I booked a last minute trip up to northern Minnesota this past weekend. Perhaps I should have looked at a weather forecast first. It didn’t break 0 degrees the entire weekend and lows were typically between minus 20 and 30. They even issued a windchill advisory of -50. It was cold. And the wildlife seemed to be feeling it too as it was pretty slow from a photographic standpoint. That said, I was able to find a few subjects and get some images that I like. This trumpeter swan was resting on the ice early Sunday morning. I was using the foreground snow to create a nice blurred frame around the head when all of a sudden the swan yawned. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.

I photographed this one quite a few years ago on the east coast of Florida. The nine-banded armadillo is a species that continues to push the boundaries of its range. It has been rapidly moving both north and east in the United States and is expected to reach New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Connecticut before the trend slows down. I’m ready and waiting. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.

This guy was the epitome of a wily coyote. Tall, lean, scrappy, unafraid, and making the rounds at the end of the day in the southern California desert. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.

A group of bighorn lambs showing why it can be hard to spot a group of bighorn lambs. These guys were playing amidst the eroded buttes in Badlands National Park. In addition to their great camouflage, they also are well adapted to the steep, almost vertical landscapes they live in. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 3200, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

Here’s another raccoon captured on my camera trap. This one was taken in August of ’21. Back then, a group of raccoons were using this fallen log nearly every night to go foraging in the woods behind my house. Their visits have become more infrequent since then but they still show up from time to time. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

In early December, the tamarack trees in northern Minnesota have turned a dull orange. This creates quite a backdrop when the late day sun adds a short-lived splash of saturation. And it’s even better when great grey owls hunt in the foreground. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/2500th of a second.

Here’s another of the bobcat images that my camera trap captured back in September. My surveillance cams have seen them a few times since then, but the cats have successfully avoided any more self-portraits. Here’s hoping the winter brings another image or two. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitors and three remote flash units.

Here’s one from the backyard. This baby raccoon was following Mom across the log when he/she stopped to take a look at the camera box. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/11 at 1/60th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

It’s that time of year when the nuts are in high demand. In this case, I believe that’s a black walnut. I’ve been testing out a new lightweight camera trap setup to take to Peru this weekend. Hopefully I can get some shots like this, only with Amazonian creatures doing what they do. Nikon D3300 with Nikkor 18-55mm lens (at 18mm) ISO 400, f/11 at 1/200th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units with Camtraptions remote triggers and camera housing.

If you’ve never been up close and personal with a full-grown bull moose it’s hard to comprehend just how big they are. But even more remarkable is their ability to appear out of nowhere, and then suddenly vanish again into the forest. This guy caught me off guard, but not before I was able to get a quick shot as he emerged from the bushes, hot on the scent of a female during the mating rut, which in Alaska is in September and October. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.