For three nights at Grande Riviere Beach in Trinidad I waited for a leatherback turtle nest to hatch. On the third night one finally did. And then another. And another. It’s quite an incredible sight to see. A deserted beach (save for the ever patient vultures), and then suddenly a hundred or more little turtles emerge from the same spot under the sand, desperate to find their way to the ocean. An interesting fact about these hatchlings — each nest, whether 50 hatchlings or 100 will all be the same sex, depending on the temperature of the sand when they were incubating. So in other words, there can be two nests fifty feet apart and one will be all female while the other will be all male. Nature at its peculiar finest. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 28mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/320th of a second.

Hummingbirds get some of the best names in nature. Like this here black-throated mango. This was one of the many hummingbirds that I was able to photograph at the Asa Wright Nature Center in the mountainous central region of Trinidad. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 240mm) ISO 500, f/10 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units.

A female leatherback turtle after having just spent the past few hours laying eggs. She will rest for a few minutes, worn out by the effort, before returning to the sea. What she leaves behind is a hundred or so eggs — only a small fraction of which will survive the gauntlet of dangers that lay ahead and eventually make it to adulthood.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/5 at 1/160th of a second

The white-necked jacobin is just one of the many hummingbirds I was able to photograph on the Caribbean island of Trinidad. This species ranges from Mexico on down to Brazil and prefers to stay at canopy level, rarely coming down lower unless feeders are put out. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to climb a tree to get photographs — the grounds at the Asa Wright Nature Center are fully stocked with feeders in and around the main lodge. Asa Wright is a beautiful place situated up in the forested highlands of the island and is considered one of the world’s top spots for birders.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 280mm) ISO 500, f/11 at 1/250th of a second, two Nikon SB-900 flash units

I’ve posted this photo before, but I was just notified that it took second place in the National Wildlife Federation’s annual photo contest in the Baby Animals category, so I figured I’d repost. The NWF contest is one of the more prestigious wildlife photo competitions that I enter so honored that I was among the winners this year. Check out the other great images at this link.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second

Karen and I will be traveling early tomorrow morning to Saint Barts to help celebrate a friend’s 50th. This will be the last post until mid next week. I’ll be bringing my camera, but this trip is more about visiting with friends and beach time. That said, I’m hoping to be as lucky as I was last time I was in the Caribbean and witnessed the mass hatching of three large leatherback turtle nests (probably about 300 hatchlings in all). This little guy was aggressively going for it, making the mad dash to the sea. The sand was uneven and bumpy thanks to all the other mother turtles that were still laying there eggs earlier that morning, making it that much more of a challenge. Luckily, the vultures that seemed to be everywhere weren’t about to approach as I escorted the youngster on his way to freedom — clicking the whole time, of course.
Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 800, f/5 at 1/250th of a second

This green iguana seemed to be peaking curiously at me through the opening in the vegetation. He put on quite a show, just outside the main veranda of the Asa Wright Nature Center in Trinidad.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/500th of a second

About two years ago, I decided to add a fisheye lens to my camera bag. I wasn’t sure how much use it would get but it was light and easy to carry and I figured I’d pull it out every now and again to get a different perspective. For this shot of a leatherback hatchling racing for survival, the lens exaggerated the curvature of the horizon creating a sense of the great big world (or perhaps small world) that the turtle was heading into.
Nikon D80 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/400th of a second

I’ve posted a few shots of leatherback hatchlings making their mad dash to the sea. Those previous posts have been from a ground level perspective. This one was from a bit higher, allowing me to capture that first taste of freedom. With vultures and other predators on the beach (and more obstacles in the water) survival is a numbers game for all sea turtles. Here’s hoping this little guy will survive the gauntlet and make it another 50 years or so.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 1600, f/2.8 at 1/200th of a second

A couple of shots from the Caroni Swamp in Trinidad to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. Doesn’t get much more red and green than this. I visited Trinidad earlier this year and spent an afternoon watching these amazingly bright red ibis return from their day of feeding along the northern coast of Venezuela to their nighttime roosting spot in Trinidad. Still haven’t figured out WordPress issue with my photos, so please click image for full size, sharper view. Thanks. Happy Holidays.
Top Shot: Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1000, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Bottom Shot: Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 105) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second