Marty Essen

Marty’s photo of the day #4859: I shot this photo at the edge of the Great Blue Hole, which is located 45 miles off the coast of Belize. Stunning coral surrounds the hole, and on the left side of this photo you can see where it plunges to a depth of 407 feet.

#photography #sealife

Marty’s photo of the day #4858: Flamingo, photographed in Bonaire.

#photography #birds

Marty’s photo of the day #4857: I know you can find the starfish, but can you find the flounder and the sand dollar?

(Photographed off the coast of Belize)

#photogrphy #sealife

Marty’s photo of the day #4856: This is an iguana, photographed on an island off the coast of Belize.

#photography #Belize

Marty’s photo of the day #4855: This is a blue land crab, photographed on an island off the coast of Belize.

#photography #Belize

Marty’s photo of the day #4854: Here’s an Antarctica scenic shot, showing a leopard seal on an iceberg couch.

#photography #Antarctica

Marty’s photo of the day #4853: A gray whale flashes its tail, near Vancouver Island.

#photography #whales #sealife

Marty’s photo of the day #4851: I know you were all wondering: “Does Zimbabwe have squirrels?”

Here’s your answer: This is a Smith's bush squirrel, photographed in Zimbabwe’s Matusadona National Park.

#photography #nature #Zimbabwe

Marty’s photo of the day #4850: Double brown pelicans, photographed in Mexico.

#birds #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4849: I photographed this lobster off the coast of Belize. Lobsters aren’t very photogenic, but seeing this photo reminded me of being a kid at a fair in Duluth and hearing a carnival barker shouting, “Come see the Lobster Family!”

#photography #sealife

Marty’s photo of the day #4848: This is a tailless whip scorpion, photographed in the Amazon Rainforest of Peru.

#photography #nature

Marty’s photo of the day #4847: Bald eagle, photographed on Vancouver Island.

#birds #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4846: Brown pelican dive.

(Photographed off the coast of Belize)

#birds #photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4845: This is a Jesus Christ lizard, ready to run across the surface of the water at the first sign of danger.

(Photographed in Costa Rica)

#photography #nature

Marty’s photo of the day #4844: This species of crab has many names. We’ll go with the simplest one: red rock crab.

(Photographed along the coast of the Sea of Cortez)

#photography #sealife

Marty’s photo of the day #4843-B: I lost interest in superhero movies years ago, but when I heard that right-wingers hated the new Superman, I had to have a Liberal Superman Watch Party. So last night, Deb and I had some friends and their dogs over for dinner, conversation, and the movie. We had four dogs in all, and they all behaved during the movie about as well as Superman’s dog, Krypto, did (you’ll understand if you’ve seen the movie). They were hilarious! Nellie had so much fun playing with her new doggie friends! Two of the photos are so perfect that I’m posting them separately as photos of the day “A” and “B”. This is the second one. From left to right: Fen, Stella, and Nellie. The fourth dog, Fay, was off doing her own thing.

Marty’s photo of the day #4843-B: I lost interest in superhero movies years ago, but when I heard that right-wingers hated the new Superman, I had to have a Liberal Superman Watch Party. . . .

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#photography #superman

Marty’s photo of the day #4843-A: I lost interest in superhero movies years ago, but when I heard that right-wingers hated the new Superman, I had to have a Liberal Superman Watch Party. So last night, Deb and I had some friends and their dogs over for dinner, conversation, and the movie. We had four dogs in all, and they all behaved during the movie about as well as Superman’s dog, Krypto, did (you’ll understand if you’ve seen the movie). They were hilarious! Nellie had so much fun playing with her new doggie friends! Two of the photos are so perfect that I’m posting them separately as photos of the day “A” and “B”. This is the first one. That’s Stella up-close and Nellie in the background.

Marty’s photo of the day #4843-A: I lost interest in superhero movies years ago, but when I heard that right-wingers hated the new Superman, I had to have a Liberal Superman Watch Party. . . .

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#photography #superman

Marty’s photo of the day #4842: Willow ptarmigan, photographed in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

#birds #photography #ANWR

Marty’s photo of the day #4841: Orangutan, photographed on the island of Borneo.

#photography #wildlife #Borneo

Marty’s photo of the day #4840: Alaska, north of the Arctic Circle.

#photography

Marty’s photo of the day #4839: Fall in the Yukon Territory, north of the Arctic Circle.

#photography #Canada

Marty’s photo of the day #4838: A playful humpback whale, doing the rolling thing along the coast of Antarctica.

#photography #nature #Antarctica

Marty’s photo of the day #4837: This is one of my favorite optical illusion photos (especially when viewed on a big screen). Because of the reflection, the alligator looks like it’s floating in the air.

(Photographed while I was on a speaking tour in Mississippi.)

#photography #wildlife #reptiles

It's a young owl, but also close to full grown (it could fly).

Last Week at the Essen Wildlife Refuge: My motion-sensing cameras didn’t catch anything exciting this time. But one did capture this image of a fawn bathed in nice sunlight.

#phototgraphy #nature #Montana

Marty’s photo of the day #4836: I think some of us could use a cute northern saw-whet owl pick-me-up today. This little owl hung out on our front porch steps a few summers ago.

#photography #birds

Actually there is a huge difference between wild donkeys and elk/bison. I have written multiple books about wildlife and know what I am doing. The donkeys come from domesticated ancestors and receive much more human contact, especially from the nearby donkey sanctuary.

Marty’s photo of the day #4835: This is my wife, Deb, paddling a Yagua dugout canoe through the flooded Amazon Rainforest. I shot this photo during the rainy season. Although the water varied in depth from 2 to 5 feet, she was not on a river. In the dry season, you could walk where she is paddling.

Last night, I met Sy Montgomery, one of my literary heroes. Back in the early 2000s—before departing for the Amazon trip that would become a chapter in my first book, “Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents”—I read Sy Montgomery’s book, “The Journey of the Pink Dolphins.” Later Sy wrote an amazing blurb for my second book, “Endangered Edens: Exploring the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Costa Rica, the Everglades, and Puerto Rico”: “Join photographer extraordinaire Marty Essen and his intrepid wife Deb on their adventures through four Endangered Edens. You'll be treated to funny stories, unforgettable characters, and striking images. But most of all, you'll come away with new appreciation for special places, and their wild inhabitants, under threat today. May this book inspire its readers to protect them!”—Sy Montgomery, author, The Soul of an Octopus I also read and loved Sy’s book, “The Soul of an Octopus,” which later inspired an amazing adventure Deb and I had holding two octopuses in the Sea of Cortez. So when Sy came to Hamilton, Montana for a Chapter One Book Store signing of her new children’s book, “The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle,” I had to meet her in-person. Since many years had passed since our last correspondence, I wasn’t sure if she’d remember me. Instead, upon hearing my name, she immediately pulled me into a big hug! Deb bought two signed copies of Sy’s new children’s book, “The True and Lucky Life of a Turtle,” for gifts, and I had Sy sign my tattered old copy of “Journey of the Pink Dolphins.” I also gave Sy a signed copy of my latest novel, “The Silver Squad: Rebels With Wrinkles,” which she vowed to read on her airplane flight today. Yay!

Last night, I met Sy Montgomery, one of my literary heroes . . .

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#Books #BookSky #Librarysky #author #writer #writing

Marty’s photo of the day #4834: I just loved the wild donkeys of Bonaire. I wanted to bring one . . . or ten home with me!

#photography #Bonaire