This will be the only post this week as Karen and I will be off to my niece’s wedding for a few days. Always nice when the animals move to the ridge line, especially with dramatic sunrise clouds. Topi are a common antelope on the plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 90mm) ISO 110, f/2.8 at 1/500th of a second.
It’s been a while since I posted an orangutan. So… here’s an orangutan. This little guy was having good time swinging from that vine and performing for the camera. Photographed back in 2009 in Indonesian Borneo. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/160th of a second.
We see two types of gazelle on our Africa trips — the Thomson’s and the Grant’s. The Grant’s are much larger and have a few more physical characteristics that distinguish them, such as a white patch on their rump that extends above the tail (just in case you were wondering). This Grant’s was photographed in the early morning in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy of Laikipia, Kenya. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 250, f/2.8 at 1/1600th of a second.
This was the beginning of a beautiful morning in Laikipia, Kenya in the Ol Pajeta Conservancy. There’s only a single elephant in the photo, but moments later we were surrounded by the rest of the rather large herd. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 180, f/2.8 at 1/125th of a second.
There are many species of anole lizard. I think this is the many scaled anole. I was deep in the rainforest of Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica when this guy popped his head into a shaft of light that made its way through the thick foliage. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
Some good action up at the camera trap this week, including a young black bear, a bobcat and a short tailed weasel. Unfortunately, those were all near misses (the weasel keeps passing through in the wrong direction and showing me his backside). But this raccoon hit the sweet spot of the frame for a nice portrait the other night. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Camtraptions housing and triggers, plus two Nikon SB-900 flash units.
This one is from my Guyana trip back in February. Quite a spectacle to see flocks of scarlet ibis heading home to roost at the end of the day in the Georgetown harbor. I used a slow shutter and panned with the ibis to blur out the background. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1100, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.
Bustards are large birds that spend most of their time on the savanna grasslands. I’ve previously posted the kori bustard, which is the largest. This is the black-bellied bustard, photographed in the Masai Mara of Kenya. He was performing a mating call, as well as a bit of a dance to go along with it. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.
A single take of a dwarf mongoose doing as they do. Filmed in Samburu National Reserve in April. Nikon Z8, 4K at 120fps.
This lioness had just finished feasting on a Cape buffalo carcass. Moments later she plopped down in the tall grasses of the savanna for a nap. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.