A male and female pronghorn trot across a grassy field in Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The male has the nice set of horns. Pronghorn are unique in that they shed their horns each year (usually horns are not shed, whereas antlers are). Moose, elk, deer all have antlers whereas pronghorn, bighorn, mountain goats have horns.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
Here’s another of the brown bears I was able to photograph at close range as they chased after salmon at low tide. Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second
This mom and her two cubs were just finishing up a morning of fishing. They walked about another 100 yards before plopping down for a group nap. Photographed in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 105mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second
Here’s another from my sea otter excursion to Morro Bay back in October. This little pup was resting on its mother’s belly as she did a bit of grooming. It can be difficult sometimes to distinguish one otter from the other as their thick, wet fur meshes together. The pup looked like a little brown fur ball with eyes. Sea otters, in fact, have the most dense fur of any animal on the planet — up to one million hairs per square inch.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
I rarely post birds two days in a row, but after yesterday’s trogon from Thailand, it got me thinking of all the great birds we have here in the United States. Along with the painted bunting and the western tanager, I consider the green jay to be the finest looking bird in the land (colorwise, at least). They can only be found in southern Texas, but are quite abundant throughout their range — which extends through Mexico and down into northern South America. I photographed this one at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Las Fresnos, Texas.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
A hoary marmot rests on a boulder in an alpine meadow in Mount Rainier National Park. These marmots are the largest North American ground squirrels and are often called whistlers for their high pitched warning call. They live near tree line in mountainous areas of the northwest.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second
This mom and her two cubs had just spent the morning fishing (well, mom was doing all the fishing and the cubs were the eager recipients of her hard work). Energy expended, bellies full, it was time for a good nap. Lucky for me, they decided to do so right in front of an impressive range of verdant peaks in Lake Clark National Park.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 90mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/3200th of a second
In this image, you can see five bighorn sheep hanging out on the eroded buttes of Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The sun had just set in the distance. The Badlands are a surprisingly great wildlife destination. In fact, outside of Yellowstone and the California coast, they’re probably my favorite go-to spot for a variety of animals in an amazing natural habitat.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/640th of a second
As the year comes to an end, time to look back on the highlights of 2017. For the first time in about 15 years, I didn’t do any international shooting (well, with the exception of a few days in St. Barths). But on an otherwise slow year with the camera, I did take advantage of a few work trips and a great week in Alaska in September. Here, in chronological order, are my top ten images that I captured this year, all previously posted in the last twelve months. (I obviously post images from previous years too, but they are not reflected here).
I was a judge at an advertising awards show in Miami in January and took full advantage by staying the weekend and photographing Key deer on Big Pine Key south of the city and then traveling north for burrowing owls in Cape Coral.
In February, the aforementioned trip to St. Barths allowed for some close encounters with rare red-footed tortoises.
I was also able to get a few good looks at the local fiddler crabs.
In May, a work trip took me to Los Angeles. I was able to get out to one of my favorite wildlife hotspots in Anza-Borrego State Park. I didn’t have luck with the usual suspects (jackrabbits, coyote and desert bighorn) but I did capture this macro shot of a thistledown velvet ant.
The Alaska trip was mostly about brown bears and moose. I was able to capture lots of action shots of the bears as they chased fish at low tide in Lake Clark National Park.
In Chugach State Park in Anchorage, I got up close and personal with several bull moose during the fall rut.
The weather was mostly overcast and rainy, but I did have one great morning when the skies opened for this early morning silhouette shot of a coastal brown bear.
No matter how many times I see them, it’s always a treat to photograph red fox. This guy was just bedding down when I was returning to the lodge after a day of photographing bears.
And speaking of bears, here’s another at close range and from my preferred low angle. This mama bear was giving herself a good shake off after a morning of fishing.
Another work trip took me back to Los Angeles in October. This time I headed north to Morro Bay where I spent a few days photographing the local sea otters. Here’s hoping 2018 brings many more creatures (both locally and internationally). Happy New Year everyone.
Merry Christmas everyone. I’ll be back in the new year with more wildlife photos from around the world. In the meantime, here’s a white squirrel, photographed in Olney, Illinois a few years back.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second