Galápagos penguins are the only penguins that live north of the equator. Not that they cross over into the northern hemisphere by much. The equator goes right through the middle of the archipelago, and it’s only a few of the northern islands that are above it. We didn’t see too many of these guys but we did get a few good looks at them on the rocky shoreline of Isabela Island. We also saw them while snorkeling, but only for an instant as they zipped past. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 400, f/9 at 1/1000th of a second (-0.33 ev)
While I was photographing some birds, I looked over and saw this lava lizard peeking at me from behind a rock. There are many different species of lava lizard on the Galápagos Islands, all however, are believed to have evolved from a single ancestral species. The different species are colored a bit differently depending upon the island that they inhabit — in other words, on islands with more black lava rock, the lizards are darker, whereas on light sandy islands, they are much lighter in color. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/1000th of a second (-0.33 ev)
I was going to post a shot from Australia or Madagascar or Costa Rica or some place else in the world besides Ecuador, but than I saw this photo and I said, yeah, I need to post that one tonight. This young sea lion was full of confidence as it confronted the front of my camera, protecting its mother in the background.
Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 lens (at 35mm) ISO 800, f/11 at 1/160th of a second
It was mating season for the Galápagos giant tortoises when we were there in November. The males had come down from high in the hills and were gathering at lower elevations in the fields of Santa Cruz Island. I found these four resting and cooling off in a small pond in the heat of mid day. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 32mm) ISO 400, f/7.1 at 1/800th, 1/3200th, 1/1600th, 1/400th and 1/200th of a second (HDR)
We spotted this magnificent frigatebird chick on the island of Genovesa in the Galápagos Islands. As you can see, it kind of looked like it was wearing a boa. We saw quite a few of these chicks, but none quite as fluffy as this. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second
About a year ago I posted a similar shot, but from the lion’s point of view. This one shows the concentration — and frustration — on the face of this black-backed jackal. The lion, in fact, seemed to be toying with the jackal and refusing to let it get any satisfaction. She had virtually stripped the carcass clean but still wouldn’t abandon it. The jackal finally gave up and left. Just as soon as it was out of sight, the lion got up and walked away herself. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm f/2.8 lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4.5 at 1/400th of a second
The Galápagos hawk is the apex predator on the Galápagos Islands — meaning it is at the top of the food chain and has no natural predators. Even so, it is an endangered species and there are only about 150 mating pairs left in existence. This has to do with human disturbance to their natural habitat, a dwindling food supply, and predation by humans. All that being said, we saw quite a few of them, including this guy that we ran into on the island of Rábida. We were on a hike and he seemed very intrigued by us, following us for quite some time, landing next to us and then turning his head from side to side while he looked from face to face. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 200-400mm f/4 lens (at 400mm), ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second (0.67 ev)
Here’s one from my Australia trip back in 2006 that has been in my Australia gallery but was never posted to the blog. This personable little creature is called a short-beaked echidna (and is also known as a spiny anteater). They are mammals of the order monotreme. Monotremes are the only mammals that lay eggs. Only five are known to exist — all in Australia and New Guinea — including the platypus and four different species of echidna. The short-beaked echidna lacks the ability to sweat and therefore tends to avoid moving around much during the day. I spotted this guy late one afternoon about an hour after the sun had set on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 lens (at 17mm), ISO 400, f/8 at 1/60th of a second (-0.33 ev), Nikon SB-800 flash
Leopards are one of the few big cats that have the ability to climb down trees head first. This young lady was heading back out on the prowl after feasting on an impala that she had dragged up into the tree earlier in the day. By keeping their kills on a high branch, leopards are able to avoid run ins with non-climbing scavengers like hyenas. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 lens (at 200mm), ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second
Hope everyone had a great holiday break. Still lots of Ecuador shots to go through, but I promise to start mixing in some photos from other parts of the world this week. In the meantime, here’s another of the Galapagos sea lions that were playing with us underwater. They would swim right up to our face masks, mouths wide open, and then dive beneath us before circling back around again. This lasted for about half an hour or so before our guide had to practically drag us out of the water. Nikon D800 camera with Nikkor 17mm lens (at 17mm) in an Ikelite housing with an 8 inch dome port, ISO 800, f/7 at 1/400th of a second (-0.67 ev)
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
