I’m in the middle of re-skinning my website due to my old theme no longer doing updates, so hopefully this post goes through. Still lots to do and little errors here and there on the site. For instance, blog titles are showing up white on a white background and I can’t quite figure out how to change color. If you hover over title, it will turn yellow. As for today’s post, a simple portrait of a coyote in Yellowstone. Hopefully, I’ll make more progress on the site tomorrow, including all my galleries.Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/100th of a second.

Just a simple portrait of a sea otter, but I liked all that soft light filtering in from the early-morning sun. Captured in central California.

Just north of San Francisco at Point Reyes National Seashore lives a small group of tule elk. On this particular evening, I caught them on a ridge line well after the sun had set. I bracketed in a bit of light to brighten up the scene and reveal the rolling hills and fog that had nestled into the valley below. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/50th of a second.

Meet the potgut. At least that’s what you’d call this guy if you lived in northern Utah. Elsewhere he’s known as the chisler. But officially, he’s called the Uinta ground squirrel. We made our acquaintance in Yellowstone National Park years ago when I was on a wolf-searching mission. And that’s the great thing about wildlife photography. You may not find the species you were looking for, but it’s about all those others you find along the way. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.

The piping plover is a globally threatened and endangered shorebird. There are two subspecies in the United States — an eastern and midwestern variant. Pictured is the eastern subspecies, photographed at Cape May in New Jersey some years back. Conservation efforts have led to slow increases in numbers but it is feared that if those efforts stop, the trend will quickly reverse. That’s why you might see cordoned off areas of mid-Atlantic beaches during the breading season which starts in late April. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/1000th of a second.

Sometimes I like the direct stare at the camera, sometimes I don’t. This one I liked. Black-tailed jackrabbits are one of my favorite subjects in the desert southwest. They can be found at elevations anywhere from sea level to 10,000 feet, making them quite adaptable to their environment. The enormous ears act as radiators on very hot days, with a web of capillaries that increase blood flow and eliminate heat. This was one of those days, well over a hundred degrees in the Anza-Boreggo desert a few hours southeast of Los Angeles. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

I get a lot of squirrels in my camera trap. Too many. But sometimes I catch something new (at least for me). I have many action shots of squirrels running up this fallen tree, but there’s always at least one foot on the ground. Finally got one fully airborne. Back to more exotic wildlife in the next post. 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.

I captured this pronghorn just as the sun was setting in the Black Hills of South Dakota — the fastest land mammal in North America slowing it down and enjoying the springtime weather. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.

Thanks to our local Fox affiliate, and reporter Jimmy Altman, here in Connecticut for the great feature last night. That said, thought it was appropriate to post another shot from the backyard studio. This time a striped skunk that was walking through back in October of 2020. Also, for those who asked, click HERE for a link to last night’s news story. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/125th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

For those in Connecticut, tune in to Fox 61 News at 10 tonight to see a story on my backyard camera trapping featuring this bobcat and some of the other wild creatures that have stopped by for a visit over the past few years. This photo is in the same sequence as the shot I posted three weeks ago, but a few clicks later. 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.