(Some of you may have already gotten this post, and if so I apologize. Having issues with my website sending notifications, so trying again.) Pumas are well camouflaged in their Patagonian habitat. Of course, we had been tracking this cat for quite some time before she bedded down for a nap so we were well aware of her presence. Guanacos in the area aren’t likely to be so fortunate. Photographed in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/200th of a second.
This Patagonian fox was feasting on a guanaco carcass during a soft rain. After getting her fill, she gave a good shake of the fur and continued on her way. Photographed in Torres Del Paine National Park in Patagonian Chile. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
Guanacos are very common in Chile’s Torres Del Paine National Park. So are mountains. Together they make a great combo. This herd was enjoying a late day snack, but always aware that a puma might be lurking nearby. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second.
The grasslands of Patagonia can be a dangerous place, especially for a guanaco. Being able to spot a puma amongst the constantly flowing grasslands can be a difficult task. This particular female was on her way back to a kill that she had previously stashed in the bushes. She wasn’t hunting, but still blended almost seamlessly with the landscape. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.
This Patagonian gray fox was feasting on a scavenged guanaco carcass (good band name — Guanaco Carcass) and was taking a quick break to lick his chops. He was pretty much ignoring me as I laid in grass snapping away. Photographed in Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 290mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
This puma was a mother of three cubs. In this photo, she was taking a quick look back to make sure the cubs were following her as she set out from her daytime resting spot to hunt for dinner. I was on a ridge up above, watching and photographing the action. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.
This was the closest I got to a puma on my trip to Patagonia back in May — a rather simple shot, but uncropped at 330mm. She was on her way back to a kill that she had hidden in the grass earlier in the day and wasn’t paying any attention to me and a few other photographers happily clicking away. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.
A pair of crested ducks take a moment to relax and preen themselves after a good swim. This was in the town harbor of Puerto Natales where we stopped for lunch on our way to Torres Del Paine in Chile. Of course, I didn’t really sit for lunch as there were many ducks and geese and other birds around which took precedent. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 100, f/4 at 1/640th of a second.
A rare shot with no animal present, but make no mistake, there were pumas hidden in the grass down by that lake. We got to this location at first light to search for a mother and her three cubs that had been spotted in the area the day before. It started to rain, and our tracker wasn’t quite sure of the pumas’ exact location so we had to stay put in our van until he came up with a plan of action. I couldn’t let all that great light go to waste, so I got out and took a bunch of landscape shots. In front of me was Lake Sarmiento and the typical scrub brush of Torres Del Paine called mata negra (black bush) and behind was a spectacular rainbow, pictured below. Top shot: Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at 1/3rd of a second. Bottom shot: Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at .5 seconds
2018 saw a lot of everyday life circumstances getting in the way of my photography. Hopefully things will get back on track in 2019 and I can return to where I enjoy being most — in the wild. That said, the year did start strong. Karen and I took a “non-wildlife” trip to Belize, which ended up yielding a surprising amount of incidental wildlife, especially of the under water variety. Shortly after that, I travelled to the southern tip of South America for a week of puma tracking. Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile clearly ranks toward the top of the most spectacular wild places that I have ever visited. Unfortunately, the remainder of the year consisted of the birds in my backyard and a single trip with my father to view seals off the coast of Cape Cod. I was busy with photos from other locations around the world, however, as I had quite a backlog of processing to do on all the images I’ve captured over the past 15 years. Lots of home time enabled me to tackle this ongoing challenge. That said, the following ten photos are the highlights captured this year.
10. One of the aforementioned grey seals photographed off the coast of Cape Cod in June.
9. A black howler monkey spotted while visiting the Mayan ruins at Caracol in Belize.
8. I used a slow shutter to capture this blurred image of a guanaco running up a hill in Torres Del Paine, Chile.
7. A southern stingray photographed at Shark Ray Alley in Belize.
6. Patagonian Hog-Nosed Skunk photographed on my final night in Torres Del Paine.
5. Puma in her habitat, Torres Del Paine, Chile.
4. Guanaco at sunset, Torres Del Paine.
3. Puma in shaft of light, Torres Del Paine.
2. Nurse Shark, Shark Ray Alley, Belize.
1. Puma in black bushes. Just a simple portrait of a young female, but this was the first puma I was able to photograph in Chile and the best moment for me this year — when she popped up at close range, with just enough light left in the day to capture the image.
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