I met this young orangutan in Indonesian Borneo back in September of 2009. They are the most arboreal of the great apes, spending most of their time in trees. It was fascinating to watch them move effortlessly through the forest, occasionally stopping to pose for a few photos. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 170mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/640th of a second.
If you photograph wildlife long enough, eventually some of the species you captured were named something different when you captured them than they are now. This is the Gursky’s spectral tarsier, but when I photographed it back in 2009 on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the Gursky part was not yet in the name. In recent years, the species previously known scientifically as Tarsius spectrum has been changed to Tarsius spectrumgurskyae because of observed vocalization differences and distinctly different pelage (the fur, hair or wool of a mammal). Perhaps more than you ever wanted to know about the tarsier. That said, they are one of my favorite wild species I’ve had the pleasure to photograph over the years. Also of note, I took this photo at night without flash, but rather using a very slow shutter speed, a tripod, and the light from a full moon. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1.3 seconds.
This is the only Sulawesi dwarf cuscus I saw on my Indonesia trip. The lighting wasn’t great but I got a variety of shots just before I had to get back in a vehicle and head for the airport for my journey home. A nice end to the trip. These guys are arboreal marsupials and are a fairly rare species, seldomly photographed. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second.
I visited Sulawesi in Indonesia back in September of 2009. One of my main targets was the Celebes crested macaque. They were critically endangered back then, and things haven’t gotten any better since. The bulk of the population lives in one national park on the north coast of Sulawesi and on a few offshore islands. They are very trusting of humans, much to their detriment. They are considered pests because they destroy crops and fields. They are also hunted for bushmeat. It was one of my most rewarding wildlife experiences to be alone with these monkeys as they carried on with their daily activities as if I wasn’t there. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second.
It’s been a while since I posted an orangutan. So… here’s an orangutan. This little guy was having good time swinging from that vine and performing for the camera. Photographed back in 2009 in Indonesian Borneo. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/160th of a second.
Some animals get a lot of descriptors in their name. This is one of them — the blue-eyed anglehead lizard. Apparently the mature males develop brilliant blue eyes as they get older. This one must be a female or young male. Either way, a cool sighting while I was hiking on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/50th of a second.
A baby Gursky’s spectral tarsier clings to its mother as she heads out for a night of hunting grasshoppers and other Indonesian delicacies. When I captured this image back in 2009, the Gursky’s version of the spectral tarsier wasn’t yet identified as a separate species. That happened in 2017 when Dr. Sharon Gursky’s studies determined that differences in genetics, vocalizations, and fur color warranted the split. Tarsiers are small, nocturnal primates that live in Southeast Asia. The Gursky’s lives only on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 200, f/8 at 1/60th of a second, with two Nikon SB-800 flash units.
These Bornean bearded piglets had yet to grow their namesake beards. I was on the ground snapping away with my long lens when they came closer and closer. I quickly swapped out lenses to my wide angle and got a few shots before they continued on their way. Bearded pigs like to follow orangutans through the forest, hoping to clean up the scraps left on the forest floor after meals. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/500th of a second.
A mother orangutan and her baby enjoy some sort of fruit early one morning in the jungles of Borneo. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second.
The red-knobbed hornbill is a big bird. Despite their size, however, they can be hard to spot as they are very secretive. I photographed this one in Tangkoko National Park on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. They are listed as a “vulnerable” species due to habitat destruction throughout their range. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.