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.

Bobcats aren’t the only locals taking photos of themselves with the camera trap. Earlier in the summer, this raccoon stopped by for a visit. 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.

Here’s another bobcat shot. This time there are two of them and they were visiting late morning last Wednesday. My surveillance cam was off so I didn’t get to see a video of their reaction, but it seems as if they were really checking out the flash mounted to a tree along with the trigger sensor. It’s hard to tell from this image, but the bobcat in the back is actually bigger than the one in the front. Most likely a mother with an older kitten. 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.

It was a slow summer up at the camera trap, but summer’s not quite over yet. This bobcat, and a friend, made several appearances over the weekend. In one of the photos, the bobcat had a rabbit in its mouth but was a bit too far from camera for a usable image. Here, the bobcat appears to be looking toward one of my flash units that is mounted on a nearby tree. 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.

A flock (or rafter if you prefer) of wild turkeys passed through the yard on several occasions last week. I was at my desk working when I caught these two hens on the other side of my window. There were about twenty individuals total with quite a few chicks. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 2800, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second.

Acorn woodpeckers love their acorns — so much so that they drill special holes in tree bark to store them for later use. In this photo, you can see the perfectly sized hole for each acorn. They are primarily a western and tropical species, ranging from California, down through northern South America. I photographed this one in the Santa Monica Mountains of California. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.

A coastal brown bear races through the water at low tide, hoping to catch a salmon-y breakfast. If was nice to get the camera on the sandbar for a ground level perspective of the action. Photographed at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.