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.

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.