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.

With this momentary window of warm weather, I suspect the bears will be out and about tonight. Here’s one I took back in early October. Or should I say she took the photo of herself when walking through my camera trap. Most of my bear camera trap photos over the past year have been at night. This was a rare instance of daytime action. I actually watched as she and her two cubs came through the back woods, tripped the shutter, and then continued on through my side yard. On this particular pass through, the cubs stayed out of frame and to their mother’s left. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/14 at 1/80th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitors and remote flashes.

The town of Olney, Illinois is known for its population of white eastern gray squirrels. A few years back I happened to be in town and photographed a few of the locals. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.

It was late in the day and the colors of the swamp were intensifying as the trees were reflecting off the surface of the water. The perfect time to photograph half-submerged alligators in the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in Georgia. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.

It’s that time of year again when deserts start to bloom. Now if only I could get to a desert. This photo was from years ago in Joshua Tree National Park. Not sure of the exact species of cactus — claret cup or kingcup or something like that, with Joshua trees in the background. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/16 at 1/125th of a second.