This is an eastern grey kangaroo mom with her joey, locally known as foresters in Tasmania. Sometimes it seems that joeys just can’t fit in the pouch anymore and random arms, legs and tails start to poke out. This photo was taken at the end of a great day in Narawantapu National Park on the northern coast of Tasmania.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/50th of a second
The welcome swallow is a bird native to Australia and a few of the nearby islands. I had seen a few of them in flight while in Tasmania, but failed to get a good action shot due to their small size and rapid movement while in the air. I was happy (or at least pacified) when I finally saw one perched and was able to grab a quick take-what-I-can-get photo.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second
Usually, I like to get that focus point right on the eye, but in this case, it seemed the blue tongue was calling for the attention. This is the blotched blue-tongued lizard. Also called the blotched blue-tongued skink and a few other names. I photographed him/her at a wildlife rescue center in Tasmania, Australia. The blue tongue is used to scare off potential predators, but the lizard itself is relatively harmless and they are often kept in captivity as pets.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second
These two young Tasmanian devils provide hope for the future as part of the statewide breeding program to repopulate the species. The Tasmanian devil is currently on the brink of extinction due to the devastating facial tumor disease. The disease is highly contagious so devils may have to go extinct in the wild before the healthy populations can be successfully reintroduced.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 2500, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
Bennett’s wallabies are pretty common on Bruny Island in Tasmania. I photographed this one early in the morning, just outside of my lodge. As you can tell, they don’t scare easily.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
Eastern grey kangaroos, known locally as foresters, stop to check me out, beneath a colorful sky in the open grasslands of Narawantapu National Park in Tasmania, Australia.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 110mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/100th of a second
Bennett’s wallabies are usually brown, but on Bruny Island in Tasmania there is a small population of white ones that live amongst the darker members of the troupe (that’s what you call a group of wallabies, a troupe… or a mob… or a court). In fact a white mother will commonly give birth to a brown joey. In this photo, the joey appears to be looking up at mom, considering all that white fur, wondering if he crawled into the wrong pouch and saying, “wait a minute, you’re my Mom?”
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second
The masked lapwing, a native of Australia, is very similar to the wattled lapwing, which I’ve seen several times in Africa. This guy was spotted in Lauceston, Tasmania at a place called Cataract Gorge. Cataract Gorge is a popular recreation area for locals and these birds are quite common at picnic sites and other open grassy areas.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/50th of a second
After three straight weeks of Alaska photos, figured it’s about time to start mixing in a few from around the world (although plenty more to come from Alaska). One thing that I noticed when photographing the brown bear cubs in all their autumnal fullness, is how much they reminded me of the wombats that I photographed in Tasmania. Big brown, furry balls, waddling across the ground eating as much grass as they possibly could. So here’s one of those wombats, doing its thing to keep the lawn mowed on Maria Island, just off the southeast coast of Tasmania.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 28mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
This brushtail possum looked like he was having trouble finding a bathroom. We were deep in the woods of Tasmania in Australia. This will be my last post for a week or so as I fly to Alaska tomorrow in search of bears and moose and all manner of other creatures. Be back soon.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 500, f/8 at 1/200th of a second