Eastern newts go through a “red eft” phase when they are juveniles and traveling on land from one body of water to another. They are an example of aposematism, which essentially means their bright coloration is an adaptation that serves as a warning to would-be predators that they are carrying dangerous toxins. I photographed this guy years ago in New Jersey using a close up filter screwed to the front of my lens, creating a razor thin depth of field. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/50th of a second.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Rocky Mountain tundra for marmots and pikas. This one is from way back in 2007. The pikas were sunning themselves with the last rays before nightfall in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm manual focus f/5.6 lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second.

I’ve been after a beaver-out-of-water shot where you can clearly see the tail for quite a while now. I kind of got there last Friday when I visited a nearby pond and had a few seconds with this guy as he performed some quick maintenance on the side of his lodge. A tangle of twigs made it difficult, but you can see the characteristic tail falling off to the side. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 5600, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second.

I have so many raccoon shots from my camera trap but rarely post them. Here’s one of the backyard locals from May of 2021 when they were a bit more active. 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 flash units.

Like most people in the northeast, we got dumped on with snow last night. I haven’t been to the woods to check on my camera traps yet, but here’s one from the last time we had snow (and it wasn’t that much). A cottontail stopping by for a self-portrait back in late March. Oddly, I see rabbits in the yard most every night, but they very rarely show up at the traps. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

This is one of the many white-tailed deer that has walked past my backyard camera trap over the last few years. She showed up in time to capture the sun rising in the background. I see these guys nearly every night when I take the dog out for his nightly walk before bed. With my headlamp on, I usually see one or more sets of eyes shining back at me from the woods surrounding our house. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

This one goes back a few years when I visited Yellowstone at the beginning of the fall season. The bachelor herds were still high in the alpine tundra while the ewes and their lambs were at lower elevations. These two posed for a few nice portraits before getting back to grazing. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

Yesterday I posted an opossum that came by my fallen-tree camera trap set up. Here’s one when a few bears came by. It’s usually disappointing when I see a bear or bobcat with the head just out of frame, but sometimes it works. In this image, the focus is very clearly on the claws, and the bear in the back added a bit of depth. 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 flash units.

In the fall and winter of 2020, I had a camera trap set up on a fallen ash tree in the woods behind my house. Raccoons and opossums regularly crossed over it and I was able to experiment with the lighting, capturing quite a few shots like this where the main light was behind the animal. It’s been a couple years, I think I need to try that log again. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/7.1 at 15 seconds, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.