Yellowstone is a great park to capture photos of animals in the landscape. Pronghorn seem to be more and more common at Yellowstone and provide nice subjects for such shots. I remember ten or more years ago definitely not seeing as many as I see now. This young lady was taking a look back at the rest of the herd while the sun started to inch down toward the horizon behind me.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second
Nine-banded armadillos are quite common in Florida, but they can be difficult to photograph. They don’t have very good eyesight, but they have a great sense of smell and hearing. I spotted quite a few on Merritt Island, but would have to approach upwind to take care of the smell problem, and then quietly get into place to take care of the hearing issue. This involved getting as low as possible to get the best vantage point of these smallish mammals. The other challenge is photographing them with their eyes open, as they tend to be closed most of the time. It all came together nicely for this shot.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second
I had always heard about the diminutive key deer that live in the southern part of the Florida Keys, but on previous trips to the area I had never gotten around to searching them out. This weekend I finally decided to see what they were all about. They are a subspecies of the white-tailed deer and true to the billing, they are small — the smallest deer in North America — but they didn’t really seem all that much smaller than the regular-sized white-tailed deer that we get in the rest of the country. Still, it was fun to hang out with these two for about twenty minutes or so as they curiously observed me before going back to eating grass.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/800th of a second
Just back from a work trip to Miami. I was able to fit in a very quick visit to a friend in the Keys and then my mother on the Gulf coast. Just north of where she lives is the town of Cape Coral. Cape Coral is known for it’s proximity to great beaches. And for its owls. The town is home to Florida’s largest population of burrowing owls. These pint-sized locals can be found throughout the town, burrowing in the side yards of suburban homes. This chick was one of three siblings. He/she was calling to the others while keeping an eye on my camera.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
Just a simple shot of a black bear resting in a tree. This was taken at the Vince Shute Wildlife Sanctuary in Orr, Minnesota. These bears are wild, but food is put out in the forest to attract them to the research center.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm (at 130mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/160th of a second
Also known as the lined shore crab, this handsome purple and green crab ranges from Vancouver Island down to Baja California in Mexico. They can also be found in the Western Pacific in both Korea and Japan. I photographed this one in the town of Moss Landing in California at Elkhorn Slough. Elkhorn Slough is also a great place for sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/15th of a second
One of the best things about our recent move from Brooklyn to Scarsdale has been the ability to find life forms other than people, pigeons and rats. Actually, there were plenty of birds in the city too, but nice to be able see such a variety in my own backyard. Below are just a few of the species that stopped by this weekend.
Tufted Titmouse
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
Northern Cardinal
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Black-Capped Chickadee
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
Hairy Woodpecker
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second
White-Throated Sparrow
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second
Although they may look like it, pikas are not rodents. They are members of the lagomorpha order which includes rabbits and hares. They live high in rocky alpine regions of North America and are helpful to scientific study of climate change because of their extreme sensitivity to temperature. In fact, they can not tolerate highs in the mid 70s for more than six hours or they will die. Due to this, they are known as an indicator species, and studying their movements tells us much about the changing conditions of where they live. In recent years they’ve been migrating to higher and higher altitudes seeking colder weather. For this reason, I think of them as an ominous metaphor for our own species — if they keep climbing higher in search of a healthy place to exist, they’ll eventually run out of room. This little guy — sounding an alarm call — was photographed in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second
I met this young red fox several years back at Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. He/she had one sibling and they were playing around with each other having a good old time while their mother was out hunting for breakfast.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/250th of a second
As you guys know, I don’t always post pictures that I shot the current calendar year. I often post from previous years, but I do try to continually add new photos to the collection. The following are what I consider my top twelve images that were posted — as well as taken — in 2016. I didn’t get out quite as much this year, but did manage to start the year strong with several work trips to California, another to Toronto, followed by a week in Panama, a short visit to my mother in Florida, and finally, a week in Thailand last month. Each trip is represented, and in the order that they were taken. Happy New Year everyone. Thanks for continuing to check out my daily posts. I really appreciate it and the positive feedback keeps me excited to mine my collection each night to find just the right shot.
Following a work trip to San Diego back in January, I tacked on a few days and headed north to La Jolla in search of the “Potholes” at Hospitals Reef. On the way, I caught this morning glimpse of Brandt’s cormorants nesting on a cliff while a Western gull flew past. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/100th of a second.)
And below is the aforementioned “Potholes.” (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/100th of a second.)
Speaking of Brandt’s cormorants, I met this bold individual two months later at El Matador Beach in Malibu. Always nice when your subject allows you to get so close that you can use a fisheye lens. (Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 200, f/22 at 1/200th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash unit.)
In May, I headed to Toronto for a few weeks to shoot a commercial. In between our busy work schedule, I was able to explore the area’s wildlife hotspots, including several sites around Lake Ontario where I captured this mute swan at sunset. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.)
Later in the month, I headed down to Panama for a five night trip. At the top of my wish list was the keel-billed toucan. I saw quite a few at the Canopy Tower Lodge in Soberania National Park not too far from Panama City. This one was feeding on a seed from a cecropia tree. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.)
Also from the Canopy Tower was this three-toed sloth. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 250mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/100th of a second.)
A few hours north brought me to the town of El Valle where I spotted several canal zone tree frogs at night. (Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/25 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.)
In early July, it was off to Florida for a visit to my mother. We took her to one of my favorite spots, the Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. The star attraction at the refuge is the roseate spoonbill. This one was coming in for a landing near three white ibis. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2000th of a second.)
My biggest trip of the year was only a week long, but I saw quite a variety of wildlife in Thailand. Especially in Kaeng Krachan National Park where I camped for three nights. Every night, Malayan porcupines came around the campsite looking for scraps. The predictability of their visits allowed me to be ready with two flash units placed in advantages locations for front and back light. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.)
I also saw plenty of little creatures like this red long-horned spider. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 1600, f/6.3 at 1/60th of a second.)
I photographed five primate species, including the white-handed gibbon. (Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second.)
And finally, this masked palm civet who was kind enough to stop by while I had my light set up for the porcupines. (Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 400, f/18 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.)
