It’s been a slow couple of months at the camera traps in my backyard. But I can always count on the deer to make an occasional appearance. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/250th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and three remote flash units.

This northern hawk-owl was the main attraction on my trip last weekend to northern Minnesota. Unlike most owls that are nocturnal, or crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), northern hawk-owls prefer mid-day to do their hunting. This was taken at about four in the afternoon with the moon slowly rising in a cloudless blue sky. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 400, f/32 at 1/60th of a second.

I’ve photographed evening grosbeaks before but was never able to get decent shots. I saw quite a few of them last weekend in Minnesota. This is the male. Females only have a small bit of the yellow and are more uniformly grey. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/4000th of a second.

I only saw one great grey owl last weekend while in northern Minnesota, and it was well after the sun had set. That said, I was able to crank up the ISO and get a few flight shots as the owl hunted for voles. It was so dark I couldn’t really see the owl through the viewfinder but my camera’s auto focus system could. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 6400, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.

I had seen this porcupine earlier in the day but it was curled up in a ball sleeping. I decided to swing back by at the end of the day to see if it was active. Unfortunately still sleeping, but then, for just a moment, it started to nibble on pine needles and twigs as the moon rose in the background. After only a few shots, it went back to sleep. I could have used some fill flash, but I’ll take it. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen a porcupine in the wild in North America. Photographed last Sunday in northern Minnesota.Nikon D500 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.

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.