This is the tufted coquette, my new favorite bird. I figured I’d post two shots — one in flight and one perched because this tiny hummingbird seems to take on somewhat of a different appearance while doing different things. The tufted coquette is one of the smallest birds in the world at only two and a half inches. It is often mistaken for a large bee as it moves quickly from flower to flower. I took these two shots at the Asa Wright Nature Center in the northern mountains of Trinidad. Top Shot — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/11 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB900 flash units set manually to 1/16th power
Botton Shot — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th 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
I’m off to the Caribbean again tomorrow — this time to Trinidad and this time for wildlife, so last post for a few days. Specifically, I’ll be photographing the nesting of leatherback turtles. Just a long weekend so more on that early next week. In the meantime, here’s another king penguin abstract. For this shot, I extended my zoom in the middle of a slow shutter speed to create the effect. Perhaps you like it, perhaps you don’t, but I figured I’d give it a shot. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 190mm) ISO 31, f/16 at 1/10th of a second
Another in my series of bird-heads-comically-staring-straight-at-the-camera. This little ball of feathery greyness is a juvenile red footed booby, photographed on Genovese Island in the Galápagos Islands. As the bird ages, it will become more white in appearance. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/100th of a second
It seems that with squirrels and cows, no matter where I go in the world there’s a unique local variety. They’re just squirrels and they’re just cows but because they don’t look like our squirrels and cows, they can seem pretty exotic. This is the red fronted squirrel, native to Sumatra, Indonesia. Unlike most squirrels, they’re not very common. This was the only one I saw, deep in the forest of Tangkahan. Not the greatest shot, but the squirrel was there one second and gone the next. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
Sally lightfoot crabs can be quite spectacular when all that bright color is set against the black lava rock that makes up much of the Gálapagos Islands. This guy was trying to hide but not doing a very good job of it. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second
The following is a photo essay that I wrote a few years back celebrating the diverse, yet universal nature of motherhood. Click on the photo to open the article in a new browser window (might take a few seconds) or right click to download as a pdf. And all those mothers out there, especially my own, have a great day on Sunday.
This is one of the more rare creatures that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in the wild. It’s official name is the small Sulawesi cuscus (also known as the Sulawesi dwarf cuscus, or simply small cuscus). It’s a marsupial that lives on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia. Its survival is threatened by hunting and loss of habitat due to agriculture and logging. This is the only one that I saw in my four day trip to the island. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second
Anyone who has been on an African safari knows that warthogs can be vastly underrated and under appreciated. Sure, they aren’t the prettiest on the savanna, but they make up for it in personality. This one appeared to be directing traffic as a herd (or dazzle) of zebras passed by. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second
This little guy is a Magellanic snipe. In total there are about 25 different species of snipe in the world. The Magellanic can be found throughout South America, a couple of Caribbean islands, and also in the Falklands where I photographed this one. With each species, it’s all about the beak. They use it to probe beneath the soil — sewing machine style — in search of insects. Apparently the beak is much more complex than it appears and has sensory filaments that can distinguish larvae and other food sources beneath the soil even if they are out of sight. Snipes are also well camouflaged and blend in with the ground, which is where they spend the majority of their time. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second
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This is the tufted coquette, my new favorite bird. I figured I’d post two shots — one in flight and one perched because this tiny hummingbird seems to take on somewhat of a different appearance while doing different things. The tufted coquette is one of the smallest birds in the world at only two and a half inches. It is often mistaken for a large bee as it moves quickly from flower to flower. I took these two shots at the Asa Wright Nature Center in the northern mountains of Trinidad.
