We tracked this puma for about half a mile as she slowly made her way back to a kill that she had hidden in the grass earlier in the day, or perhaps the night before. She got a bit ahead of me, but I was still able to get a few of Torres Del Paine’s majestic peaks in the background.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 120mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
It’s not entirely rare to see a hippo out of water, but not exactly common either. They do spend the majority of their waking hours in rivers, lakes and ponds, seeking relief from the heat and much needed protection for their sensitive skin. But they will sometimes seek dry land at night to sleep, and they can occasionally be spotted eating grass in the early morning hours before the sun rises. The one thing that is for sure is that they are not to be messed with. This big guy we encountered one morning in the Masai Mara of Kenya was eyeing us cautiously as I snapped a few pictures. We quickly moved on, making sure that he didn’t feel threatened and that he had a clear path back to the water.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second
Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida is one of the top birding spots in the country. You’re never quite sure what might show up. On this particular evening, it was white pelicans. They were picturesquely resting on a sandbar as the sun set. I took a lot of close ups, but liked this image at a bit of a wider focal length, allowing the birds to be just part of the composition.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
This image is from a series of bobcat photos I took a few years back in Irvine, California. I was able to get down on the ground, enabling me to blur out the background and isolate the bobcat against the colorful, early morning foliage.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/640th of a second
My wife likes the deer. It’s her birthday today so… she gets a deer. Better yet, a baby deer. I was photographing a moose in Baxter State Park in Maine when I looked to my right and saw this little white-tailed fawn curled up in the bushes. I’m sure the mother must have been nearby but wary of my presence, so I took a few quick pictures and moved on in the other direction.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 30mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/320th of a second
I photographed a few of these guys in the Falklands and then saw them again on this most recent trip to Patagonia. This one was spotted just north of Punta Arenas, Chile on our way to Torres Del Paine. A bit of a rear view here, but the entire breast is that red color that you see on the face.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second
This cheetah was taking a quick break from feverishly feasting upon an impala. Cheetahs will often try and eat as quickly as possible before larger and stronger rival carnivores, such as hyenas or lions, run them off. They are rare among cats in that adult males are social and will travel in groups of up to five, while adult females without cubs, are mostly solitary. On this particular kill in Ol Pajeta Conservancy in the Laikipia region of Kenya, there were two adults, indicating that they were most likely males.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second
This pair of gray foxes were taking a morning rest in Torres Del Paine. We would see them again later that morning, attempting to grab all they could of a puma’s kill before the rightful owner returned to claim her property.
Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/2000th 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
These two gentoo penguins were just finishing up a day at sea, returning to their colony as the twilight sky saturated the surface of the water at Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second