Dusky Monkey Watches the Setting Sun

Found primarily on the Malay Penninsula this dusky langur is also known as the spectacled leaf monkey due to the white circles around the eyes. They are primates specialized in leaf eating, spending most of their time in the trees (arboreal). This particular monkey took some time to admire the sunset.

Changeable Lizard

Like the chameleon, this lizard can change color and has independent eye operation. Although one of the common names for this lizard is the bloodsucker, they are insectivores but occasionally will eat other small lizards, rodents and seeds. The bloodsucker name appears to have originated from the fact that they can turn crimson red during the breeding season. Koh Lanta Thailand

Oriental Pied Hornbill

One of the smallest most common hornbills in South East Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. They stand 55-60cm (about 22") with a wingspan of 23-36cm ( 9-14"). They are considered frugivors feeding mostly on fruits in the tree canopy but will eat small birds, small reptiles and large insects. They are cavity nesters.

Portrait of a Great Blue Heron

Tanner Springs Park, Portland Oregon, USA

Sunset at Cannon Beach

Beautiful chilly sunset among the sea stacks at Cannon Beach, OR USA

Valley of Fire

One of the gems of the Mojave desert is Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Established in 1935 and covering 40,000 acres, the park is renowned for it's red Aztec sandstone and contrasting limestone.

A Fiery Vortex

Fringed tulip

Roosevelt Bull Elk #2

A Roosevelt bull elk keeps its eye on me during the rut. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado USA

Camouflage Grasshopper

I'm impressed by the coloration of this grasshopper which was sitting on a drive composed of crushed stone. Is the grasshopper attracted to the stone because of its coloration? Perhaps its coloration is because of the local stone? It seems too good of a camouflage fit to be coincidental.

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Ovis canadensis nelsoni, is a subspecies of the Bighorn Sheep which is distinguished by its ability to go for long periods of time without water. They may go for weeks or months without stopping to visit a water source maintaining their hydration through food and rainwater. This is also a defense mechanism allowing the sheep to live where their predators can not. The Desert Bighorn is also adapted to the extreme heat and cold of the desert allowing its body temperature to safely fluctuate by several degrees. Valley of Fire State Park, Arizona USA

Outdoor Seating #2

A picnic table sits nestled in a ponderosa pine forest. Living 300-400 years, the average ponderosa pine measures 165'(50m) tall with the tallest known ponderosa being 268'(81.7m). Sisters Oregon, USA

Short Doorways at Aztec Ruins

Mistaken as Aztec ruins, these ruins are actually the work of the Ancestral Pueblo (formerly known as the Anasazi). The ruins were built and occupied over a 200 year period starting in the 12th century. It is believed that the ruins were abandoned and the people migrated southward due to climate change in the 1200's which lead to shorter growing seasons and drought. Aztec Ruins National Monument, New Mexico USA

Aspen in Fall Color

Taos New Mexico, USA

Road to the Shire

Adak Alaska, USA

The Scholars

Adak Alaska, USA

A Matching Set

Adak Alaska, USA

White Sands at Twilight

The sand of White Sands National Monument is made up of gypsum crystals. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world. Gypsum is water soluable but the basin where the dunes occurs has no outlet so the gypsum gets trapped here. The gypsum is disolved from the surrounding San Andres and Sacramento Mountains and is left behind in pools that form in the basin. The pools dry out and the gypsum crystals left behind break down and are carried by the prevailing wind to form the dunes.

Condor 87

Considered to be one of the rarest birds in the world, I was lucky to get a chance to photo this California Condor in the wild. #87 is a 20 year old breeding male with a potential lifespan of 60 years - one of the longest living birds. With a wingspan of 3m (9.8'), it is also the widest wingspan of the North American birds. Condor population decline in the 20th century led to a conservation plan to capture the remaining condors in the wild (27 of them) which was completed in 1987. The captive population was bred in California and by 1991 were being reintroduced into the wild. As of 2018, there are now 440 birds in the wild.

Grey Ghost

Adult male Northern Harrier scanning the horizon for prey.

Lake Betty

Panoramic view of Lake Betty, Adak AK. The interplay of the clouds and sun on these tundra covered hills was stunning.

Color Wheel of Time

The ceiling of an abandoned radar dome. Adak, Alaska

The Aleutian Islands

The Bering Sea laps up onto a cobblestone beach on Adak Island, Alaska. The Aleutian island chain is visible on the horizon with the most prominent island being the Great Sitkin Volcano. These islands are part of the a group of islands named the Andreanof Islands in southwestern Alaska. Adak island lies 1200 miles (1931 km) southwest of Anchorage, Alaska and houses the western most US municipality of Adak Station.

Building Connector

This is one of many hallways of its kind that connect the now abandoned military buildings on Adak island, Alaska. The Army/Navy base was originally established in 1942 to fight against the Japanese who were invading the Aleutian Islands. After WWII, the base became a cold war base used monitor Russian activities. By 1997, when the base closed, many of the structures/towns had been demolished and buried. What remained of the base was sold to the Aleute Corporation and left to the elements. Adak, Alaska 2018

Screaming Eagle

It's not often I find myself capturing raptors in flight near eye level, so shots like this are a treat. A number of factors have to converge in order to get shots from this perspective and I don't find myself in areas that meet the criteria very often. In this case, I was on the mountainous but treeless island of Adak, Alaska which greatly increased the possibility of such a shot, not to mention the island has no shortage of Bald Eagles.