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

I took this one down in Everglades National Park in southern Florida. You can get very close to the gators from the safety of a series of boardwalks along the popular Anhinga Trail. I used my long lens to capture this close up of the gator’s eye.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second

Just a simple portrait of an Atlantic puffin calling. This one was taken on Machias Seal Island off the coast of Maine. The island is claimed by both the United States and Canada. Every summer, thousands of Atlantic puffins, as well as razorbills and a few other birds, return to the island to nest.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 200, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

I was photographing tidepool life at Lover’s Point in Monterey Bay when I caught sight of this snowy egret with dinner. Snowy egrets like to stalk their prey in shallow water, but in addition to fish, they also eat crustaceans, insects, small reptiles, snails, frogs, worms, mice and crayfish.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second

I photographed this California newt several years back somewhere north of San Francisco. These guys are pretty formidable as far as newts go, growing to about eight inches long. They are also toxic. This is another macro that I used my old setup of a 70-200mm zoom with a close up filter attached. I had to use a wide aperture because I didn’t want to use flash, so the depth of field is very narrow, which I kind of like.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) with Canon 500D close up lens attached, ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/125th of a second

Coyotes have become pretty common these days thanks to their ability to adapt to so many different habitats and weather conditions. Always nice to see them in Yellowstone in the wintertime. This guy clearly had his eye on something as he burst through the snow.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 155mm) ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/640th of a second

Last month I posted a wild burro at a distance, behind a bush of yellow flowers. Here’s a completely different angle. As I mentioned previously, these wild burros, or donkeys, or asses if you prefer, are the only wild herd in the United States on anything other than federal land. They roam free on the hillsides of Moreno Valley in California.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second