Outside my window the winds are howling this morning and there is a thick layer of gray clouds hanging low in the sky. It isn’t a good day to be out in the field so I have been going through my image archives and pulled out two images of a Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) doe from last spring to post. The green grasses and yellow blossomed Gray’s Biscuitroot (Lomatium grayi) remind me that this weather will soon be gone and spring growth will appear.

Pronghorn doe in SpringPronghorn doe in Spring – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 400, +1.3 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR at 330mm, natural light

This Pronghorn doe was one of several does feeding on a slope that had new grass poking out of the ground and dotted with Gray’s Biscuitroot in bloom on Antelope Island State Park. Gray’s Biscuitroot are among some of the earliest blooming plants on the island and the Pronghorns seem partial to it. I guess after a winter of foraging on dried vegetation the fresh leaves must taste good. Sort of like me and the difference between store-bought tomatoes in winter and the garden grown, sun-ripened ones that I enjoy so much in the summer.

Pronghorn doe nibbling on Gray's BiscuitrootPronghorn doe nibbling on Gray’s Biscuitroot – Nikon D200, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 400, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light

As I recall the day I photographed this doe there were clouds overhead which is why I used some positive exposure compensation, had it been sunny I would not have needed that at all.

I enjoy looking through my archives on days like today, they bring back so many great memories of time spent in the field with the birds and animals, camping trips out in the wilderness and watching the sunrise with a steaming mug of coffee in my hands. Windswept grassy plains, marshy valleys, streams lined with willows, sandy deserts, red rock walls in the canyons, Pinyon Pines in the high country and huge open skies. The smell of bacon cooking in the crisp air. The sounds of the night. Sitting on a sun warmed rock and contemplating the glorious wonders of the natural world. Sunlight dancing on a crystal clear mountain lake or the musical sound of water bubbling over rocks in a stream bed.

Soon. Very soon.

Mia