Being as common as they are, I tend to overlook Canada Geese when I see them about. But when they pose under the Maroon Bells mountain range in Aspen, Colorado in early morning light they can be hard to ignore.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 28mm) ISO 400, f/18 at 1/30th of a second

Florida’s Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge may sound weird, but it is well known as one of the country’s top birding spots. You never know what you’ll find on any given trip. Sometimes spoonbills, sometimes owls, sometimes green herons. The green heron isn’t exactly green as you can see but it does have a bit of green on the feathers. This little guy (and they are little for herons) seemed to have just a face growing out of that maroon chest.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/250th of a second

I went to visit my father this weekend up on Cape Cod and we got out on a boat on Sunday to do a bit of seal watching. It was grey and overcast, which ended up being perfect conditions to photograph the resident population of grey seals. The scientific name for the grey seal is Halichoerus grypus, which means hooked-nosed sea pig. I’ll upload a few profile shots in a future post to show the characteristic hooked nose. For now, I liked the soft grey of the water surrounding the seal in the first shot and the detail of the face in the second. The seal population has really swelled on Cape Cod in recent years. Especially the grey seals, but also harbor seals. And of course, along with that — more sharks.
Top Photo — Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second
Bottom Photo — Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second

Venice Rookery in Florida is one of the best places in the country to photograph wading birds like great egrets, blue herons, night herons and anhingas. The birds spend all day collecting nesting material and flying back to the rookery with branches in their beaks. Flight shots are easily had. That said, I preferred this photo of two egrets back at the nest showing each other a little love. They were in full breeding plumage with their green lores surrounding their eyes.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/1000th of a second

The lighting wasn’t great on this one, but the pose makes up for it. This little prairie dog in the Badlands of South Dakota seemed to be pleading with me not to take his/her picture. As anyone who has observed prairie dogs can attest, they can be amusing little creatures.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 600mm lens with 1.4 teleconverter attached (for 800mm) ISO 200, f/11 at 1/500th of a second

I came across this blue grosbeak in Delaware a few years back. They don’t range much farther north than that in the summertime. The rest of the year they can be found in warmer climates throughout Central America. The blue grosbeak is very similar to the indigo bunting, but is larger, has a more robust beak and has the rust markings on the wings.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second

This little mushroom was growing out of a fallen redwood in Big Basin National Park in California. I’m no fungi expert so not sure of the exact species, but Big Basin is one of the best places to see redwoods south of San Francisco.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/40th of a second

Beaver are one North American mammal that I wish I had more photos of. I see them from time to time, but they have a well developed warning system when they sense an intruder and don’t wait around for long. They take that big flat tail and slap the water to alert all others in the area, before heading under water and retreating to their dens. This guy, on the other hand, was swimming along with me as I hiked down a riverside trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. I didn’t get a full body shot and the aforementioned tail, but I was able to record the nice green reflection off the surface of the water.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/80th of a second

The moose on the left is the mother and the one with the antlers his her grown calf, now a bull. They were grazing along a small creek just past the north east entrance to Yellowstone in the town of Silver Gate, Montana. Taken a few years back in winter, my favorite season to visit the park.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, few creatures on this planet are as cute as sea otters. Normally shy, this otter allowed me a very close approach and carried on with the daily activities of eating and cleaning. As with most of my sea otter photos, this one was taken in Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing, California.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/125th of a second