Here’s another raccoon captured on my camera trap. This one was taken in August of ’21. Back then, a group of raccoons were using this fallen log nearly every night to go foraging in the woods behind my house. Their visits have become more infrequent since then but they still show up from time to time. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

In early December, the tamarack trees in northern Minnesota have turned a dull orange. This creates quite a backdrop when the late day sun adds a short-lived splash of saturation. And it’s even better when great grey owls hunt in the foreground. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/2500th of a second.

Here’s another of the bobcat images that my camera trap captured back in September. My surveillance cams have seen them a few times since then, but the cats have successfully avoided any more self-portraits. Here’s hoping the winter brings another image or two. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitors and three remote flash units.

Here’s one from the backyard. This baby raccoon was following Mom across the log when he/she stopped to take a look at the camera box. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/11 at 1/60th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

It’s that time of year when the nuts are in high demand. In this case, I believe that’s a black walnut. I’ve been testing out a new lightweight camera trap setup to take to Peru this weekend. Hopefully I can get some shots like this, only with Amazonian creatures doing what they do. Nikon D3300 with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 18mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/200th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units with Camtraptions remote triggers and camera housing.

If you’ve never been up close and personal with a full-grown bull moose it’s hard to comprehend just how big they are. But even more remarkable is their ability to appear out of nowhere, and then suddenly vanish again into the forest. This guy caught me off guard, but not before I was able to get a quick shot as he emerged from the bushes, hot on the scent of a female during the mating rut, which in Alaska is in September and October. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.

I was down below looking up when this bighorn ram came to the edge of a cliff to munch on some of the exposed grass. Photographed in Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISsO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

Here’s another exposure of one of the two bobcats that visited my camera trap a few weeks back. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

The long-billed curlew is a large wading bird, so it was odd to see one so far from a coastline (this photo was taken in the Badlands of South Dakota). But as it turns out, these birds range far into the interior of the country during breeding season. That impressively long bill comes in handy when foraging for earthworms, mollusks, and crabs. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/9 at 1/400th of a second.

This deer proved to be very, very habituated. I started with my 200-400mm zoom, then went to the 70-200 and got a bit closer when it was clear that she was very relaxed. Then to the 17-35. And finally this shot with the 15mm fisheye. I felt I could have sat down next to her and had a conversation. Photographed along the northwestern Florida coast. Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.