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

This little guy has many names — the swamp wallaby, the black wallaby, fern wallaby, black pademelon, and my personal favorites, the black stinker, or simply, the stinker. it’s a small macropod species, usually solitary and nocturnal. Lucky for the swamp wallaby — and probably a reason why it is also called the stinker — the Aboriginal people of Australia find it to be inedible due to its smell and taste after cooking. But seriously, who in their right mind could eat this little guy.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/40th of a second

I feel for animals whose official name starts with the word “common.” As if they’re not as worthy of our attention. Thus is the case with Australia’s common brushtail possum. I guess it’s appropriate, however, as this is the most widely seen possum species not only in wild, forested environments of the country, but it is also seen quite regularly in urban areas. I much prefer the Latin name Trichosurus vulpecula, from the Greek for “furry tailed” and the Latin for “little fox.” As for the above furry-tailed-little-fox, he was spotted while creeping around in a tree outside of the lodge I was staying at on Kangaroo Island in South Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 200, f/5 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash

Western grey kangaroos are one of the most common species of kangaroo in Australia. They are also the second largest of all the kangaroos. And from what I could tell, they are one of the most personable. This guy seemed genuinely pleased to make my acquaintance late one morning in Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/8 at 1/90th of a second

This poor kangaroo looks like someone might have taken a big bite out of her ear. She was just one of the many kangaroos and wallabies that I saw while in Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia back in 2006.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/180th of a second