A common brushtail possum emerges from a bush on one of my night hikes in Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash.
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.
Koalas have three fingers and two opposable thumbs on each of their two front paws. Both the fingers and thumbs have sharp pointed claws to assist in climbing, holding onto trees and gripping food. On the back paws, they have a grooming claw. Photographed at Hanson Bay on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/30th of a second.
Just a simple shot of a wombat doing what wombats do — eating grass. For the most part, wombats are pretty accommodating subjects, but sometimes you have to be patient to wait for them to lift their faces off the ground. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second.
While in Tasmania I photographed two different species of quoll, the eastern and the spotted. The eastern I was able to track down in the wild. This guy, the spotted, was at a breeding center for Tasmanian devils just outside of Cradle Mountain National Park. Spotted quolls are the largest carnivorous marsupials on mainland Australia, and second to the Tasmanian Devil in Tasmania. They are considered a near threatened species due mainly to habitat destruction. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 3600, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
Bennett’s Wallabies are pretty common throughout Tasmania and I was able to photograph them in quite a few settings. Going through my files, I just came across this one from Cradle Mountain National Park. The dark background and quickly fading light enabled me to capture the contrast of the highlights in the wallaby’s wet fur, giving dimension to the chubby little marsupial. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/60th of a second.
This one goes back quite a ways to when my main big lens was a manual focus 600mm f/5.6. I picked it up used at a bargain price and it enabled me to capture images that previously wouldn’t have been possible. I always loved the narrow depth of field and smooth bokeh. A perfect combo for late afternoon in Flinders Ranges National Park in South Australia. Without auto focus, action shots back then were always a challenge, but the quality of the glass produced lots of great portraits like this red kangaroo. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/40th of a second.
Tasmania is a place of so many different incredible landscapes in its relatively small size. Everything from alpine meadows to rainforests with giant ferns to lichen-covered rocky coastlines. But within all those great landscapes, chances are there’s a wallaby hiding somewhere. This Bennett’s wallaby was enjoying the scenery up on Cradle Mountain National Park in the middle of the island state of Australia. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 95mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second.
I photographed these three sugar gliders at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary in Tasmania. Bonorong rescues injured and orphaned animals and rehabilitates them before releasing back into the wild. Like much of the wildlife in Tasmania, sugar gliders are marsupials. They are also nocturnal possums. Their name comes from the fact that they prefer sugary foods like sap and nectar and they are able to glide through the air from tree to tree. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 3200, f/4.5 at 1/100th of a second.
Black swans are a fairly common sight in southern Australia. A few isolated populations have also been successfully exported to parts of Europe. This one was photographed early in the morning in Kingscote on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.