I spent the last two days out on Cape Cod visiting my Dad. He likes the seals — and I don’t take much convincing — so we headed out to Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge to take a look. This is just one of the many seals we encountered. The latin name for the gray seal is Halichoerus grypus, which means hooked nosed sea pig. I can kind of see that.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second

Mountain goat kids always look like they have a bit of a smile on their faces. These two were taking a quick break from their mountaintop frolicking, allowing me a quick photo or two.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/6400th of a second

This Florida box turtle was eyeing me cautiously as I got down on the ground for a quick portrait. I was in Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida, on my never ending — and most likely never-to-be-realized — search for a Florida panther. We all have our dreams. In the meantime, enjoy the turtle.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida is one of the top birding spots in the country. You’re never quite sure what might show up. On this particular evening, it was white pelicans. They were picturesquely resting on a sandbar as the sun set. I took a lot of close ups, but liked this image at a bit of a wider focal length, allowing the birds to be just part of the composition.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

This image is from a series of bobcat photos I took a few years back in Irvine, California. I was able to get down on the ground, enabling me to blur out the background and isolate the bobcat against the colorful, early morning foliage.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

My wife likes the deer. It’s her birthday today so… she gets a deer. Better yet, a baby deer. I was photographing a moose in Baxter State Park in Maine when I looked to my right and saw this little white-tailed fawn curled up in the bushes. I’m sure the mother must have been nearby but wary of my presence, so I took a few quick pictures and moved on in the other direction.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 30mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/320th of a second

It’s getting to be that time of year again that Atlantic puffins return to their nesting sites along the Maine coast. I photographed this one a while back on Machias Seal Island.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second

Plenty still to share from Patagonia, but thought I’d start mixing in images from other locations. This brown bear cub was keeping a watchful eye on mom as she was busy fishing for breakfast. From my trip last September to Lake Clark National Park in Alaska.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400m lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/500th of a second

This is probably the most common North American tree frog. It can come in many colors depending on location — like chameleons, they have the ability to change depending on their environment (although not quite as spectacularly). As the name implies, they can appear anywhere on the gray to green spectrum. They are predominately found in southern Canada and the US states east of the Mississippi, although I spotted this one just west near the town of Waterloo, Iowa.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) with Canon 500D close up filter, ISO 160, f/16 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

Time for the yearly rabbit post. This time a young cottontail, photographed on a hike one morning in the hills above Malibu, California. Hope everyone had a great day.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second