I generally don’t like to post photos like this but it’s important to understand the consequences when it comes to human interactions with wildlife. Feeding wild animals is never a good idea. This brown pelican, and many other shorebirds, are often the victims of what some think is an act of kindness — tossing them dead baitfish and fish carcasses. Pelicans that are fed associate people with an easy meal and often mistake a lure for another handout. Undoubtedly, that’s what happened to this brown pelican in the heavily populated seaside town of La Jolla, California. Fortunately, this story had a happy ending, as local authorities were able to safely remove the hook. Many other birds aren’t as lucky. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/1250th of a second.

Not quite a rat, not quite a beaver. I photographed this muskrat years ago in Cape May, New Jersey. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm lens) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/200th of a second.

My wife and I have seen a bobcat in the backyard a few times over the last two years — always a quick glimpse before disappearing into the woods. My surveillance cams have spotted a bobcat too, but one has yet to trigger one of my camera traps. Until this past Friday. Ironically, this was the trap set up to capture raccoons, opossums and other smaller mammals as they travel across their favorite fallen tree. If I was going to get the bobcat, I figured it would be in the other camera trap, set up along a bottleneck trail in the woods. This was a happy accident in more ways than one. The batteries in the flash units died and did not fire. They would have filled in the shadows in the image, which would have ruined the best part — the bobcat sticking its head into the shaft of light. That’s camera trapping for you. Sometimes the accidents end up being the best shots. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm f/1.8 lens, ISO 500, f/11 at 1/160th of a second, Camtraptions housing and triggers.

It’s that time of the year when the chipmunks are scurrying around, collecting and storing as much food as they can for the winter. This little guy is carrying something in those cheeks as he runs across a fallen ash tree. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of as second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and flashes.

Common snapping turtles get a bad rap. Contrary to popular belief, there are no documented cases of one ever biting someone’s fingers off. In reality, they are quite docile creatures. The alligator snapping turtle on the other hand, those are the ones you need to watch out for. This friendly snapper was photographed years ago in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/500th of a second.

The black bear activity in our yard this year has definitely been a lot less exciting than it was last year. Hopefully things will pick up now that the bears will be gearing up for winter. This shot is from last October. I loved the lighting and posted a similar shot of the same bear a while back. I used three flash units, but the key flash is mounted on a tree directly behind that visible tree to the left of the bear. It provided the strong top and backlighting. Two low-powered flashes in front of the bear added just a little extra dimension to the image. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

Black-capped chickadees are pretty common birds in our yard, but they don’t often fly in front of my camera trap. I caught (or should I say my remote triggers caught) this one at just the right time. The lowered power settings of my flash units were able to freeze the action against the dark backdrop of the forest. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 500, f/14 at 1/160th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flashes.

Two mountain goat kids hang out in their high-altitude terrain. It’s always nice to visit Mount Evans, about an hour and a half from Denver. Even if the mountain goats and the bighorn don’t show up, the views are always spectacular. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 200, f/6.3 at 1/1250th of a second.

The red eft is the juvenile phase of the eastern newt (also sometimes called the eastern red-spotted newt). While in the red eft phase, they turn a bright orangish red and spend their time on land. I photographed this one in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in New Jersey. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 200mm with Canon 500D close up filter attached) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/20th of a second.

Just a simple shot of a pronghorn being a pronghorn while grazing in his environment in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 98mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/320th of a second.