Sea otters spend the vast majority of their time at sea. That said, they often sleep on land. I arrived at this location well before the sun came up and caught this guy just as he was waking up. I used a slow shutter and high ISO to capture what little available light there was. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/20th of a second.

I met this young red fox years ago in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. There were was a sibling as well and they were both waiting for mom to return with breakfast — which she eventually did — free-range grackle. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/320th of a second.

In honor of the two black bears that all but rang our doorbell last night (they were after our pumpkins — video here), thought I’d post a black bear cub I photographed a few years back in Minnesota. Apparently, this is a comfortable spot for a nap. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.

I photographed this bull moose a few winters back in Yellowstone. Well, just outside of Yellowstone in the town of Silver Gate, Montana. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 175mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/400th of a second.

The black skimmer is named for its characteristic style of feeding. It glides just above the water line, skimming the surface with the lower part of its beak, or mandible. When the lower mandible senses a fish, the upper mandible snaps down for the catch. This image doesn’t show that behavior, but clearly displays the beak. Photographed on Merritt Island on the east coast of Florida. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/1600th of a second.

This anhinga landed on a branch just above me, making for an interesting angle. Almost wide angle looking, but was actually at 360mm. Photographed at the Venice Rookery in Florida. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second.

I was out of the office Thursday and Friday but to make up for it, here’s a mother coastal brown bear nursing her two cubs. Photographed at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

A bighorn sheep blends in with the surroundings at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 200, f/5 at 1/2000th of a second.

The black-necked stilt is a very widespread shorebird throughout a good portion of the Americas. I photographed this one in San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary in California while I was searching for bobcats. Always nice to have something to photograph when looking for an elusive something else to photograph. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

A brown bear cub shakes off the sea and rain after a morning of fishing with mom. Photographed in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.