Female snapping turtles will travel long distances to find suitable sandy habitat to lay their eggs. Covered in mosquitoes, this one was no exception. From what I could tell, the nearest water was at least a mile away. I got down on the ground to get an eye level perspective of her journey through Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second

I love armadillos. There are about 20 different species of them in the world. The most common here in the US is the nine-banded armadillo. I photographed this one on Merritt Island on the east coast of Florida. Nine-banded armadillos also happen to be the most far ranging species of armadillo in the world, with populations as far north as Nebraska and as far south as Uruguay.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 22mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/500th of a second

The pre-dawn mist created a nice atmospheric setting for this snowy owl perched on a tree stump. This was from the trip a few winters back in Boundary Bay, just south of Vancouver. About twenty three owls were overwintering in the area after migrating down from parts further north.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/500th of a second

This one is from my business trip to Florida back in February. Some of the white-tailed deer in Saint Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach are so tame that you can photograph them from a foot away. That being said, I more often than not prefer this type of shot where I back up to include more of the environment.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 35mm) ISO 400, f/3.2 at 1/400th of a second

This one is from back in 2008 when I was still living in Detroit and took a drive out west just before moving back to New York. Southwest South Dakota has long been one of my favorite places to shoot. Not only great landscapes, but also lots of wildlife. Prairie dogs are very common, especially in northern sections of Badlands National Park. This particular prairie dog was whistling a warning call to any neighbors close enough to hear. (This will be the last post until next Tuesday as Karen and I are heading to Barbados for a long weekend. It’s not a wildlife trip so not sure I’ll return with anything for the blog, but you never know. Sea turtles are among the locals where we are staying.)
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 500, f/11 at 1/320th of a second

I’m back down in the Florida Panhandle on business for a couple of days and came across this Fowler’s toad this afternoon at Camp Helen State Park in Panama City Beach. I don’t have my good gear with me because this isn’t a photo trip, but I was able to get a few decent shots today with my little Nikon 1 AW1, which I was carrying along just in case I came across anything like, well, a Fowler’s toad.
Nikon 1 AW1 with Nikkor 1 AW 11-27.5mm lens (at 11mm) ISO 160, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

This white tailed deer is another of the residents of Saint Andrews State Park that I met on Tuesday. I think it’s a male, based on size, but it could be a female as this is the time of year that the males are without antlers. I started with my long lens and kept getting closer and closer. Eventually I had on my 17 to 35 and was shooting at 17mm, and even then I was able to get closer — so I pulled out my rarely used 15mm fisheye. He showed no apparent concern or irritation with me being right up in his face. In fact, he kept chewing the grass as if I wasn’t even there. Being a very highly visited park, I’m sure he’s been fed a lot by uninformed/unconcerned visitors. Whatever the case, if an animal doesn’t seem to mind, I like to get as close as I can and go as wide as I can. I took quite a few shots, but liked this particular frame because he appears to be telling me some sort of story or maybe a joke. Or maybe he was asking kindly for that KitKat bar in my backpack.
Nikon D810 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens. ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/250th of a second.

I was down in Panama City Beach, Florida for the past couple of days on a work assignment and ran into a few of the furry locals. This little guy is commonly called a swamp rabbit — a subspecies of the cottontail that prefers things a bit more on the wet side. You can tell a swamp rabbit from an eastern cottontail because the swampers are bigger, usually darker, and they have a cinnamon ring around the eye, as opposed to white. As for the tongue, well, I guess he wasn’t pleased with the particular flavor of grass he was eating.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second

The eastern, or red spotted newt goes through a stage when young when it is called a red eft. At this time, it is a very brightly colored orangish red and it lives on dry land. For the rest of its nearly 15-year life span, it remains in the water. I came across this little guy one rainy day while hiking in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in northwestern New Jersey.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 150mm with Canon 500D close up lens diopter) ISO 200, f/10 at 1/60th of a second, two Nikon SB-800 flash units

These two cubs (and a couple of others at the base of the tree) were having a good old time climbing up and down and up and down. As I’ve mentioned before, black bears can be either quite dark like these two, or more of a brownish color. Some are even almost blond.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second