wildlife wallpaper
Free downloadable wildlife wallpaper images for your computer desktop.
I have made a number of my wildlife images available here in the form of HD desktop wallpapers. Use the download buttons next to the images to download the aspect ratio appropriate for your display. Check these pages often as I will add additional images over time so that as many people as possible can enjoy images of these beautiful creatures that I was blessed enough to capture!
Please do not redistribute images you have downloaded to others. If you would like your friends to also have the images or if you would like to let others know about them, please direct them to this download page.
These images are free to download and use on your own computers but they are not for commercial use. If you would like to use any of these images in your commercial projects or publications, please contact me through my contact page for licensing information and restrictions.
All images are ©Copyright: Rich Rijnders Photography
Laid Back Squirrel
I went out with the intention of capturing some hawks, raptors, and other preditors. But as I looked around and saw all kinds of little critters, like this laid back squirrel, lounging about without a care in the world, I knew there were probably no such preditors around.
Sea Pups
I could watch these loud, barking Sea Lions playing and frolicking for hours. Watching their behaviour and how they rest together, it’s easy to understand why they are referred to as “Sea Pups”.
Tri-Colored in Breeding Plumage
With all the big birds making a ruckus in the rookery above, there is still some quiet space below for this Tri-Colored Heron in beautiful breeding plumage to forage for shrimp and small fish.
Blue Sky Great Blue
When it’s Wood Stork season in Wakodahatchee, the Great Blue Herons have to fight for their nesting spots. This one circled above the rookerie looking for suitable (and unoccupied) spot.
Curious Cooter
If you sit still enough, the wildlife will eventually get used to your presence and venture closer to you. But this curious Cooter just kept coming! Maybe I had some leftover lettuce from my lunch stuck on my shirt.
Killer Whale Pod
Rounding the northern point of Stanley Park under Lions Gate Bridge to re-enter Vancouver Harbour, we spotted this fast moving pod of Killer Whales. We tracked them for a few miles and were able to spot at least 6 individuals.
Wood Stork Portrait
Wakodahatchee was getting so crowded with nesting Wood Storks that this guy flew away from the busy rookery and landed 10 feet next to me for a rest. This is all I could fit of him into the frame at that distance. I loved the morning light on him.
Brown Pelican In Breeding Plumage
You don’t have to go deep into the wild to see beautiful wildlife. You can find great opportunities on a trip down to the boat docks at one of our local inlets. I love the plumage on this Brown Pelican that was banking into the wind while coming in for a water landing.
Boat-Tailed Grackle
In good light, you can see the many subtle hues of the Boat-Tailed Grackle’s plumage.
Red-Bellied Woodpecker at the Stick Marsh
I was very glad to have spotted several Red-Bellied Woodpeckers at the Stick Marsh in Fellsmere, FL. Normally shy birds, I was surprised to see three of the birds land and flitter about a small tree not far from where I was sitting.
Red-Winged Black Bird
This shot of a male really shows where the Red-Winged Black Bird gets its name.
European Starling with Caterpillar
I was walking the trails of Viera Wetlands in Viera, FL when I saw this Starling glide in and snag this caterpillar from a bush. I guess it was too much for the bird to handle because it quickly landed on the path and proceded to twirl the insect around in circles in the air. Or maybe it was just doing a “happy dance”. Who knows.
Wakodahatchee Anhinga Drying
Anhinga are true water birds. They spend most of their day swimming around underwater hunting fish. Unlike other water birds, Anhinga have no waterproof coatings on their feathers so, after a swim, you will see them on their favorite perch drying their wings.
Northern Mockingbird
Florida’s State Bird is the Northern Mockingbird. You can see them almost everywhere, but they are especially numerous in the larger reserves such as Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. Often mistaken with the smaller Townsend’s Solitaire, the Mockingbird has a whiter breast and lacks the white eye ring of the Solitaire.
Eagle Soaring Against Mountain
An eagle soars against a mountain backdrop near Haines, AK U.S.A.
Chilkat Moose
A moose grazes near the Chilkat River; Haines, AK U.S.A. I shot this while standing on the edge of Zodiac raft on the Chilkat River so that I could shoot over the top of all that tall grass that you see. Props to my excellent driver who held that boat so steady against that swift current while I got the shot!
Green Iguana on Boardwalk
At Wakodahatchee Wetlands you can get up close and personal with much of the wildlife. This huge Green Iguana was sunning itslef right up on the boardwalk. Iguanas are an invasive species down in Florida and a bane to landscapers as they love to eat the exotic flowers planted at the hotels and resorts.
Flock of Ibis Against Cotton Candy Sunset
The light was great. I just wished these Ibis could get their formation together for the shot!
Doe Soft Greens
A doe in Kissimmee Prairie Preserve feeds on the soft, fresh greens of the south hammock.
Green Heron in Spring Grass
A Green Heron enjoying the spring grass (and the insects it brings). Viera Wetlands, Melbourne FL U.S.A.
Rainy Day Cooter
An Eastern River Cooter plays in the rain. Viera Wetlands – Melbourne, FL U.S.A.
Wading Blue Heron
A Blue Heron wades in the beautiful Viera Wetlands in Melbourne, FL.
Reddish Egret Waiting for the Storm
At low tide, this Reddish Egret was hunting small fish in the shallows, but was also keeping a wary eye on the incoming thunderstorm. Birds have a sense for when they need to take cover. With the first lightning strike way off in the distance, all the wading birds’ feathers seemed to prick up just a bit. Other birds fly lower to the ground and water as the storm draws near.
Eye On Black Vulture
Some people are freaked out by vultures, equating them to the undertakers of the bird kingdom due to the fact that they are scavangers that feed on carrion. But I think they are fascinating animals. The black vulture lacks the incredible sense of smell of its bretherin Turkey Vultures, and can often be seen following other types of vulture in order to find food. These black vultures can be found in the Myakka River State Park in abundence where visitors are warned that these birds will sometimes land on their vehicles and proceed to strip the rubber and plastic trim from the car in an attempt to find a way in!
Close Enough Gator
I let this female gator cruise up pretty close to where I was sitting so I could get a good portrait back-lit by the sunset. I think she was more curious than hungry, but I still pulled my feet up when she got close.
Side-Stepping Raccoon
I heard a rustling in the brush a bit up the road from where I was walking, so I knelt down on one knee and quietly sat still. This skittish raccoon emerged and, after looking my way, side-stepped all the way across the road while keeping a wary eye on me.
Stick Marsh Spoonbill
During breeding season, spoonbills at the Stick Marsh spend many hours flying back and forth from the rookerie to the shore collecting nesting material.
Cattle Egret in Breeding Plumage
During breeding seasons, the reddish feathers on the crown and back of the Cattle Egret become brighter and elongated and the beak becomes a much brighter orange-red color.
Wakodahatchee Red-Shouldered Hawk Wings Up
At the Wakodahatchee Wetlands, this Red-Shouldered Hawk kept cruising low over a patch of the wetlands waiting for a swamp rat to come out of hiding. The rat had more patience than the hawk.
Osprey with Fish Head-On
It can be a bit disconcerting to see this coming straight at you down the pipe of a 560mm lens! Osprey are unique birds of prey in that their diet consists almost exclusively of fish.