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

Black shouldered kites — also known as Australia black shouldered kites — are found in open habitat throughout much of Australia. They are smaller raptors, with a wingspan of up to 37 inches. Mostly white and grey in appearance, they have piercing red eyes set against patches of black — very cool looking birds. I saw this one on my last morning on Kangaroo Island in Southern Australia.
Nikon D200 with Nikon 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/8 at 1/250th of a second

This is an old one from my Australia trip back in 2006. Kangaroo Island is just south of Adelaide in Southern Australia. It’s a haven for wildlife, including quite a few seals and sea lions. Seal Bay is accessible by guide only and, unfortunately, viewing times are well after sunrise and well before sunset. On this particular day, however, I got lucky when the stormy clouds rolled in, providing a respite from the harsh mid-day sun and adding drama to the sky.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second

The very first macropod that I saw in Australia was a pademelon (never thought I’d write that sentence, but there it is and I kind of like it). Macropods — if you didn’t know already — are all of Australia’s kangaroo-like marsupials, including wallabies, kangaroos, tree kangaroos and, of course, this young lady and her joey — the pademelons. Pademelons are the smallest of the macropods and a full grown adult isn’t much more than two feet tall.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second

There are about 20 species of bandicoots in Australia, all at least partly nocturnal. I saw a few when I was there back in 2006. This guy was spotted on a night walk in the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland. I had to be quick as the bandicoot only posed for a couple of shots before scurrying back into the bushes.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash, + 1.2/3 stops ev

This isn’t a great shot technically, but it was one of the most satisfying images I have ever captured. While in Australia back in 2006, I had been waking every morning at 4 AM and searching for hours for the elusive platypus. The search took me from Daintree National Park in the northeast corner of the country, to the Atherton Tablelands further inland and down to Kangaroo Island off the south central coast. Each morning I was sacrificing the best light of the day while trying to find this strange creature. I finally decided to give up and concentrate on getting shots of the animals that were easier to find, like kangaroos. I packed up my gear and was heading back to my car when I decided to check one last water hole. It was there that I spotted this guy. Experience had taught me, however, that spotting a platypus was only half the battle. I still had to get a shot before it sensed my presence and dove under never to return. I knew I might only get one shot, and this was it. I was eventually able to habituate a second platypus but the thrill of the first shot is what I remembered most.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5 at 1/60th of a second, SB-800 flash

This baby koala was just hanging with its mom, doing what baby koalas do — which is basically to hang with mom, sleep for about twenty hours and then eat a few eucalyptus leaves before dozing off again.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 80-200mm lens (at 165mm) ISO 100, f/2.8 at 1/60th of a second