Just back from a weekend up in northern Minnesota photographing black bears. Haven’t gone through all the photos yet, but just quickly grabbed this one of a young chocolate cub climbing down a tree. Black bears come in many colors, from black to blonde. I kind of like this chocolate color. Many more of these bears to come.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/400th of a second

This is an American marten, also commonly known as a pine marten. Martens have very shiny and luxuriant fur and at the turn of the century, they were nearly wiped out in North American due to the fur trade. They have since made a nice comeback thanks to conservation efforts and the population is now healthy throughout much of Canada and pockets of the United States. I photographed this one in front of a wood pile just outside of the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Silver Gate, Montana.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second

Always nice to start the week off with a seal face. This particular face happens to belong to a harbor seal. Harbor seals can be very curious and they tend to follow behind kayakers in Elkhorn Slough — just north of Monterey, California — where I took this photo. As soon as you turn around, however, they often dive beneath the surface.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second

This photo was taken in the same general area as the previous one I posted from Vicksburg. In the distance to the left is the Louisiana Memorial. To the right is the Illinois Memorial, perhaps the most impressive structure in the park. In the middle, you can see how hilly the terrain is, making it difficult for either the Union or Confederate armies to gain much ground. Tomorrow, back to the animals.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/22, shutter speeds of 1.6, .4, .8, 3 and 6 seconds (5 shot HDR image)

At first I was disappointed with the near white out conditions that I was greeted with several years ago down on Sanibel Island in Florida, but then the mist lifted and I was able to get some nice pink on white shots of spoonbills and their reflections in the water.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 550mm with Nikon 1.4 teleconverter) ISO 400, f/9 at 1/640th of a second

It’s rare that I post a captive animal. That being said, this pudgy little black bear cub was one of several orphans taken in by a wildlife park in South Dakota. There were a bunch of little cubs ranging in color from blond to cinnamon to black. This guy seemed to keeping watch over the others from the top of a small tree.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 160mm) ISO 800, f/3.2 at 1/200th of a second

It’s that time of year again when the flowers are blooming, the weather is heating up and young mountain goat kids are frolicking in the high alpine tundra of the Rocky Mountains. I photographed this one a few years back on Mount Evans in Colorado.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 200, f/8 at 1/400th of a second

Bighorn lambs can be very fun to watch. This little guy had a friend and the two of them would run up and down the steep cliffs before returning to their mothers. As for the moms, they seemed more interested in chewing grass than in looking after the babies.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I was down in Vicksburg, Mississippi for a few days on business. As most of you know, I very rarely post non-animal photos, but… when in Vicksburg. This was taken from a place called Battery DeGolyer (named after a Union captain) and that monument in the background is the Louisiana Memorial. The park contains over 1300 monuments, plaques, statues and other works of art commemorating what many consider the most important battle of the Civil War. The cannons at Battery DeGolyer are lined up much as they were back in the spring of 1863.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm (at 19mm) ISO 200, f/22, various shutter speeds (HDR image combining five exposures)

I had to be in Vicksburg, Mississippi for a few days for work. I was able to get out and explore on my own on Sunday and made it out to the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in Louisiana. I didn’t see much — other than a bunch of hummingbirds. The ruby throated hummingbird is the smallest species of hummingbird and the only in the United States that regularly nests east of the Mississippi.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2500th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash