boneabii's Favourites

buffy helmetcrest, Oxypogon stuebelii is a species of rare, threatened hummingbird, very local endemic, found only the high altitude paramo of the Central Andes of Colombia. Feeding at Monticalia vernicosa, Varnished Monticalia looking for insects; Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. Los Nevados National Park, Nevado del Ruiz, paramao, central Andes, Termales del Ruiz, Columbia, South America; HelmetCrestB50497.CR2

The Okinawan woodpecker (Dendrocopos noguchii) was designated as Okinawa’s prefectural bird in 1972. This beautiful woodpecker is a living natural treasure of Japan. Populations of critically endangered species are declining rapidly

I found a nest of these guys under our storage shed when I found one of the kits in the middle of my yard crying one morning as I was letting my chickens out for the day. I was unable to reunite to the nest so I raised him for awhile on an approved puppy formula for skunks and then brought him to Florida Wildlife Hospital.

Mama cheeta with 6 cubs! This cheeta mom must be the most patient and caring parent ever - cubs were playing around her head and suckling all the time when we were watching but she never once showed any annoyance. Truely amazing.

4 Wild dog (one alpha male, 3 yearling cubs 2 x f, 1 x m) chased a female bush buck in to a shallow pool on the Chongwe River. A small crocodile swam up and took a bite and did a death roll. The bushbuck then dragged the croc out towards the Wild Dog who then dragged it up the bank with the croc still attached. It took them a while to kill the bushbuck but by then the croc gave up

flying fox with pup
pups are carried by the mother for the first few weeks of life, with weaning occurring around 5 months of age. Males do not participate in parental care. Young bats learn to fly at approximately 11 weeks of age.

This has got to be the most morbid thing that I have ever found in nature that I photographed. A deer that had its stomach opened up and was being eaten by magpies while still alive. This was something that I just never saw on any of my frequent trips to Yellowstone NP when I was younger. It was very unsettling.

A sow and her older cub I think. They were play fighting at one point and then went downstream in search for fish. Later I watched the sow swim around in the water with her eyes under, presumably to see the fish, while the cub waited on shore nearby.