Marine Iguana Doing What Marine Iguanas Do
Here’s another marine iguana from the Galapagos Islands. This photo was taken on La Fe, a tiny little place that we visited as a day trip while staying at a camp on the nearby, larger island of Santa Cruz. This was a great little excursion, as we had the island completely to ourselves. As I mentioned in an earlier post — although marine iguanas are present on virtually every island in the Galapagos archipelago, they have evolved slightly differently on each. On La Fe, they definitely had more of an orange appearance to their skin. This one looks like it’s the only individual around, but they were virtually all over the place, draped lazily over the volcanic rocks that fringed the island.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/10 at 1/1000th of a second
Underwater with the Sea Lions
This one goes out to young Sophie Muller who requested some underwater action. We swam with these playful sea lions off the coast of Rabida Island in the Galapagos Islands. The underwater world in this location was much different than the other spots that we snorkeled. Absent was all the coral and the sea grass covered rocks. Instead, it was all turquoise water and red sand.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/9 at 1/400th of a second, Ikelite Housing and 8 inch dome port
Some Recent Photo Contest Winners
I’m still waiting to hear about my eleven finalists in this year’s Nature’s Best/Smithsonian photo competition, but below are a few recent winners in other contests. Most you’ve probably seen before, but perhaps a few you haven’t.
The above image of bat eared fox pups that appear to share one furry body continues to do well for me. It will appear in the 2013 Africa Geographic Calendar and it also just placed in the National Wildlife Federation photo contest. Still not sure of where it placed — I’ll know come November.
The above two images placed in the top 100 in this year’s North American Nature Photographers Association (NANPA) Showcase Competition.
And the above three placed in the top 250 in the NANPA Competition.
BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Finalists
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/11 at 1/15th of a second
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) !SO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 82mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/80th of a second
These four photos have all been posted before, but I thought I’d share them again as they were all finalists this year in the BBC Wildlife Photography of the Year competition. Unfortunately, none of them made the final cut, but still a nice honor to have four make it as far as they did in what is generally considered the world’s most prestigious photography competition for wildlife. The sea lion was a finalist in the “Art in Nature” category. The Lake Granby shot was in the “Wild Spaces” category. The maned wolf was in the “Endangered Species” category. And the leaf insect was in the “Animal Portraits” category.
Galapagos Starfish
I had a request for an underwater shot today. Hope this fits the bill — it’s at least a third under water. The subject is a starfish that was photographed on Rabida Island in the Galapagos Islands. Rabida is known for its characteristic red sandy beach, quite different from most of the rest of the Galapagos Islands. There were also quite a few sea lions at this location and you can see one up to the left there on the beach.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/18 at 1/200th of a second
This Marine Iguana Thinks He’s Godzilla
Marine iguanas really do look like Godzilla, and perhaps none more so than this guy that we encountered on Fernandina Island. They are very prehistoric looking creatures and were my favorite of all the fascinating animals across the Galapagos Archipelago.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second
Galapagos Giant Tortoise
While creating his title character for the movie E.T. it is said that Steven Spielberg got the inspiration from a Galapagos giant tortoise. You can definitely see the resemblance. This handsome fellow was photographed in the Santa Cruz highlands on our trip to Ecuador in November.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second
Blue Footed Booby Mother and Chick
This blue footed booby chick kept trying to get its mother to regurgitate dinner. The chick was relentless, constantly pecking at the mother’s throat. The mom kept trying to walk away, but the chick would just follow wherever she went.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2000th of a second