As a lot of other people in our area have noticed, this was a very slow year for chipmunks. On the other hand it was a big year for hawks. The presence of, and constant sound of hawks screeching, is no doubt the culprit for the drop in numbers of chipmunks, squirrels and rabbits. I took this shot a few summers ago when the chipmunks were plentiful and the hawks were not. Such is the nature of nature. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/9 at 1/250th of a second.

Seems I keep just missing this bobcat. The top photo — with vole — was taken last week on September 12th, while the bottom one was taken on July 27th. Both shots were at ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units. I’ve adjusted my trigger hoping that the next time the bobcat takes this same path, I can get him walking into frame rather than out of frame.

Here’s another one from the backyard last week. This spotted fawn has been hanging around all summer and occasional stops by the photo booth to take a few self-portraits. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) IS0 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

A quick interruption of the Africa picks to report on this week’s activity up at the camera trap. Lots of deer, raccoons and rabbits, but also a bobcat and this young(ish) black bear. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 19mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

My ad agency is doing some pro-bono work for the US Horse Welfare and Rescue Center in Avon, Connecticut where my wife volunteers. The mission is pretty straightforward — the center rescues horses who need rescuing. Along the way, a fair amount of human healing takes place as well. More on this in a future post as well as info on the east coast premier of a documentary on the plight of our wild horses. While looking for images for our marketing efforts, I took a deep dive back into my collection and found a series of shots from Navajo Nation in the desert southwest where they still roam free. I captured this mustang standing in front of the iconic landscape of Monument Valley just as the sun was about to set. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/3.5 at 1/400th of a second.

Here’s another one from the camera trap last week. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

We’ve seen a few bears walking around the backyard this year but it’s been relatively quiet at the camera trap. Over the last two nights, however, a mother and her cubs have taken a few photos of themselves. In this image, the Mom enters frame to greet one of her cubs. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

A quick break from the Amazon for something considerably closer to home. I received my new Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera recently and finally got it out for some testing. This is my first foray into the world of mirrorless. I had held out for years because I didn’t want to switch from Nikon and they hadn’t offered anything compelling enough for me to switch to the new system from what I’ve been currently using. So far I love it and can’t wait to bring it to Africa in a few weeks. To use a cliche, it really is a game changer when it comes to functionality. As for the pic, I was hoping to photograph some birds when I spotted a beaver dam out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough there were two beavers swimming around. It was late in the day and I was shooting at auto ISO. This is at ISO 5600 — much higher than I usually shoot — and the noise levels were surprisingly low and the sharpness was great. I’ll have to head back to this location and see if I can finally get some beaver photos out of the water where you can see the tail. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 5600, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.

This will be the last post for a week as I head back to the Peruvian Amazon tomorrow. Last October I was there in low water season. I wanted to go back and try my luck in high water season. In the meantime, here’s a roseate spoonbill on a misty day in western Florida. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (with 1.4 TC for 550mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/400th of a second.