Marty’s photo of the day #5145: This is a blue-chin parrotfish accompanied by razor surgeonfish (left) and black striped salema (right). (Photographed in the Galapagos Islands.)
Blue-Chin Parrotfish and Friends
Lesponne, France
Marty’s photo of the day #5144: I haven’t posted any photos from Europe for a while, so here’s a pretty passage between an ancient church and its cemetery, in the tiny village of Lesponne, France.
Nellie’s Second Bionic Leg
I had high hopes that Nellie’s second bionic leg would be ready to engage at warp 9 as of this week. She had TPLO surgery on her right-rear leg eight weeks ago (to remove a ligament, refit the knee bone, and install a metal plate with six screws). Since this is Nellie’s second bionic leg, […]
The Rarest Penguin in the World
Marty’s photo of the day #5143: Galapagos penguins are the rarest penguins in the world (less than 2,000 exist). They are also only penguin species that lives in the tropics and north of the equator. To survive high temperatures, they have less fat/feathers, bare skin patches on their faces/feet, and they can pant like dogs. […]
New Swim Partners
Marty’s photo of the day #5142: Excited California sea lions, rushing into the water to greet their new swim partners. (Photographed in the Sea of Cortez.)
Christmas Tree Marine Iguana, Male
Marty’s photo of the day #5141: You are looking at a Christmas tree marine iguana (also known as Española marine iguana). These lizards are a subspecies found only on Española island. While most marine iguanas are black to absorb sun heat, the males on Española turn brilliant red and green to attract mates—an adaption believed […]
Up Close with a Great Horned Owl
Sunset Over The Bitterroot Mountans
Marty’s photo of the day #5139: Because of all the extremely tall trees and the way Deb’s and my house sits on a ridge, we get great wildlife viewing, but not so great sunset viewing. I shot this photo using a 400mm lens to pierce through a small break in the trees on the ridge […]
The Lifecycle of an Antlion
Marty’s photo of the day #5138: Antlion larvae hide at the bottom of hundreds of sandy ant traps on the Essen Wildlife Refuge. Later, when those larvae become adults, they resemble a damselfly, and their diet changes from ants to pollen and nectar. Yesterday, I watched this adult land on a branch no wider than […]
Booby Egg Check
Lava Lizard on Lava
Short-Billed Dowitcher
Marty’s photo of the day #5135: These are short-billed dowitchers. (Photographed on Vancouver Island.)
Here Kitty, Kitty!
Marty’s photo of the day #5134: “Here kitty, kitty!” Mountain lion, watching from a tree at the Essen Wildlife Refuge in Montana.
Female Red-Winged Blackbird
Marty’s photo of the day #5133: A female red-winged blackbird works her way through the hardstem bulrush at the edge of a pond. (Photographed in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana.)
Nellie’s Hydrotheropy
Marty’s photo of the day #5132: In nine days, Nellie gets the final X-ray on her second bionic leg (she had TPLO surgery seven weeks ago) and, if all goes well, she will once again be off-leash and free to race through the forest at warp-nine. For now, she covers every inch of the Essen […]
The Nighthawk Year
Marty’s photo of the day #5131: During the 30 years Deb and I have lived at the Essen Wildlife Refuge, we’ve often heard nighthawks, but only after dark, and if we saw them they were just a flash in the forest. This year is different. Two weeks ago, I was walking our dog, Nellie, through […]
Not Mitch McConnell
Marty’s photo of the day #5130: This morning, I went through the more than one hundred photos I shot of the migrating Galapagos tortoises (also known as giant tortoises) on Santa Cruz Island. I wanted to find a close-up head shot of one that didn’t look like Mitch McConnell, but it was difficult. They all […]
Ruby-Topaz Hummingbird
Marty’s photo of the day #5129: This is a ruby-topaz hummingbird. Depending on the angle of the sunlight, this bird’s feathers change from extremely bright to almost black. (Photographed on the island of Bonaire.)
Coming Ashore
Marty’s photo of the day #5128: A large green sea turtle (perhaps 350 pounds) comes ashore, earlier this year in the Galapagos Islands.
The Cleaning Station
Marty’s photo of the day #5127: This photo may fool your eyes. You are looking at a yellowmargin triggerfish being cleaned by other fish. (Photographed in the Raja Ampat of Indonesian New Guinea.)