It really is something to see hundreds of little turtles crawling out of the sand. This poor little hatchling appeared to get stuck halfway there and was appealing to nearby siblings for a hand. It took a while, but eventually, he/she was one of the last to struggle to the surface and begin the journey home. The gender of leatherback hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the sand during incubation. Warmer sand temperatures produce more or all female hatchlings, and cooler sand temperatures produce more or all males.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 800, f/5 at 1/80th of a second

Ditch dug, eggs laid, eggs buried. It’s all in a night’s work for a leatherback turtle. This mother completed the job but got a late start and was just returning to sea as the sun came up. This is one of my favorite shots from my weekend in Trinidad. I used a tripod and slow shutter speed to blur the waves while freezing the movement of the turtle. They are exhausted after a long night and it takes considerable effort to get their 1,000 pound bodies back into the water. They take it slowly and rest every few “steps” before the water eventually lifts them from the sand and carries them out to sea. I was able to capture the blur of the wave while the turtle held still for the 1/3 second exposure. I also used a fisheye lens on this one and was able to avoid all the usual perspective shifts that are characteristic of fisheyes. This is accomplished by positioning the camera almost dead even with the subject and horizon. Too low and the horizon will be extremely concave, too high and it will be convex (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just not what I wanted for this shot). This is a full crop and as you can see the horizon is only slightly convex.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 50, f/22 at 1/3 of a second

This is a tropical screech owl. Actually, it’s two tropical screech owls, but the second guy is hiding behind the first. This was taken in the same swamp that I saw all the scarlet ibis that I posted the other day. Tropical screech owls are widespread throughout South America, including Trinidad and Tobago.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second

The bearded bellbird is one of the star attractions at the Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad. I was lucky enough to see about five one morning. The “beard” is actually flaps of featherless skin, or wattles, that hang from the throat of the males. They have a very harsh and loud call as they defend their territory and attempt to attract females.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1250, f/4 at 1/160th of a second

There are twenty seven species of ibis in the world. None, however, are as spectacular as the scarlet ibis. To see flocks of these brilliantly plumed red birds coming in to roost was quite a sight. They lit up the green mangrove islands of Trinidad’s Caroni Swamp like some sort of giant Christmas hedge. During the day, they feed along the northern shores of Venezuela, but come sunset, they return to Trinidad, providing a nightly spectacle of color.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1000, f/4 at 1/800th of a second

After several decades at sea, female leatherback turtles return to land where they lay their eggs. Unlike other sea turtles, they don’t necessarily return to the exact location where they were born but do, however, return to the same general area. During a single season, a mother will come ashore between four to seven times, with an average of ten days between nestings. She will lay more than 100 eggs per nest, including about 80 fertilized eggs, and another 30 unfertilized eggs. Due to the constant erosion of beaches and the possibility of nests being swept away, leatherbacks will increase the odds of their hatchlings’ survival by laying eggs in a slightly different spot each time they return. This is all done at night, but some turtles will still be on the beach very early in the morning, like the one above. She had laid her eggs in a deep hole and was in the process of covering them up when I took this shot. A slow shutter speed was used in the dim light to blur the sand that she was tossing behind her with her large flippers. I didn’t use flash because doing so is harmful to both the mothers and hatchlings who are guided by the brightest light on the horizon which lets them know their way back to the water. Note all the vultures in the background, waiting for the opportunity to steal an egg (or a hatchling).
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 1600, f/3.5 at 1/40th of a second

In addition to birds and turtles, I also photographed a few other species in Trinidad — including green iguanas. This guy was hanging out right outside the main veranda at the Asa Wright Nature Center. I walked to a spot where I could shoot through the foliage and was able to position the iguana so that it was framed by the out of focus leaves.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/640th of a second

Just got back late last night from Trinidad where I spent a few days photographing birds and the amazing leatherback turtles. Female leatherbacks return to the beaches to lay their eggs starting in mid March. The eggs hatch about 60 days later so I was hoping to catch a few of the first hatchlings of the season. It didn’t look good at first, then suddenly on Monday night, three large nests opened up and hundreds of little turtles started to emerge from the sand. When born, the hatchlings are only about 4 inches and weigh a couple of ounces, but will eventually grow to about 6.5 feet and weigh up to 1,400 pounds — making them the largest sea turtles in the world. Life is tough for the young hatchlings due to all the predators they have to avoid on their way to the ocean, and then, if successful, a whole new crop of them at sea. It is estimated that only 1 in a 1,000 hatchlings will survive to adulthood. If this little one makes it, he’ll either stay at sea for the next 80 or so years if male, or return to the beaches in 10 to 15 years to lay eggs if a female. Much more on these guys in upcoming posts.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second, 3 stop graduated neutral density filter