Favorites of 2020

Thank goodness this f'in year is over!!!

I am sure that I am not the only one out there saying that since it has been a trying year for just about everyone.  

The best thing to happen to us all year (maybe the only good thing) was the fact that we were able to take a trip to Australia in February and March before everything was shut down.  Our timing on the trip was perfect since we didn't have to cut it short and there were less tourists around.  Plus, we got out of Australia a couple days before they locked it down.

Sadly, I barely even picked up a camera the rest of the year.  So, all my favorite photos from 2020 are from that trip down under.  

We started our trip in Victoria where we explored the fantastic Dandenong Ranges.  The lush forests here were fantastic with all the tall trees and singing birds.  It was our introduction to Australia and the experience was great:

It was also in the Dandenongs where we saw our first macropod.  We were just walking along enjoying all the sounds of the forests when we rounded a bend and saw two black wallabies munching on some grass.  They didn't seem very bothered by us so I was able to get a few pictures including this favorite:

No trip to Victoria would be complete without driving along the Great Ocean Road.  While we didn't have the best weather for this drive, the scenery was still pretty spectacular especially at the 12 Apostles:

Of course, the main reason for our long weekend stopover in Victoria was the chance to see koala in the wild.  We weren't disappointed since our total tally was an amazing 37 koalas seen.  It's not often such an iconic animal lives up to its fame but we were totally enamored by the koala.  My favorite koala photo was taken far up Grey River Rd at Kennett River and just happened to be the last koala we saw on the trip:

  

After Victoria, our next stop was Bruny Island in Tasmania where we hoped to find more great Australian wildlife.  A lot of Australian wildlife is best seen at night.  So, we spent hours every night of the trip hiking, driving, and spotlighting looking for anything that moved.  This picture was taken on Bruny Island during our very first night drive.  

While most of the 30+ quolls we saw on this night drive were very skittish, this one eastern quoll got close enough to us for a decent picture.  It was great to see this dark morph quoll so close:

For the most part, we had great weather the whole trip.  However, there was one day on Bruny Island where it rained most of the day.  Luckily, that didn't keep all the wildlife hidden since I spotted this new holland honey-eater patrolling the garden of our cottage seemingly not bothered by the rain:

One of the target animals for the trip was the short-beaked echidna.  We actually saw our first one not long after getting off the plane in Tasmania but our favorite encounter was near Mount Field National Park where we were able to spend lots of quality time with this lovely echidna:

Another target animal for us was the wombat.  THE place to see them is at Cradle Mountain and once again we were not disappointed.  We saw more wombats and their square poo then we could count including mothers with juveniles.  But, our favorite photo was of this full grown one just sauntering along:

Of course, no trip to Australia would be complete without seeing an actual kangaroo.  In Tasmania, that means going to Narawntapu National Park where they are everywhere.  We found it interesting that these roos always saw us before we saw them no matter how far away they were.  On one particular hike, everywhere we looked up popped another kangaroo or wallaby to check us out including this alert eastern grey kangaroo:

Despite all the iconic wildlife we saw on this trip including koalas, wallabies, kangaroos, echidnas, wombats, platypus, quolls, etc, one of our favorite animals was the ubiquitous brush-tailed possum known locally as a "brushy".  We saw lots of them every night no matter where we were in Tasmania.  We saw dark ones, light ones, and even an albino one. Not only are these pretty darn good looking possums, but many of them seemed to have an "I don't give a crap" attitude and went about their business despite us watching them.  It was really an endearing quality so I have to include a picture of one of these guys as the last favorite of the year:

Here's hoping that 2021 brings a better year for all!

2019 Favorite Photos

For us, 2019 was all about Africa.  After years of putting off a trip to this great continent because "it's too expensive" or "it's too far" we decided to stop making excuses and just book it.  We are glad we did.

In February, we took a trip to Kenya that was outstanding.  Seeing elephants, giraffes, lions, and more on TV doesn't even come close to the feeling of seeing them in the wild.  We were really impressed with everything about Kenya and this trip has to be one of the best we have ever taken.

In October, we returned to Africa.  This time to the island of Madagascar which had been top of our trip list for a long time.  This trip yielded mixed feelings of both wonder and disappointment.  We are glad we went but we have no plans to return.

Because these two trips took so much of our time, we really didn't go anywhere else.  Consequently, all our favorite photos for the year are from Africa and are in pretty much in chronological order.

The cat I wanted to see the most in Africa was the cheetah.  We were lucky enough to see quite a few but I would have welcomed more time with these great cats.  This one was resting in the shade and I love that you can see the silhouette of our vehicle in its eyes:



Towards the end of our Kenya trip we stayed at Porini Lion camp which has a well known leopard called Fig.  We were hoping to see Fig and her cub at some point during our stay.  Our wishes came true during our first afternoon game drive.  Fig and her cub appeared walking out of some bushes and our expert driver put us into a great position.  As they approached a fallen tree, I hoped one of them would climb on it for pictures possibly.  As it so happens, Fig jumped up first and her cub followed and I was able to get one of our favorite shots from the trip:



We saw many lion cubs during our Kenya trip so it was hard to pick among many favorite shots.  But, one morning stands out as we watched the cubs play above us on some rocks.  At one point, one of the cubs laid down on the edge of the rocks and stared at us.  It didn't take long for the smallest cub to come up and photo bomb its elder sibling and this turned into another of our favorite moments:



Our last favorite from Kenya is another leopard shot.  We were watching Fig and her cub in a tree hoping that Fig would come down to hunt.  Eventually she did but we lost sight of her so we drove over to the area of the tree to see if she was still around.  Instead, we found her cub still up in the tree half sleeping and half lounging. She was as interested in us as we were in her:




Madagascar is a wondrous land filled with extremely rare and endangered wildlife including lemurs and chameleons.  We didn't have to wait long to find one of these rare creatures when we encountered this nocturnal ankarana sportive lemur on our first full day.  While these lemurs usually sleep during the day we found quite a few hanging around their tree holes watching the world go by which on this day included us:


Speaking of chameleons, we saw a lot on our trip (17 species actually).  They ranged dramatically in size from thumbnail to arms length and all of them were fantastic.  This panther chameleon stands out because it had such a great range of color but also looked so prehistoric:



Another fantastic group of lizards that we saw on this trip were the different leaf-tailed geckos.  All were masters of camouflage and just about impossible to find.  It took the sharp eyes of our local guide to find this one which was still hard to see from a couple feet away.  Just amazing...



One of the most iconic lemurs in Madagascar is also the one of the largest and loudest.  The indri is simply amazing to see and hear in person.  We were fortunately enough to see a couple different troops and to hear them calling from right above us.  While that memory is etched in our brains I won't forget the encounter we had with another one of them that stared right at me:



2019 continued the tradition of wildlife mocking me as often as possible.  I have more photos of animals pooping, peeing, and sticking their tongues out than I can count.  Someday, I might even create a whole book of photos dedicated to those very subjects.  In that book, I would include this photo of a rescued diademed lemur who was not amused that we interrupted its meditation session:



The smallest primate in the world is often debated.  Some say it's the pygmy marmoset (which we saw in Ecuador), while others say it is the tarsier (which eluded us TWICE in Borneo), while still others will say it is one of the mouse lemur species found in Madagascar.  We saw 5 species of mouse lemur and they were all tiny and simply adorable.  But, this mouse lemur joins the favorite list not just because it was tiny and cute but also because it was seen on the Masoala peninsula where it has been determined to be a distinct species that has yet to be fully described by science.  I vote for Microcebus adorablis:



The final favorite of 2019 is a forest crab which is probably the first crustacean to make one of my favorites list (I am too lazy to actually check).  What was unusual about this crab is that when we approached it didn't scurry off into the forest like all the others that we had seen.  On closer inspection, we figured out why when we saw that it was slowly pulling up and eating a worm:




That wraps up another great travel year for us and we hope 2020 brings more exciting adventures.

2018 Favorite Photos

Prior to 2018, our last two trips were to Brazil and then Borneo.  But, we wanted to mix it up a bit in 2018 so we decided to go to...Borneo then Brazil.  How's that for "mixing it up"?

This did mean that we could continue our tradition of only visiting countries with six letter names beginning with the letter "B". So, that was nice.

In April, we had a mostly successful 2nd trip to Borneo.  We had some great wildlife encounters including Gibbons in Danum Valley but we struck out again on seeing a Tarsier despite trying everything we could.  We did get great looks at one of our favorite primates though, the Proboscis Monkey.  How could you not love this face?



In Deramakot, we took a 5 hour leech invested night hike looking for Tarsier and despite the efforts of Mike G. (the hardest working guide in the business) we came up empty.  But, the hike was still a highlight of the trip because we had two great encounters.  First up was this Malayan Porcupine that ambled really close to us before getting a whiff, fluffing up its quills, and scampering off in the other direction.



Next up was a tree climbing Banded Civet that hung around just long enough for me to get a decent picture.




At the Kinabatangan River, we were luck enough to see Bornean Pygmy Elephants again this year.  It's amazing how these large animals can disappear so quickly in the jungle.  But, a mother and baby did come out into the open and pose for us which was a thrilling encounter.




I keep telling myself that I am NOT a birder because I get bored quickly with Sparrows, Seagulls, and any other sort of LBJ.  But, Borneo is filled with exotic birds that will excite any wildlife junkie.  The Broadbills are a good example of this and we just happened to come across a pair of Red and Black Broadbills on the Kinabatangan River that resulted in another favorite photo of the year.



The final favorite from Borneo was a real treat.  Our super guide at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge (Azmil), took us off trail looking for a large male Orangutan that was known to be hanging out.  After a few hours, we finally managed to get a clear look at him and it is simply amazing how human like they actually are.  He was just chilling on a branch.




Living in Arizona means that we have great access to amazing reptiles and we love going out for hikes day and night to see what we can find.  In August, it was a reptile that found us that is the next highlight.  What would you do if you opened your door, reached for the lock on the outer screen door and just managed to catch yourself before touching this...?



It is a beautiful Lyre snake that surprised the heck out of my wife and she did really well not to scream bloody murder in my book.


Later in August, we took a trip to Brazil.  The main goal for me was to get a good look at a Giant Anteater.  Our one fleeting low light look on our previous trip was just not satisfactory.  So, this trip we spent 8 nights in the Southern Pantanal looking for Giant Anteater and any of the other fantastic wildlife found in the Pantanal.  What we didn't expect to see was a very cooperative Ferruginous Pygmy Owl that spent each morning sitting in the garden of our Fazenda.




The Pantanal is known for great sunsets and we saw our fair share this trip.  But, my favorite one was seen just after a boat trip in which I only brought a long lens and a point and shoot camera.  Rather than let the Sunset only remain in memories, I took a photo with the point and shoot camera and it turned into one of our trip favorites.



If you go to the Pantanal, you are guaranteed to see the world's largest rodent; the Capybara.  You don't realize how big they are until you see them in person.  You also don't realize just how cute their young are.  On this trip, we saw a couple mothers with young and one of those encounters turned into a favorite.




Since I am sharing pictures in chronological order, I am not saving the best for last.  As I mentioned, my trip goal was to have a good encounter with a Giant Anteater and we had many.  So, my trip was made on day 1 in the Pantanal actually.  But, later on at Barranco Alto, we had an amazing encounter with a female Giant Anteater and her pup.  Words can't describe how awesome it was to spend about an hour watching them as mama dug around hunting and eating ants.




Just like Borneo, Brazil has an amazing selection of birds and they are especially easy to see in the Pantanal where the forest is not as thick.  What is not easy is getting good shots of them in flight.  So, I was really happy with this photo I took of three Blue and Yellow Macaws as they flew past us.




We ended the trip to Brazil with a weekend in Rio.  The highlight of that weekend was probably getting a bit too "toasty" drinking Caipirinhas overlooking the famous Copacabana Beach.  Luckily, there are no pictures of that experience though.  So instead, my last favorite is of a species that was down to only about 200 individuals in the 70's before a very successful conservation effort was put in place to protect them.  Now, there are over 2000 Golden Lion Tamarins in the Atlantic forest of Brazil and we were lucky enough to see a small troop of them including this one that was as interested in us as were were in it.

Favorites of 2017

Well, another year has come to a close so it's time to look back at the last 12 months of pictures and choose some favorites.  Overall, it was a slimmer year picture wise for us since we only took one trip which was to Borneo.  So, most of my favorites are from that trip.  But, we did make a point to get out and see more Arizona wildlife which helped us add Ringtail and Kit Fox to our mammal life list so you will see some local pictures as well.

As I mentioned, we spent two weeks in Borneo and it was a wet and wild trip. The wildlife there is absolutely spectacular.  It's too bad it rained so darn much.  But, we didn't let that "dampen" our spirits and when it didn't rain we were able to find some amazing wildlife like this first favorite.

It's a White-head's Pygmy Squirrel and it's about the cutest darn squirrel you ever saw.  It likes to dart up and down trees eating the moss off of the bark. It moves lightning fast and if you blink, you will miss it:



The next photo was also taken in Borneo.  Our guide spotted this Marbled Cat on a tree branch. We  waited hoping that it would climb down the tree.  It did, and we got a great look at this beautiful cat.  Just look at that tail:



If you like birds, Borneo is a great destination and this picture sums up how we felt a lot of the trip.  Wet!  This is a Lesser Leafbird that wasn't going to let a little rain slow down its foraging:



These two Crimson-winged Woodpeckers  were less then 10 feet from us but we had trouble finding them despite all their squawking.  They blended in so well with the bushes that we almost walked right past them:



Borneo has the tallest rain forest in the world and walking through these giant trees is amazing especially when the sounds of Gibbons echo through the fog in the morning.  This was the stage for this next photo taken in Danum and it doesn't do the experience nearly enough justice:



One of the truly memorable aspects of the Bornean rain forest is all the butterflies fluttering about.  But, the Tree Nymph was an exception.  It didn't flutter.  Instead it seemed to float about 20 feet off the ground barely moving its wings as it glided about.  I was fortunate to find one that came down to earth:



The next favorite is by far the most unusual primate we have ever seen.  The Proboscis Monkey has a huge nose, large belly, and the males have a bright red penis.  What's not to like about that?  To top it off, they appeared to be very social and peaceful animals and we had a blast watching them:



No trip to the rain forest would be complete without some creatures of the night.  We did a night drive or walk pretty much every night, rain or shine.  While my main target of the trip, the Tarsier, managed to elude us we did see some great nocturnal wildlife like this File-eared Frog:



The last favorite from Borneo was really an unexpected find.  We had just left a wet and muddy trail when our guide spotted a Philippine Slow Loris on a branch.  The Slow Loris is a primate and has a gland that produces a toxin which makes it the only venomous primate in the world.  What a treat to actually see one in person:



With the Borneo trip behind us, we made a point to see more of Arizona but for this favorite we didn't even have to leave our own backyard.  Not a bad view:



I always like to include a picture from our property trail cams in the yearly favorites and I did have some good ones to choose from.  But instead, I have included a picture taken by a trail cam that we monitor for the Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection.  You can see some of the great work they do here.

We are helping to monitor multiple cameras as part of a study to gauge the effectiveness of current wildlife highway crossings (overpass and underpass) and to find locations for new ones to help wildlife migrate safely.  This photo shows the predator/prey interaction that few of us get to see in person:

One of the snakes that I always wanted to see was a Sidewinder.  After some research, I found a location about an hour away where they have been seen in the past.  So, off we went and after a few hours of road cruising we hit pay dirt. It was just lying in the middle of the road:




So, as you can see, 2017 was a great year home and abroad.  Borneo was an exotic destination and one that we hope to visit again soon. So, look out Tarsier, we may be coming back for you in 2018!

Favorite Photos of 2016

2016 was a great year of adventure for us which included trips to Costa Rica, Yellowstone, & Brazil. Plus we had a lot of great nature at our home in Arizona.

We picked the following photos as our favorites for the year not because they were of astounding quality but because they remind us of great experiences.  That's probably what we like most about photography...looking back at the photos and reliving great memories.  So, here's a look at some of our best memories from 2016.


In March, we took a week trip to Costa Rica.  It was our 5th visit but our first to the central part of the country.  We spent a few days around Arenal enjoying the vastly different landscapes than we have seen in other parts of Costa Rica.  Our first favorite is of a grove of Eucalyptus trees taken on the grounds of Arenal Observatory Lodge:




One of the goals of going to the central part of Costa Rica was to find and photograph the Strawberry Poison Dart Frog (also called the Blue Jeans Frog for obvious reasons).  We struck out at Arenal but saw them everywhere at Tirimbina.  So naturally, this beautiful frog had to make the favorites list:




In May, we headed back to Yellowstone for the 9th or 10th time.  Honestly, we have lost track.  These days the park is more crowded than ever, even in May.  But, that didn't stop us from joining other folks in staking out the area where this Grizzly sow and cubs were known to be.  We only had to wait a couple hours for them to come out of the trees and graze on a nearby hill.  Watching the boundless energy of the cubs was fantastic and we managed to escape the area before too many bus loads of tourists showed up:




As we were leaving Yellowstone for the last time, we lucked into a seldom seem event.  Outside of Mammoth, an Elk had just given birth and was in the process of eliminating the evidence as we happened to drive by.  This once in a lifetime encounter is another favorite:




Each summer, monsoon storms sweep through Arizona and bring much needed rain to the desert.  Many people don't realize how wet the Sonoran desert is.  We actually had over 14 inches of rain in 2016 and it's raining right now on New Year's Day as I write this.  The monsoon storms bring lots of wind, thunder, and lightning with them that are both frightening and amazing at the same time.  Here is a good look at the power of nature in this one photo taken with a 6 second exposure:




In September, we crossed the #1 trip off the bucket list by heading to the Pantanal in Brazil.  This place is fantastic and we could have filled up this post with just pictures from Brazil.  As we left our first lodge (Pouso Alegre) the excitement of seeing 3 Tapir and 1 Giant Anteater the night before had yet to fully wear off.  But, just as we were about to exit the property we happened upon another Brazilian Tapir in broad daylight.  We watched it drink and then wade into a pool to cool off.  We must have spent close to 20 minutes photographing it before it slowly waded out into the forest and disappeared.  It was truly a great encounter:




Another fantastic animal in the Pantanal is the Giant Otter.  We had seen them before in Ecuador but in the Pantanal we encountered a huge group of over a dozen.  They proceeded to climb out of the water and onto the bank for some great looks at this otter which is as big as an average sized person.  Incredible...




The Pantanal is also home to some amazing birds.  From the huge Jabiru Stork, to all the colorful song birds, it is truly a birders paradise.  But, it's the Macaws that truly stood out for us especially the gorgeous Hyacinth Macaw.  Not only is it the largest Macaw in the world, but its blue color is amazing to see in person:

 


Of course, the main reason why most people go to the Pantanal is to see Jaguar.  We were lucky enough to see 8 different Jaguars over 4 days.  We watched them sleep, swim, hunt, and go about their daily lives as if we weren't even there.  As great as that was, nothing can compare to being about 20 yards from a Jaguar when they turn and stare right at you.  It was magical:




The Pantanal is home to a lot of giants including Anteaters, Otters, Capybara, Macaws and yes even plants.  In fact, the Giant Lilypads we saw in the lake on the grounds of the Hotel Pantanal Norte were incredible and another clear favorite.  They bloom at night so you have to get up early to catch a bloom before it closes for the day.  But, it's worth the short night's sleep:




Our last favorite in Brazil was taken at Barranco Alto which is an amazing lodge in the Southern Pantanal.  Each night we would stop for sundowners before spotlighting back to the lodge.  On this particular night, we stopped at the shore of a salt water lake and enjoyed our snacks or cocktails watching the sun go down as a Black Skimmer looked for one last meal of the day.  That's hard to beat:




Finally, just like last year, we are picking our favorite trail cam photo of the year to include in this list.  We have great fun monitoring the cameras on on property which continue to have regular visits from Fox, Coyote, Bobcat, Javelina, Skunk, Birds, Kangaroo Rats, and even the occasional cow.  This year we had our first visit from a tiny baby Javelina but the photo that made this list was another capture of a beautiful bobcat:




We actually started with 40 photos to consider for this post so it was quite hard to weed it down to a dozen.  We were very fortunate to have seen some amazing wildlife and nature in 2016.  It will be hard to repeat that in 2017 but with 3 weeks already booked in Borneo we are going to try 😊.