I spent about forty minutes or so with a group — or band as they are called — of coatis consisting of about twenty to thirty members. They were all around me in the Costa Rican rain forest eating, resting, playing, and in this guy’s case, scratching his stomach.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/3.2 at 1/200th of a second
The Canada goose in the middle seems to be trying to protect the rest of the geese from the sun. This was taken several years back when I was searching for river otters in Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in Southern Indiana — one of my favorite locations in the National Wildlife Refuge system.
Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second
It was twilight, and this leopard was just waking up from a nap. We watched her for quite some time as she climbed down the tree, stalked through the grass, and jumped up on a termite mound to get a better view of any unsuspecting prey. By then it was quite dark so we left her to her hunt and headed back to camp.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/200th of a second
This one goes out to all the mothers. I know it’s a day late, but seeing as I don’t post on Sundays I had to save my mother/baby tribute for today. This was taken at a little spot along the central California coast that I try to visit every few years or so. It’s a deserted stretch of beach that I stumbled upon one day that turns into an elephant seal nursery every January. There were a few stray males in the area, but mostly mothers and their single pup. It seemed every seal on the beach had one. In this photo, behind the main subject, you can see another mother and baby out of focus in the background.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second
Roseate spoonbills are at the top of many birders must-see list. Especially when taking a trip to Florida, where I photographed this one. I’ve posted a few shots of these guys before, but this particular photo really gives a good look at that peculiar bill. While feeding, they swing their head back and forth through shallow water, using the spoon-shaped bill to easily sift through the mud in search of food.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/320th of a second
Baird’s tapirs are an endangered species, mainly due to habitat loss and pressure from hunting. Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica — where there has never been any hunting or human habitation — is one of the best places to photograph them in the wild. In four days in the park, I saw five different tapirs, including this large male crossing a river. I had my 200-400mm lens but decdied to go a bit wider, at 80mm, to frame the tapir with all the rain forest vegetation.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 80mm) ISO 3200, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second
Here are my favorite reptiles again — the Galápagos Islands marine iguanas. These two were lounging on the lava rock on La Fe Island, posing as a single two headed beast.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/8 at 1/400th of a second
I took this one at the end of the day in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida. Ding Darling is world famous for its birds. I’ve been there many times and it never seems to disappoint, although I’m never quite sure what I’m going to see. On this particular evening, it was white pelicans. They were settling in for the night on a small sandbar in the middle of the bay. I got the camera down low in order to silhouette the pelicans against the sky’s red/orange reflection in the water.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/125th of a second
The gaur — also known as the Indian bison — is the largest living bovine species on the planet. This guy is a fairly young male. Those horns will become much more formidable as he ages. I took this photograph in Kanha National Park in central India and thought it would be appropriate today for all those Tauruses (or is it Taurii) out there.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/100th of a second
The double crested cormorant is a rather ordinary looking sea bird. With the exception, of course, of that extraordinary emerald eye. This particular cormorant was very tame, allowing me to fill the frame with a nice head shot. I was hiking along the popular — and justifiably famous to birders — Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park just south of Miami.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/640th of a second