An endangered red-footed tortoise stops to pose for the camera. From what I could tell, these guys are the most celebrated species on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. I was on a decidedly non-wildlife trip with my wife and friends, but where there is wildlife, there is a way. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
Hermit crabs have two sets of antennae they use for various sensory input. The inner antennae are shorter and used for taste and smell. In this image you can see the longer, outer antennae, known as feelers, which they use to navigate what’s in front of them. I photographed this Caribbean hermit crab, also known as a purple pincher on the Caribbean island of St. Barts. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
The red-footed tortoise is listed as a vulnerable species due to continued loss of habitat. They are also hunted for food and captured for the pet trade. They range throughout the northern half of South America and can also be found on many of the Caribbean islands. I met this guy one morning on St Barts. He was making a not-so-quick left turn so as not to collide with the front of my wide angle lens. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/100th of a second.
As the year comes to an end, time to look back on the highlights of 2017. For the first time in about 15 years, I didn’t do any international shooting (well, with the exception of a few days in St. Barths). But on an otherwise slow year with the camera, I did take advantage of a few work trips and a great week in Alaska in September. Here, in chronological order, are my top ten images that I captured this year, all previously posted in the last twelve months. (I obviously post images from previous years too, but they are not reflected here).
I was a judge at an advertising awards show in Miami in January and took full advantage by staying the weekend and photographing Key deer on Big Pine Key south of the city and then traveling north for burrowing owls in Cape Coral.
In February, the aforementioned trip to St. Barths allowed for some close encounters with rare red-footed tortoises.
I was also able to get a few good looks at the local fiddler crabs.
In May, a work trip took me to Los Angeles. I was able to get out to one of my favorite wildlife hotspots in Anza-Borrego State Park. I didn’t have luck with the usual suspects (jackrabbits, coyote and desert bighorn) but I did capture this macro shot of a thistledown velvet ant.
The Alaska trip was mostly about brown bears and moose. I was able to capture lots of action shots of the bears as they chased fish at low tide in Lake Clark National Park.
In Chugach State Park in Anchorage, I got up close and personal with several bull moose during the fall rut.
The weather was mostly overcast and rainy, but I did have one great morning when the skies opened for this early morning silhouette shot of a coastal brown bear.
No matter how many times I see them, it’s always a treat to photograph red fox. This guy was just bedding down when I was returning to the lodge after a day of photographing bears.
And speaking of bears, here’s another at close range and from my preferred low angle. This mama bear was giving herself a good shake off after a morning of fishing.
Another work trip took me back to Los Angeles in October. This time I headed north to Morro Bay where I spent a few days photographing the local sea otters. Here’s hoping 2018 brings many more creatures (both locally and internationally). Happy New Year everyone.
Here’s another one of the red-footed tortoises that I saw on St Barths. Unlike the previous wide angle shot, for this one, I used my long lens and caught the tortoise as it slowly moved across a shaded area of the sand.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
Here’s another one from this past weekend in Saint Barths. There are more than 1100 species of hermit crabs so I won’t even venture a guess at which one this is. It was quite large, however — about the size of a baseball. All hermit crabs live inside a salvaged seashell, usually from a snail, which they use for protection. They have a soft abdomen which retracts into the shell when threatened. As they get older, it is necessary to abandon their smaller shells in exchange for a larger one. Competition over available shells can be intense. It can also be quite cooperative. With certain species of hermit crabs, a vacancy chain can occur. A crab looking for a larger shell will climb out of its current shell and inspect the new, larger shell. If the new shell is too large, the crab will climb back into its old shell and wait patiently for another crab to come along. Twenty or more crabs may inspect the vacant shell and deem it to be too large, so they will line up in order of size until the right size crab comes along to claim the new shell. Then the next in line will get that crab’s shell, and in turn, pass its old shell on to the next in line, and on and on.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second
Saint Barths isn’t necessarily known for its wildlife. Much of the indigenous species have been displaced by invasive ones — wild goats and mongoose among them. That said, I did fit in a few wildlife excursions around trips to the beach and found several species that still thrive on the French-speaking Caribbean island. The red-footed tortoise was quite prevalent along forested trails. This little guy seemed to be intrigued by his reflection staring back at him from my wide angle lens. Although these tortoises are common on Saint Barths, they are considered vulnerable to extinction due mainly to loss of habitat and the pet trade.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second