Wildlife Gallery - TomBalks.com

If you look in the rocky outcrops of the Cape Range National Park in Western Australia you will find the black footed rock wallaby (Petrogale Laterelis).One of sixteen species of rock-wallaby. Endemic to Australia and listed by the IUCN as near threatened, it is great to see this little Joey’s head out of it mother’s pouch. If you sit still you can watch them going about their daily routine. When the foxes were introduced to Australia, Competition with goats and rabbits as well as livestock for food, making it challenging for them – Photo By 2013©TomBalks.com all right reserved

The Osprey nest on the coast of the Cape Range is one that I regularly visit to monitor the pair and their annual brood. I was ready at sunrise to capture the first catch of the day. Ospreys (Pandion Haliaetus) usually mate for life, so while one partner is sitting on the nest looking after the eggs (of which there can be up to four) the other one goes hunting for fish which makes up 99% of their diet. They can detect under water objects from up to 10-40 m above the water. The typical lifespan is 7-10 years.Rarely, individuals can grow to as old as 20-25 years.The Osprey is the second most widely distributed raptor species, after the peregrine falcon worldwide and in Australia.- Photo by 2013@Tom Balks/TomBalks.com all right reserved

Whale shark with its friends the remoras. Remoras attach to large fish or whales with a sucker like organ on the top of their head. Whale sharks are found in tropical waters and live in the open sea. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 m (41.50 ft). They have a lifespan of approximately 70 years. They are listed on the IUCN red list as a vulnerable species. Every spring the coral spawning brings their migration to Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia where they can spend up to 5 months feeding on plankton. Ningaloo attracts individuals 4m to 10 m in length and it is possible to swim with these majestic beautiful fish through licensed operators. – photo by 2009©Tom Balks/TomBalks.com, all right reserved

This photo was in Finalist in the 2014 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Category:“Reptile.”This young Perentie (Varanus giganteus), the Australian version of the monitor lizard, will reach over 2.5 metres in length, making it the largest lizard in Australia. I was looking for a bird of prey to photograph in North West Cape, when I was lucky enough to come across this little fella, looking for a feed (snakes are a favourite snack). Despite their size, perenties are rarely seen. – photo by 2012©Tom Balks/TomBalks.com all right reserved

This photo was Semi-Finalist in the Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Animals in their Environment.20090611 – Australia – Coral Bay. – Green Sea Turtle, (Chelonia mydas) is one of six species found in Australian waters, only seven marine turtles in the world, with their numbers on the decline. I was lucky to have this time. – Photo by 2009©Tom Balks/TomBalks.com all right reserved

This photo was a Semi-Finalist in the 2012 Veolia Environnement Wildlife Photographer of the Year. Category: “The Underwater World.”While snorkelling with some divers, I found this Net-patterned Jellyfish (Pseudorhiza haeckeli) off the coast of Rottnest Island in WA Australia.Net-patterned Jellyfish are a distinctive species of the phyla Cnidaria (ny-dare-ea) Class Scyphozoa. They can be easily recognised by their single long, clubbed feeding arm which is often brightly coloured red or purple. The Net-patterned Jellyfish is common out on the open water to 30m depth but depending on prevailing winds and tides may be washed into coastal and shore waters. They reach around 30 centimetres length across the bell.- Photo by 2009©Tom Balks/TomBalks.com all right reserved

The whale shark is the largest known fish species in our oceans today. It is a slow-moving filter feeding shark, one of only three species of sharks to filter feed. Whale sharks are found in tropical waters and live in the open sea. The largest confirmed individual had a length of 12.65 m (41.50 ft). They have a lifespan of approximately 70 years. They are listed on the IUCN red list as a vulnerable species. Every spring the coral spawning brings their migration to Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia where they can spend up to 5 months feeding on plankton. Ningaloo attracts individuals 4m to 10 m in length and it is possible to swim with these majestic beautiful fish through licensed operators. – photo by 2013©Tom Balks/TomBalks.com all right reserved

Swimming with Humpback Whales in Vava’u in the northern islands of Tonga is the place to be. Between August to October you will likely see a calf like this one. The calf can be so curious, coming up to eye ball you and then dive back down to see mum, surfacing 4-6 times before you see the mother surface to breathe. The calf consumes around 200+ litres of milk per day, this ensures the calf puts on weight quickly for its long migration back to Antarctica. For the next 12 months the calf will stay by its mother side, becoming a juvenile whale, it will be heading off to make its own life. – photo by 2014©Tom Balks/TomBalks.com all right reserved

20140514 – Australia – Exmouth. – Wedge-tailed eagles are highly aerial, soaring for hours on end without wingbeat and seemingly without effort, regularly reaching 1,800 m (5,900 ft) and sometimes considerably higher. The purpose of this very high flight is unknown. Their keen eyesight extends into the infrared and ultraviolet bands. This helps them spot prey and allows them to see rising thermals, which they can use to gain altitude while expending little energy. – photo by 2014©Tom Balks/TomBalks.com, all right reserved

Exmouth in Western Australia is a great place to be a wildlife photographer. I spend a lot of my time going out, courting serendipity, hoping to find something worthwhile to shoot with my camera. This day I was looking out to sea, when a White-bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) surfed the coastline, coming towards me, showing off his aerodynamics. – Photo by 2013@Tom Balks/TomBalks.com all right reserved

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