There’s a reason they call them burrowing owls. Unlike most other owls that exist mostly in trees, these guys live down in the ground. This little guy was hiding amidst the grasses, flowers and weeds of a suburban side yard in Cape Coral, Florida. I’ve posted about these owls before. Cape Coral has a quite a population of burrowing owls and it is almost a matter of civic pride if one decides to burrow in your yard. Being a threatened species in Florida, locals are asked to do all they can to accommodate them.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

This guy was one of the juvenile brown bears that stayed close to our lodge, seeking security from the bigger boys out there. He also had a nice blondish coat, which picked up the backlighting of the afternoon sun. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/6400th of a second

It’s getting to be that time of the year when I wish I was in Yellowstone. Winter has always been my favorite time of year to visit America’s greatest wildlife park. Bighorn rams are almost guaranteed sightings deep into the Lamar Valley in the north eastern corner of the park.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second

This trumpeter swan was enjoying a late afternoon snack on Tern Lake on the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. It’s chick can be seen out of focus in the background. Trumpeter swans are the largest waterfowl in the world with a wingspan that can reach ten feet.

Just a simple shot today of a mother bison and her calf in Yellowstone National Park. Young bison are always this orangish color, but they eventually grow into the more dark brown tone of the adults.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/250th of a second

I liked the simple composition of this one. All that soft blue background and a single bear standing in the water, trying to get a better angle on a salmon dinner. Brown bears can be quite tall when standing upright. Just across the water from where I photographed this one is the island of Kodiak, which has the largest of the coastal brown bears — males have been known to stand taller than 10 feet tall. This was a female in Lake Clark National Park on the mainland of Alaska, and considerably shorter than that, but still somewhere in the 7 foot range.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second

I remember how exciting it was to find these turtles when I was a kid growing up in central Connecticut. We also had snapping turtles and painted turtles, but they were more common. The real prize was the eastern box turtle. I came across this one many years later in southern Indiana — still a pleasure to watch them slowly make their way across the forest floor.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second

You can tell that this was a very young bull due to the size of his antlers so late in the season. Of course, it didn’t stop him from mixing it up with his much older, and larger, competition for the affection of the lone cow in the area. That said, he was more of an observer than a legitimate challenger. His time will come soon enough. But he did win the award for walking through the most picturesque patch of ground cover in Chugach State Park, Alaska the morning that I was there to photograph the action.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 85mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

Just a simple shot today of two bald eagles surveying their territory atop a pine tree in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Both male and female bald eagles are very similar in appearance. The females, however, are about 25% larger in size. Seeing two together like this indicates a breeding pair.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second

Another from Morro Bay. This time the otter is doing some stretching exercises. When they stretch, it always looks like they’re either praying, clapping or trying to shoot a free throw without a ball.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/100th of a second