The moose were in rut when I went to visit them a few years back outside of Anchorage Alaska. This bull was keeping a watchful eye on a nearby cow and her other three suiters. The misty rain and thick bushy habitat made shooting difficult, but the action was great that day. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

The sun and shade mid-day light wasn’t great on this one and I wasn’t even going to bother taking any photos, but then the two bears started dancing and playing around with each other, rolling on their backs, etc. This happened in my backyard a couple of days ago. You never know what you’re going to see back there. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second.

I’ve yet to see any skunks this spring. They seem to like my yard starting later in the summer and into the fall. Here’s a shot taken back in October. I dialed the front flash down quite a bit while adding power to the flash behind the log, creating almost full rim light except for the white back fur.Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/160th of a second.

I’m feeling like this should be a two-brown-bear-post week. Enjoy. This mother bear was racing through the water at low tide, hunting silver salmon for her two cubs who were patiently waiting on a nearby sandbar. Photographed at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

Never a good idea to turn your back on a full grown bear. But, in this case, it was a relaxed coastal brown bear taking a break from hunting for salmon to watch the tourists that were there to watch her. Photographed in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second.

River otters spend most of their time in the water, playing and hunting for food. They do, however, build dens. And by build, I mean they find another animal’s abandoned den and take it over by adding a few twigs and other nesting material. I was lucky to stumble upon this otter’s secret spot, almost fortress-like, in all those thin tree trunks in a swampy area adjacent to a pond. Photographed in southern Indiana. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second.

While we were away in Florida, these two raccoons came creeping out of the darkness and took a few photos of themselves. 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 flashes.

Just back from my first time out of the state in over a year. The occasion was a milestone birthday for my Mom (Happy Birthday again Mom). She lives in southwestern Florida, so of course, I brought my camera along just in case. As it turned out, I didn’t really have much time to spare in our busy schedule, but I was able to have some fun with these halloween pennant dragonflies. They are common in the state throughout the year. The bright, mid-day sun was a challenge but by focusing in on the patterns in the translucent wings, I was able to get some decent shots. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.