It was fun to see this meerkat sitting in a bush, surveying the landscape for any would-be predators. They like to get as high as possible for the best view.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/1250th of a second
Another of Tangkoko National Park’s famous residents is the black-crested macaque. This guy was taking a break after a long day of foraging in the forest. I liked the depth in this one with that other macaque in the background doing pretty much the same thing. Amazing the human-like characteristics of these guys. Hanging with them for a few hours was definitely a highlight of my wildlife viewing career thus far.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 26mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second
These are the eyes of a spectral tarsier. She is sideways, looking out from the cavity of a tree, getting ready for a night of cricket hunting. That light blotch below the eyes is the tarsier’s left ear. Tarsiers are among the smallest primates in the world, and they have one of the biggest eye to body ratios. I had the pleasure of photographing about five or six of these nocturnal creatures in Tangkoko National Park in Sulawesi, Indonesia.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/25th of a second, Nikon SB-800 flash
Always nice to get a few very different creatures in one shot. This prairie dog has to be careful out there with all those bison. Both share the land in Badlands National Park in South Dakota. I used a very small aperture to bring the bison as much into focus as I could.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/20 at 1/40th of a second
Just a simple shot of a zebra making its way across the Makgadikgadi Pan of Botswana. I used a slow shutter speed and panned with the zebra to give the photo a bit of life.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/32 at 1/20th of a second
Sometimes they let you get close. And when they do, why not take advantage. This was a very friendly Bornean white-bearded gibbon that I met in Indonesia. He hung around the welcome center of Tanjung Puting National Park and was obviously very accustomed to people.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/80th of a second
I wish I had a bit more room at the top of this shot, but tough to catch these guys when they suddenly pop out of the water and ride a wave into the shore. It’s like playing wack a mole with the camera. It was, however, one of my favorite penguin behaviors to shoot when on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands. Other penguins also swim in a similar fashion, but it’s the gentoos who really shoot out of the water with such flair.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second
I’ve posted a few shots of these bearded piglets before. Here’s another view. I had been shooting them with a longer lens and intrigued by the sound of the shutter, they came closer to investigate. This gave me an opportunity to pull out my wide angle. We were in Tanjung Puting National Park in Borneo.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/640th of a second
I photographed this very small primate in Piaui State, Brazil. They were about the size of squirrels. A troop of five or six of them all of a sudden appeared while I was photographing birds. I snapped off a series of shots before they vanished again into the forest.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second
The secretary bird is a fairly common sight in sub-Sahara Africa. I photographed this one in the Masai Mara of Kenya. They are mostly spotted on the ground but also in trees. The secretary bird is quite tall, reaching more than four feet. It has been described as having an eagle like body and head, atop crane like legs. As for the name, I will quote from Wikipedia — “Its common name is popularly thought to derive from the crest of long quill-like feathers, lending the bird the appearance of a secretary with quill pens tucked behind their ear, as was once common practice. A more recent hypothesis is that ‘secretary’ is borrowed from a French corruption of the Arabic saqr-et-tair or ‘hunter-bird.’ The generic name Sagittarius is Latin for “archer,” perhaps likening the secretary bird’s “quills” to a quiver of arrows, and the specific epithet serpentarius recalls the bird’s skill as a hunter of reptiles.”
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/1600th of a second