Short-beaked echidnas weren’t exactly all over the place, but I did see quite a few of them throughout my trip in Tasmania. Most commonly, I saw them foraging along the side of the road while I was driving from one place to another. This guy was gulping up ants on a small hill on my approach to Cradle Mountain National Park.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second

Unfortunately, road kill is a big problem in Tasmania and most people don’t drive after the sun goes down because of all the animals on the road. But on the plus side, there’s a great network of foster parents throughout Tasmania who will take in rescued baby marsupials. When a wallaby or possum or some other marsupial gets hit, it is advisable to always check the pouch. You never know what you might find inside. In this case, a baby brushtail possum was rescued and was being cared for by a concerned citizen in Coles Bay on the east coast. The goal is to eventually release the little guy back into the wild.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

The only thing better than one eastern quoll is two eastern quolls. These guys were at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary near Hobart Tasmania, a rescue center for many native species and one of many captive breeding centers for Tasmanian devils. Quolls are carnivorous marsupials, related to the devils.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4.5 at 1/250th of a second

Kangaroos jump. It’s what they do. So here are two shots of eastern grey (locally known as the forester) kangaroos doing just that. One going parallel and one coming right at me. Both were taken in Narawntapu National Park in Tasmania.
Top Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second
Bottom Photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/6400th of a second

This Tasmanian devil appears to be letting out a blood curdling scream, but in reality, he was just a bit sleepy and letting out a good yawn. I photographed devils both in the wild (at night as they are mostly nocturnal) and at a few of the many captive breeding centers around Tasmania. The countrywide captive breeding program is vital to the survival of the species as the deadly and highly contagious facial tumor disease is bringing the current wild populations to the brink of extinction. This particular devil was at a place called Devils@Cradle, a rehab and reintroduction sanctuary at the base of Cradle Mountain National Park.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2200, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

The silver gull is the most common gull in Australia, being present in all six states. These two were photographed in Freycinet National Park in Tasmania, and as you can see they were attempting to make the species even more common. When you’re a silver gull, there’s nothing quite like a little pluck to the head feathers to show how much you care.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/5000th of a second

There is just something about echidnas that is very charming. They aren’t much more than a ball of spines with a long nose, but they seem to pack a lot of personality into their small size. This guy was photographed near the town of Scottsdale in northern Tasmania, Australia.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second

Quolls were my favorite animals from my Tasmania trip last year. I saw two species, the spotted quoll, and this guy, the eastern quoll (although, as you can see, he is also nicely spotted). Quolls are carnivorous marsupials, like Tasmanian devils, and are almost strictly nocturnal. The eastern quoll comes in two colors — a dark brown, almost black like this guy and more of a lighter beige color.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 500, f/6.3 at 1/200th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash off camera and on a tripod to my right

Here’s another photo from a Tasmanian island. This time it’s Bruny Island and the subject is a Bennett’s wallaby joey in its mother’s pouch. The joey is the normal coloration of Bennett’s wallaby whereas the mother is a rare white morph. I saw a handful of these white wallabies while on Bruny Island, always mixed in with the brown.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/200th of a second