Here’s another one from out on Tommy Thompson Park in Toronto. These three formidable looking amphibians are American toads. A whole lot of mating activity was going on when I was there. The males were singing a chorus to the females, other lovers were already in the process of making more toads, and several mating pairs were surrounded by strands of tadpole eggs.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/2500th of a second

Can’t get much more Canadian than this one of a Canada goose with Toronto’s CN Tower in the background (I suppose a few maple leaves could have been falling around the goose). The CN Tower is an iconic symbol of Canada, and for 34 years it was the tallest free-standing structure and tallest tower in the world. It is now the 3rd tallest tower in the world and remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere. It has been declared one of modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers. As for the goose, it was nesting on top of an old piling in Tommy Thompson Park. Tommy Thompson Park, also known as the Leslie Spit, is actually landfill in Lake Ontario that has been reclaimed in a big way by nature. It’s quite an amazing place when migratory birds are nesting. I saw hundreds of black-crowned night herons roosting in the trees, while many more swans were covering the ground. There were also hundreds of cormorants and many other birds, mammals and amphibians in the park that were kind enough to show their faces. Being primarily a business trip with limited time for photography, I only took my 200-400mm lens with me so it was a challenge to get certain shots. To capture the city skyline in this image, I had to sit back as far as I could on a small bridge and get as low as possible.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/14 at half a second

Just got back from an 11-day business trip to Toronto. Per usual, I found a few hours here and there to get out with the camera. I had heard that the Toronto area is a good place to see mink and I put forth my best effort to try and find one. Unfortunately, no luck, but I did come across several other creatures along the way, including this mute swan that appeared to be floating in a sea of pastel as the sun set on Lake Ontario.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

Here’s another from my polar bears at sunrise series. In this one, the sun just started to clear the low-lying clouds and the warm tones began spilling into the cold, shaded foreground of snow and ice. The polar bear seemed to be enjoying it as much as I was. I had my 200-400mm lens mounted to my camera and had to go vertical to fit the sun and the bear into the same frame.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second

On my polar bear trip back in 2010, I saw a lot of bears, but not a lot of other wildlife. I did, however, have a few precious seconds with this short tailed weasel before it scampered off to hide its lemming. I’ve had quick glimpses of weasels before but they never seem to stick around long enough to get their picture taken. In the summer, their coats are brown, but they turn completely white (with the exception of the black tail tip) when winter sets in.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second

As the weather just keeps getting colder and colder here in New York, seemed appropriate to post these two polar bears who were having a good old time in the cold. They were basically wasting time — play fighting while waiting for the Hudson Bay to freeze over so that they could go out and hunt for seals.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/500th of a second

Still feeling a big Christmas-y and this little saw whet owl seemed appropriate. Hope everyone had a great holiday. I photographed this guy a few years ago just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Northern saw whet owls are very small and full grown adults average only about 7 to 8 inches long. I also appreciated how much this particular saw whet owl looks like Saul Berenson from Showtime’s Homeland.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/100th of a second

Here in New York, it’s expected to be in the mid 70s come Christmas Eve on Thursday. That’s just not right. So if mother nature isn’t going to bring the cold, I will — courtesy of northern Manitoba, Canada where I photographed polar bears back in November of 2010. One of the great things about this location, is that you view the bears on foot. This enables ground level perspectives whereby you can truly get a sense of the size of these formidable beasts.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/500th of a second