Dall sheep are native to the rugged peaks of Alaska and northwestern Canada, easily recognized by their bright white coats and impressive curled horns (although not this adolescent). Built for steep terrain, they can scale rocky cliffs with incredible agility, using specialized hooves that grip narrow ledges with ease. I spotted this one along the Seward Highway outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.
Guanacos are wild relatives of the llama and are perfectly adapted to the harsh winds and open steppe of Patagonia. They rely on sharp eyesight and speed to survive in one of South America’s most dramatic environments. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
In Ecuador’s cloud forests, rain frogs come out after dark and exist in a world of mist, moss, and dripping leaves. Many species are tiny, well camouflaged, and found nowhere else on Earth, making these high-elevation forests one of the planet’s richest hotspots for frog diversity. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 200, f/14 at 1/60th of a second.
As spring returns, so too does the bright yellow and black of the American goldfinch. Males transition from their subdued winter plumage into their breeding colors. We’ve seen quite a few in our yard already, which is always a welcome sight. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 560, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mom’s out there. Hope you all had a great day. Here are a few of my favorite mom’s from my travels around the globe.
Lions, Kenya
Galápagos Sea Lions
Mountain Gorillas, Uganda
Mountain Goats, Colorado
King Penguins, Falkland Islands
Reticulated Giraffes, Kenya
Pumas, Chile
Bison, Wyoming
Capybaras, Brazil
Topi, Kenya
Cheetahs, Kenya
Bighorn, South Dakota
As cheetah cubs grow older, their lives become a constant mix of play and preparation. Chasing, wrestling, and stalking one another helps develop the speed, coordination, and hunting instincts they’ll need to survive on their own one day. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 2000, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.
The white-whiskered puffbird is a chunky, sit-and-wait hunter found in the lowland forests of Central and South America. Its shaggy plumage and long white facial bristles give it a perpetually disheveled look, perfectly suited to life in the shaded understory. Rather than actively searching for prey, it often perches motionless for long periods before darting out to snatch insects from the air or forest floor. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 4500, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second.
The dusky langur, also known as the spectacled leaf monkey, is a primate found in the forests of Southeast Asia. It gets its “spectacled” nickname from the pale rings around its eyes, giving it a perpetually wide-eyed expression. Infants are born bright orange, a color that gradually fades to the adult’s gray coat over the first few months of life. These langurs are primarily leaf-eaters, using specialized stomachs to digest tough foliage high in the canopy. This one was photographed in Khlong Saeng Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
Red-eyed tree frogs in the Piedras Blancas region of Costa Rica often show subtle differences from their Caribbean-side counterparts, including deeper body coloration and variations in the blue-and-yellow flank striping. These regional differences reflect geographic isolation and local habitat conditions across Costa Rica’s distinct ecosystems. Even within a single species, populations can vary in appearance depending on where they live. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 1000, f/8 at 1/160th of a second, Godox V860III flash.
The bright red plumage of a scarlet ibis comes from the carotenoid-rich crustaceans it feeds on in coastal wetlands. I used a slow shutter/panning technique for this image as the ibis came in to roost at the end of the day on the outskirts of Georgetown, the capital of Guyana. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 900, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second.