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!

Favorites Photos from 2014

Well, it's that time of year again.  Time to look back on this year's photos and to relive some of the great experiences that we had.  If it wasn't for Jim Goldstein's great yearly blog project, I might have forgotten to do this post this year.  Take a look at Jim's blog in a few days to see 2014 favorite photos from hundreds of accomplished photographers.

As is the case each year, our favorites are not necessarily the best photos taken during the year.  When we go through our portfolio we relive the moments and tend to pick photos that represent some of our best experiences of the year.

2014 started out with our annual trip to Point Reyes.  The wildlife encounters in Point Reyes are fantastic, but so are the vistas.  This picture was taken from the road leading to the lighthouse:




One of the main reasons we go to Point Reyes is to find Bobcats.  We have had great luck there and last February's trip was no exception. We had some of our best encounters ever including this cat that we watched for over half an hour at Pierce Point Ranch:




In May, we ventured across the country to Florida.  One of our stops was at the famous Saint Augustine Alligator Farm.  Their wild bird rookery is well worth a visit if you are in the area and a destination in itself if you are a photographer.  When you first arrive, you literally have amazing photo ops in every direction.  It's a bit overwhelming so you need to slow down and find the best shots.  Here's a Tricolor Heron posing nicely in the early morning light:




Just down the boardwalk a few yards was this Snowy Egret:




One of the coolest birds at the rookery is the Roseate Spoonbill.  It's an odd looking bird with its  pink feathers and funky beak.  But, one of our favorites since we first saw one in Costa Rica. Plus, they seemed to be very curious creatures that I swear were staring at me from time to time.  Here is a shot of one coming in for a landing:




I can't say that the Wood Stork is a good looking bird, but it sure is a big bird.  Its wing span gets up to 5 feet and it is very graceful to watch as it soars by.  We were lucky enough to get close to a Wood Stork nest where we watched the chicks get fed.  Even at this young age, this chick was able to flip the fish up in the air to turn it around so it could be eaten head first:




Our final favorite from the Florida trip is of two Great Egret chicks.  Their half-feathered downy bodies were just too cute to resist:




In August, we want back to Tucson to hike in the foothills and visit Saguaro National Park.  We love the desert landscape and this part of the country has a great one...especially at the base of the Catalina Mountains:




During our Arizona trip, we took a day trip to Madera Canyon.  We've been there numerous times before but never seen the resident Elegant Trogons.  We got lucky this time when I caught some color out of the corner of my eye and so we were able to finally spot one.  They are nearly invisible in their habitat if you don't look carefully since they tend to sit perfectly still:




Our final favorite shot of the year was hard to pick.  But we knew it had to be a monster one.  We were lucky enough to find three different Gila Monsters during our trip to Tucson which was totally unexpected.  This one was in Saguaro National Park and just wandered across the road in front of us.  It didn't seem bothered by us at all and got a little TOO close for comfort at one point:




That's our list for this year.  We had some great adventures and I am sure that 2015 will provide even more.  Hopefully, next year's adventures will result in some more favorite photos that we can share next year.

Happy New Year to all!

Arizona - August 2014

In August, we took a quick trip to Tucson that was half business and half pleasure.  We tried to get as much hiking and wildlife watching in as we could since the area is fantastic for both.  We actually did much better than we expected including a few big highlights.

For the first part of the trip we stayed at the base of the Catalina mountains.  This rocky and mountainous terrain is incredibly beautiful:

 

 











and the wildlife viewing opportunities are pretty good as well:

Desert Tortoise


 Black-tailed Rattlesnake


Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
 


 By far, the highlight of this part of the trip was stumbling upon our first wild Gila Monster.  It didn't seem too bothered by us and just went about its business.  At one point I got a little too close with my camera (my telephoto lens was in the shop and a 55mm reach isn't great for wildlife) and it hissed at me.  That was my queue to leave it alone and I really got no decent pictures anyway.  I did manage to capture some video of this Gila Monster and (spoiler alert) the two others we saw later in the trip:





For the second half of the trip we stayed in Vail, Az which is Southwest of Tucson.  This area is also quite scenic and is a good starting point to see Saguaro National Park and Madera Canyon. 

Local Scenery:


 







On the drive back to our place one night we spotted another Gila Monster on the side of the road.  At first, we were worried that it was dead, but it turned out to be very much alive and it posed nicely for photos:






We have been to Madera Canyon before and seen lots of incredible wildlife.  But, we had never seen a Ring-tailed Cat or an Elegant Trogon.  Both are seen in the canyon but you have to know where to look and you have to be lucky.  We know where to look for the Trogon but if they aren't calling it is next to impossible to spot one.  Luckily for us, on our way back down from a long hike I saw some color move on the far side of the canyon.  It was a Trogon.  It had flown from one branch to another which is the only reason why we saw it.





We wanted to spend more time in the canyon but it started to rain and got really dark.  We made it out to the safety of our car just as the heavens opened and the monsoon rains began.

We made one last stop at Saguaro National Park. The driving tour is a great way to see the park and we were hoping to see something along the road.  Not one mile in our wishes came true.  Our third and final Gila Monster was crossing the road:





All in all, it was a very successful trip.  Not only did we spend lots of time wandering along beautiful desert trails but we also saw our first Gila Monster and Elegant Trogon.  This part of the country never fails to disappoint which is why we plan to move here someday.