are all the kangaroo-like mammals in Australia, including wallabies, tree kangaroos and the regular old kangaroo kangaroos. A full grown pademelon stands just about two feet tall.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/40th of a second

I was on a boat, floating down a river at night, when I met this double-eyed fig parrot in Daintree National Park in Queensland, Australia. This is one of those birds that gets quite a few names. In addition to double-eyed fig parrot, they also go by blue-faced fig parrot, red-faced fig parrot, dwarf fig parrot, and two-eyed fig parrot. Unlike most other parrots which use existing tree-cavities to nest in, double-eyed fig parrots excavate their own, usually in rotting trees.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/2.8 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

I’ve searched for few animals with as much determination as I have the platypus. Halfway through my three week trip to Australia back in 2006, I almost gave up to concentrate on more common species like kangaroos and koalas. That’s when I came across this guy. I was on Kangaroo Island just south of Adelaide. This odd little fellow was in a small water hole. It took me a while to habituate the notoriously shy animal, but once I did I was able to get several shots as he/she splashed around on the surface of the water. This was one of the first frames I took that day, at a rather slow shutter speed, but I liked the effect that it had on the water.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second

Australia is full of great night creatures, including many different species of possum. This is a green ringtail possum that I encountered one night on a spotlighting hike in the Atherton Tablelands of Queensland.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash

This spiny little creature is called a short-beaked echidna. It was photographed early one evening in Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Echidnas are monotremes, meaning they are mammals that lay eggs. The only other surviving monotreme is the platypus.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash

Not just an emu, but an emu with a kangaroo running around in the background. Just part of the landscape in Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/8 at 1/250th of a second

A while back I posted a common brushtail possum from Australia. Here is another species, the coppery brushtail. These guys are common in their home range, but that range is very small — restricted to the Atherton Tablelands area of Queensland in the northeastern part of the country. As you can see, it gets its name from the copper color of its fur — the common brushtail being much more grey.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/11 at 1 second, Nikon SB-800 flash