Rufous Hummingbird in Flight

A female Rufous Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus) in flight. They are difficult critters to get a shot of and to freeze the motion this was taken with a shutter speed of 1/2500, that’s less than half a millisecond. Hard to believe these tiny birds travel over 3,200 km (2,000 miles) from Alaska to southern Mexico and back, having to cross mountain ranges as high as 3,800 m (12,600 ft). Measuring only 7cm (2.8–3.5 in) long, it is the longest bird migration on earth when measured in body lengths. They weigh a miniscule 2 to 5 g (0.071 and 0.176 oz). Kinbasket Lake, British Columbia, Canada.

Blizzard Caribou

Snow starts to cover the back of this large stag as it continues its never ending search for food. The situation has been described as dire for the Central Mountain Caribou population by the Federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Numbers of Central Mountain Caribou across Alberta and B.C declined by 60 per cent between 2004 and 2014 to just over 500 mature individuals in 11 herds.

Ursus arctos horribilis

North American Brown Bear or Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) who had just woken up from winter hibernation Massive in stature, the largest have been to weigh up to 680 kg (1,500 lb), standing up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall on their hind legs , or 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) at the shoulder when on all four legs. British Columbia, Canada

Humpback Whale Breaching

Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) breaching in blue water offshore from the coast of Port Stephens, NSW, Australia. The humpback is one of the larger rorqual species of baleen whale with adults rangeing in length from 12–16 metres (39–52 ft) and weighing approximately 36,000 kilograms (79,000 lb).

Harbour Seal on Ice

A pregnant harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) rests on some sea ice in LeConte bay waiting to give birth. The icefields produced by the LeConte glacier provide protection for the seals to give birth and nurse their pups. Floating on the ice isolates them from the numerous land based predators (such as bears and wolves), while the shear density of the floating ice provides protection from pods of orcas (killer whales) who have difficulty breaking though the ice pack. Populations of seals that rely on ice pack to reproduce are particularly susceptible to global warming due to retreating glaciers and rapidly decreasing winter sea ice. Alaska, USA

Wapati Fighting

Two large Wapati or Elk (Cervus canadensis) in a fighting headlock with their antlers. Not quite as tall as Moose, the Elk in Jasper are protected from hunting and can be found up to 10 ft. (3 m) from nose to tail with weights up to 450kg (990 lbs). Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Snow Moose Cow

A moose wanders though the first snow of the season in the Rockies. Moose are the largest of the deer family by some margin; they stand up to 2.1 m (6.9 ft) high at the shoulder and the males can weigh up to 700kg. I have also included a shot of its mother. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Great White North

Certainly starting to feel like the Great White North up here again this time of year. Went out the night before last looking for auroras under the full moon and got distracted. Ness Lake, Northern British Columbia.

Rocky Mountain Goat

A Rocky Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus) beginning to molt its thick winter coat. It is not a member of the genus Capra that includes all other goats, rather it is a member of the antelope family, and should be referred to as a goat-antelope. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Tonquin Valley Caribou Bull

We were fortunate enough to see a few of the last remaining grey ghosts while hiking up in the Tonquin valley. This Mountain Caribou bull had a fresh set of antlers still bright from the recent removal of their velvet covering. It seems increasingly likely that unless the populations stabilise in the next couple of years, we will see the Mountain Caribou disappear from the Canadian Rockies in a similar way to its disappearance in the lower 48 states of the US. Classified as endangered in Canada, Central Mountain Caribou across Alberta and B.C declined by 60 per cent between 2004 and 2014 to just over 500 mature individuals in 11 herds. The Tonquin herd was counted at 30-40 animals in 2016; down from approximately 110 in 2006. Small populations are particularly vulnerable to stochastic events, which has led to several assessments of the Tonquin caribou range as non-self-sustaining. The Tonquin herd is the largest in Southern Japser, the other two herds, Maligne and Brazeau, have both collapsed down to fragments of their former numbers and are considered functionally extinct. The Maligne herd has dropped from over 100 animals down to just 3 in the same period of time. A complex issue with no easy solutions.

Bighorn Sheep In the Snow

Winter conditions were still holding on in the Rockies when I took this shot of a couple of Rams who were no doubt dreaming of warmer conditions and spring pasture. The horns of bighorn sheep (ovis canadensis) rams can weigh up to 14 kg (30 lb), while the sheep themselves weigh up to 140 kg (300 lb). Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

American Red Squirrel

Our cute little house squirrel, the kids call him peanut. Not sure if this little guy stole all the apples from our tree (about 40 of them) or if it was the resident black bear. American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). Ness Lake, Northern British Columbia, Canada

Orphaned Grizzly Bear

North American Brown Bear or Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) who had just woken up from winter hibernation Massive in stature, the largest have been to weigh up to 680 kg (1,500 lb), standing up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) tall on their hind legs , or 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) at the shoulder when on all four legs. British Columbia, Canada

Red Kangaroos

Two red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) look up to see who's watching. The red kangaroo is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest living marsupial. The males may be as high as 200 cm when standing and weigh around 95 kg. Outback New South Wales, Australia.

Bald Eagle Nest Jasper

Some bald eagles (haliaeetus leucocephalus) building their nest as winter sets in. They were setting this nest up near Medicine Lake in Jasper National Park which is an area where it regularly gets to -35C (-31 F) in the winter. Hard to imagine anything nesting that high up in the Canadian Rockies. Alberta, Canada

Winter Bighorn

Some fresh snow coming down over a bighorn ram. You wonder what goes through their minds as winter approaches. The bighorn sheep are one of the few animals that come together to survive the harsh winter roaming in mixed herds of males and females. The rams then segregate themselves for the summer . The horns of bighorn sheep (ovis canadensis) rams can weigh up to 14 kg (30 lb), while the sheep themselves weigh up to 140 kg (300 lb) . This is about one and a half times as large as a domestic sheep. Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.

Standing Beneath Giants

This shot was taken standing beneath some forest giants in Mt Field National Park. Swamp gums (Eucalyptus regnans) are the tallest flowering plants in the world reaching heights of 100m. The trees in this shot reach up to about 80m and were growing when Abel Tasman first sighted Tasmania in 1642. Mt Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia

Australasian Gannet

Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator) at Muriwai Beach, North Island, New Zealand.

Japanese Macaque

A shot of a Japanese Macaque or Snow Monkey that was engaging in some serious eye contact with my camera. It was taken at the hot springs (or onsen) that feeds into the valley of the Yokoyu-River at Jigokudani Yaen Koen. Literally meaning "Hell's Valley", Jigokudani was named after the steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground which is surrounded by steep cliffs. The valley sits at an elevation of 850 meters. Other than humans the Macaque is the primate that lives in the coldest climate and survives in winter temperatures down to -15 °C. In japan the species is known as Nihonzaru. In Shinto belief, mythical beasts known as raijū sometimes appeared as monkeys and kept Raijin, the god of lightning, company. The "three wise monkeys", which warn people to "see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil", are carved in relief over the door of the famous Tōshō-gū shrine in Nikkō. Yamanouchi, Shimotakai District, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Goats and Glaciers - Vertical

Last light catches the winter coats of some rocky mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) as they descend down from snowbird pass. The mighty Robson glacier can be seen below in the distance. The mountain goats are not a member of the genus Capra that includes all other goats, rather they are a member of the antelope family, and should be more correctly referred to as a goat-antelope. Mt Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada.

Woodland Caribou

A snowy shot of a Central Mountain Caribou in Northern BC. Canada

Gray Ghosts

Mountain Caribou lock antlers in a mock fight. Sadly I found out that two of these amazing animals were shot dead a few weeks after I took this shot from the same small herd in Northern BC. The situation has been described as dire for the Central Mountain Caribou population by the Federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). Numbers of Central Mountain Caribou across Alberta and B.C declined by 60 per cent between 2004 and 2014 to just over 500 mature individuals in 11 herds. Its so sad that we are not that far from a future of having no Mountain Caribou anywhere in the rocky mountains. The mountain caribou have evolved to deal with deep snow-packs and a complex life high in the mountains and are physically quite different from their northern arctic cousins and European reindeer who roam the vast frozen plains. Makes you wonder how you can control poaching in places like Africa if you can’t even stop shooting of endangered animals in a highly educated first world country like Canada.

Butterfly on Caiman!

Blue Butterfly on a Broad-nosed Caiman (Caiman Latirostris) - Cataratas Del Iguazu, Argentina