Hunting alongside the great blue heron that I posted yesterday was this black-crowned night heron. This is a juvenile who hasn’t yet developed the black crown. The brackish water in a shaded part of the swamp was creating a very reflective surface. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 3200, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second, Godox V860iii fill flash.

Here’s another one from last weekend in southwest Florida. Great blue herons were competing with night herons, green herons, little blue herons, anhingas, ibises and egrets for the best fishing spots. As the largest of the aforementioned birds, this great blue had no problem getting his fill of catfish. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/100th of a second, Godox V860iii fill flash.

I took a drive up to Cape Coral, Florida on Sunday to visit a few of the city’s most famous feathered residents — Florida burrowing owls. These guys are a subspecies of burrowing owl that also live in the Bahamas. Cape Coral happens to be a place that a large number of them call home and they can be spotted throughout the heavily-populated suburban neighborhoods of the city. Burrowing owls are very small and they are diurnal rather than nocturnal. As the name suggests, they live in the ground, which is also somewhat unusual for owls. This guy was on guard duty just outside a burrow that was dug in the side yard of a church. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/640th of a second, Godox V860iii fill flash.

I’m off to Florida tomorrow for a quick visit with my mother (and perhaps some new wildlife encounters) so this will be the last post until next week. A simple portrait of a bull moose on a misty morning in Chugach State Park in Alaska. The rut was in full swing when I came across a few large males searching for a mate — a potentially dangerous situation so I had to be constantly aware of my surroundings. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.

I’ll be heading down to Florida next Wednesday to visit my mother. Last time I was there, I took a drive out to the Corkscrew Swamp near her place in Bonita Springs and came across this black-capped night heron feasting on a catfish. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/125th of a second.

Two river otters surface in an opening in the ice. The otters will keep several holes open for easy access to fish. Photographed in southern Indiana. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/320th of a second.

Nothing like springtime in the Badlands. This image of a mother bison and her calf was taken on a sunny morning in mid June a few years back. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 78mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/8000th of a second.

I know we haven’t yet hit the mid point of March, but looking forward to the springtime return of black bears. This one visited my trap back in September of 2020. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 500, f/8 at 1/125th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

Here’s another one from the Ripley Waterfowl Conservancy in Litchfield, Connecticut. They have two red-crowned cranes there, also known as Japanese cranes or Manchurian cranes. As the name would suggest, they live mainly in parts of Japan and China, as well as Russia, Mongolia, Taiwan and Korea. They are one of the rarest cranes in the world and are known as symbols of luck, longevity and fidelity. The red on their crown is actually a patch of bare, wattled skin, which you can see in this image. This is another species that I have not photographed in the wild, but would love to get back to Japan for winter wildlife. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/400th of a second.