One species we definitely won’t be seeing next week in Kenya is the meerkat. Their range is in the southern part of Africa. I took this photo on my first trip to Botswana back in 2011. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 25mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/640th of a second.
There are seventeen recognized species of genet. This is the extravagantly named common genet. I’ve only seen these guys a few times while in Africa. They are nocturnal and crepuscular (which if you’re a close follower of this blog, you know means active at dawn and dusk). This one came creeping around at dinner time, attracted no doubt by the smell of food at the camp we were staying at in Botswana. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 270mm) ISO 640, f/4 at 1/60th of a second, Nikon SB-900 flash units.
Nothing says Galápagos Islands quite like the blue-footed booby. Well, maybe the Darwin Finch. Or the giant tortoise. Or the Galápagos sea lion. They all make the Galápagos such a great place to visit. Incidentally, those blue feet have a purpose. They are a sexually selected trait. The males strut in front of the females lifting their feet up and down in an elaborate ritual. The best, bluest feet win the prize and pass that sexy blueness on to their offspring. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/2000th of a second.
Here’s another shot of the giant anteater we found walking beneath the rising sun. This species is solitary, and the only times you see two together is when a mother has a pup, when mating, or when males challenge each other over territory. They can grow to 7 and a half feet in length and weigh up to 110 pounds — quite a sight lumbering across the savanna. They also live in rainforests and are adaptable to multiple habitats. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 140, f/2.8 at 1/250th of a second.
Yesterday a polar bear, today a coastal brown bear. This one was taken a few years back at Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. The bears were heading to the shoreline at low tide in hopes of catching a few silver salmon spawning from a nearby river. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 310mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.
When polar bears are waiting for the ice to freeze over so they can go out and hunt, they get bored. And when they get bored, they fight, play, dance, whatever it takes to pass the time until it’s time to eat. Photographed at Seal River in upper Manitoba, Canada. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.
One of our neighborhood bobcats was back again last night. Unfortunately, rain droplets were collecting on the glass window of my camera trap housing, but at least the eyes were in the clear. Back in mid February this same bobcat showed up in the trap, but the trigger was a split second too late and his/her face was right on the edge of the frame. It’s always something with camera trapping and certainly a lot of luck is involved. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flash units).
Here’s another look at the Guianan cock-of-the-rock. I was there during breeding season in late January/early February and the males were all showing their finest plumage. Unfortunately, it started raining pretty hard before the female had the opportunity to choose her mate (of the four or so vying for her attention). As you can see, this guy had a particularly nice pair of bloomers on. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 5000, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.
Dik diks are always a favorite on our safaris — one of the smallest antelope species in Africa. Hard to believe they’re not the smallest (that accolade goes to the royal antelope which lives in Western Africa) because they literally look like jackrabbits running across the savanna. Like usual, hard to get a sense of scale from this image, but dik diks only reach 12 to 16 inches in height. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/1000th of a second.
The tropical kingbird is another of the species I photographed recently in Guyana. These are very common birds, ranging from the southern United States on down through most of South America. But what I like in this shot is the choice of perch. Lotus pods are what remains after the flowers have bloomed and the petals have fallen off. Each of those holes contains a seed. From what I understand, the seeds can remain viable for hundreds of years — in fact, seeds have been known to germinate 1300 years after formation. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm lens, ISO 1600, f/5.6 at 1/2000th of a second.