The red-bellied woodpecker is another of our resident birds that we see year-round in the yard. A lot of people think it should be called the red-headed woodpecker as that is its most prominent red part, with only a slight bit of red on the belly. But that name was already taken. And I must say the red-headed woodpecker is more deserving of the name, having red that extends over the full head and on down to the chest. Regardless, always nice to see these guys. And every now and again they land near one of my triggers and take a photo of themselves. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 24mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

The black bear and her two cubs that were the most frequent visitors to our back yard last year have returned. I didn’t see them, but my camera trap did, and captured one good shot (despite the slight clipping of the right ear). The surveillance video shows that one of the cubs is now considerably larger than the other. This is the smaller of the two, perhaps a female. She’s also much more cinnamon in color than her mother and brother. And she still has some blue in the eyes, which will eventually turn brown as she ages. Last year they usually came by at night, but this shot was taken just before noon yesterday. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

When no one else is around, the deer mice usually make an appearance. I adjusted my camera trap’s trip beam to cross about an inch above this fallen tree so that not even the mice can get under it. With the camera on the ground it’s a bit more difficult to be so precise. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

The rare Connecticut levitating blue jay stopped by for a visit yesterday. Good thing my camera trap was there to record the action (or lack thereof). Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

I usually try to avoid anything man-made in my images, but in this case, the National Park sign added a nice element to go along with this seemingly-pregnant pronghorn. No location information needed. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/800th of a second.

It’s that rabbit time of year again. This is a swamp hare, or swamp rabbit, a subspecies of the eastern cottontail. As the name suggests, they prefer damp, swampy habitat. In this case, Saint Andrews State Park in Panama Beach City, Florida. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.

I know I’ve posted a lot of squirrels lately, but that’s what my camera trap has been capturing. This guy was caught running along a fallen tree this afternoon. There’s a bit of a delay with the trigger so action shots usually happen when something else (like a bird or another squirrel) sets off the trap just before the subject enters frame. A lot of luck involved, but with the abundance of squirrels running around in the back woods these days, it’s bound to happen sooner or later. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

There are two types of sea lions that we get along the west coast of the United States. The Steller sea lion and the California sea lion. This is the latter. A great place to see them is at Moss Landing, just north of Monterey, where they tend to hang out on empty docks. This guy appeared to be getting a satisfying flipper scratch on the top of the head. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second.

A great egret gets busy constructing a nest. Egrets and other wading birds will spend days flying back and forth, carrying whatever sticks and twigs they can find to build the perfect nest. You can see the green lores (that patch of green surrounding the eyes) which is an indication of breeding season — roughly January through June. Photographed in Venice, Florida. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/2500th of a second.

When I take my dog out for his nightly walk, I often see the eyes of white-tail deer staring back at me from the woods behind our house. With my headlamp, all I can see is the eyeshine — bright dots of light in the darkness. Occasionally, my camera trap provides a behind the scenes look at what they’re up to back there. In this case, a young buck and a doe seem to be having some sort of conversation. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.