The Quill Pig aka North American Porcupine
I spot a North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) and all I have is low light. So what do I do?
Bison Bull Drinking from a Puddle
I photographed this American Bison bull a few days ago on Antelope Island State Park as he was drinking from a freshwater puddle formed by rains over the weekend.
An American Badger – Paying Attention Pays Off
Wow! There were two ebony eyes peeking at me through the light golden grasses along with the strikingly marked face of an American Badger!
White-tailed Deer doe in Glacier County, Montana
In Utah I don't often have the opportunity to see and photograph White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) because they have a very limited range here so I was thrilled to have the chance to photograph this doe close up as she fed between the gravel road and a barley field in Glacier County, Montana.
Bison Bull
During the heat of summer the Bison on Antelope Island State Park wander down from the hillsides to the freshwater springs on a daily basis, can't say I blame them because it has been plenty hot here.
Fish Crows – Why I Can’t Dislike Them
I was going to do a simple post about this image of a Fish Crow with a young Gopher Tortoise in its bill that was taken on Egmont Key State Park (also Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge), an island located just to the west of Fort De Soto, Florida.
Coyote Pup in Prairie Grasses
I simply could not resist posting this gorgeous Coyote pup that I photographed today even though I posted another one recently. I loved the look the pup was giving me, the warm, beautiful morning light and wonderful prairie setting.
Coyote Pup
It might have been slow on Antelope Island State Park yesterday as far as birds go but it was a Coyote kind of day with 9 as a total tally for just a few hours spent on the island.
Why a Moose should not Kiss a Porcupine
Why would a Moose (Alces alces) kiss a Porcupine? I'm really not sure, perhaps this Moose cow was curious about a slow-moving Porcupine on the ground and got a touch too close.
Pronghorn doe in a field of Moth Mullein
I haven't posted a Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) for a while and thought I would share this one taken earlier this week on Antelope Island State Park in northern Utah today.
Desert Cottontail Rabbit
I photographed this little Cottontail Rabbit yesterday on Antelope Island State Park. Black-tailed Jackrabbits are far more common on the island so I was tickled to see this Cottontail near the haybarn.
Bison on Antelope Island
With the rising temperatures the Bison on Antelope Island need to find a reliable freshwater source.
Birds of Antelope Island – A Mix of Feathered Friends
Yesterday I photographed a mixture of the birds of Antelope Island State Park and had great fun while doing it.
Farmington Utah’s Voles – Just My Opinion
Recently KSL.com; a Utah news station, had an article about a vole (a small rodent) infestation In Farmington, specifically in the neighborhood of Foxboro Community. While I sympathize with the residents about the damage being done to their yards I am disturbed by the advice many of the people commenting have left on the story.
Whoa, that is a lot of Wilson’s Phalaropes!
There were hundreds of thousands of Wilson's Phalaropes near the shoreline of the causeway, whirling around in the water and along the marshy areas not far from the park entrance.
Creatures Great and Small – Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge
There are many mammals to see at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana, I haven't seen them all yet but I hope to one day. On this last trip I saw Moose, Elk, Skunks, Ground Squirrels, Chipmunks, Foxes, White-tailed and Mule Deer, Yellow-bellied Marmots, and Pronghorns.
Mule Deer Portraits
While out on Antelope Island State Park the other day I spotted a Mule Deer (Odocoileus hemionus) that was almost hidden by tall grasses and stopped to get some images.
Too many Eared Grebes to Count
During spring and fall migration there can be so many Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) on the Great Salt Lake that they are impossible to count.
Montana is beckoning to me…
Seeing the word "Montana" so often has gotten me anxious, antsy and itching to head north soon to see more of a state that beckons to me because I have fallen in love with it.
Female Coyote
I look at this image and I see intelligence in the Coyote's eyes. I see a warm blooded creature who is doing what it needs to do to survive. I see a female who is nursing pups. I see beauty.
Yellow-headed Blackbird and a Midge
Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) can perch on cattails, reeds, rushes or mounds of vegetation and snatch Midges right out of the air.
Mating Killdeer – Thanks to a Coyote
Last week I wrote about Long-billed Curlews having a Territorial Encounter but earlier that same morning I had another wonderful photographic encounter thanks to a scruffy looking, rain soaked Coyote waking up at the top of a ridge.
Bison Bull Shedding
Every day that I spend in the field is always marvelous but it seems especially wonderful during the change of seasons because I feel a heightened sense of anticipation for the first of the year birds, the first spotting of wildflowers blooming or the seasonal changes that wildlife exhibits in behavior or appearance.
Side lit Coyote
Last November I spotted this Coyote wandering in some dried vegetation close to a roadside. Although the lighting wasn't optimal; meaning the sun wasn't directly behind me, I wanted to take some photos of the Coyote because I liked the rim lighting on the right side of the Coyote's neck, muzzle and ears.
Pronghorn doe in Spring
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.
Raccoon On The Mudflats
When I lived in Florida I saw Raccoons (Procyon lotor) all over the state. In the wild, the not so wild and in the streets of the cities. But that isn't how it is in Utah.
Feathers & Fur
Today I thought I would post a few images taken this past week from Antelope Island State Park and the west desert in Tooele County. Feathers & Fur.
Richardson’s Ground Squirrels
Farmers don't like Richardson's Ground Squirrels much, they dig holes that could break the legs on livestock and eat grains and the shoots of plants, I can understand those concerns. But I have to say... I love them, they are fun to watch and photograph.
Birds and Bison
Certain species of birds ride on the backs of Bison and feed on the insects they find in the Bison's fur; European Starlings are among those birds.
The West Desert of Utah
I am one of those people who love deserts and the West Desert of Utah is once again beckoning to me. The weather here in Utah is very changeable right now, it can feel like spring one day and the next it still feels like winter but it won't be long before the weather levels out and the west desert will begin to green up.