Bennett’s Wallaby on the Move
I caught this Bennett’s wallaby mid stride on a misty morning in Cradle Mountain National Park in Tasmania, Australia.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second
Brushtail Possum Portrait
This will be me last post for about a week as I head to Panama early tomorrow morning for six nights. Hopefully I’ll be back next week with some great new shots, including some nocturnal creatures like this brushtail possum from Tasmania. One of the nice things about a lot of the animals in Tasmania is that they were very accepting of my presence and didn’t spook very easily. This gave me time to really get my lighting just the way I wanted. I usually use two flashes, but in this case, and for most of my night shots in Tasmania, I used one flash on a tripod which I was able to set down in one spot, and then take my camera to another spot to get the photo. In this case, I was probably twenty feet from the flash, and twenty feet from the possum — me the possum and the flash forming a bit of a triangle. I use remote controlled units on camera and flash to be able to separate the two without using cables.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/6.3 at 1/160th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash
Sleepy Bay
Freycinet is one of the most popular national parks in Tasmania. Sleepy Bay is accessed via a short hike within the park. There are a few big boulders at the shoreline that have eroded into perfect little domed caves — ideal for sitting in and watching the sunrise. The greenish lichen on the pinkish granite is a departure from the characteristic orange that is so prevelant in this part of Tasmania.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 100, f/20 at 1/8th of a second
Southern Boobook Owl
I only saw one owl while in Tasmania — the southern boobook. It was hiding in an old dilapidated barn on Maria Island when I inadvertently interrupted its daytime sleep.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
Eastern Bettong
There are four species of bettong in Australia. The one that occurs in Tasmania is called the eastern bettong (also sometimes called the southern bettong or Tasmanian bettong). As a group, bettongs are often referred to as rat kangaroos, which is a pretty apt description, although they are quite a bit bigger than rats, and I’d say a good deal more attractive. Like many marsupials, they are nocturnal, but I was able to see this one in daylight at the Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary, a rehabilitation center for rescued animals that will eventually be re-released into the wild.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm (at 330mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
Platypus
Platypus can be difficult to photograph. First you have to find them. And once you do, they can be very skittish to any movement. What I liked about this shot, is that you can actually see the eyeball, pupil and all. In most shots, it’s hard to make out the actual eye. This was taken on my last full day in Tasmania just outside of the town of Scottsdale in the northeast.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/2.8 at 1/500th of a second
Echidna with a Face Full of Ants
Short-beaked echidnas can be hard to photograph because they spend most of the day with their faces buried in the ground searching for ants and other delicacies. When this echidna lifted up, it was clear that it had found what it was looking for. It was spotted with the help of Craig Bushie Williams in the bush just outside of his northern Tasmanian property.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Bennett’s in the Bushes
I think this Bennett’s wallaby thought that if it held still for long enough, I wouldn’t notice and would move on. The photo was taken pre-sunrise on Maria Island in Tasmania.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Daytime Devil
Thanks to the many Tasmanian devil sanctuaries that are doing their best to save this nocturnal marsupial from the deadly facial tumor disease, it is possible to see a captive devil during daylight hours. Even so, they can be difficult to photograph because they never seem to stop moving. I snapped this young devil as it was running along a fallen tree trunk at the Devils@Cradle sanctuary just outside of Cradle Mountain National Park.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2500, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
The Bay of Fires
Another great thing about Tasmania — it has places with names like The Bay of Fires. Tyrion Lannister would feel right at home. At the southern end of the Bay of Fires is a place called Binalong Bay, where I took this photo just before sunrise. Orange lichen is characteristic of the Bay, although it’s not the reason for the name. In 1773, a sea captain saw the fires of Aboriginal people on the beaches and christened the name.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at 1, .25, .5, 2, and 4 seconds.