A pair of Red-tailed Hawks in early morning light
Having one Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) in my viewfinder is a joy and getting two of them in the same frame is even more of a delight.
Having one Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) in my viewfinder is a joy and getting two of them in the same frame is even more of a delight.
I arrived home last night after spending five days photographing in southwestern Montana and although I am exhausted I am also elated because the trip was simply divine.
I went out to Antelope Island State Park yesterday hoping to put my newly repaired D300 through its paces and although I did get some images of birds and mammals, the light wasn't very good for most of the morning because of storm clouds.
Large groups of Teasels; an introduced "weed", caught my eye in the early morning light
With the rising temperatures the Bison on Antelope Island need to find a reliable freshwater source.
The temps are up all over the U.S. and almost everyone is feeling the heat, I know I am.
As many of my regular viewers know I love Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. Just by being there I can feel my blood pressure drop, a sense of peace flows through my body and my mind (and camera) focuses on the wonders and intricacies of nature.
I decided to post an image that said... cold, snow and winter. Just looking at it seems to cool me down.
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.
I don't have much time to post today but I wanted to share a few photos taken this week of the mists at the Lower Lake of Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in Montana. Red Rock Lakes NWR is an incredibly wild and beautiful location that has stolen a piece of my heart.
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.
Burr Trail winds its way through some of Utah's most stunning scenery, from the small town of Boulder to Bullfrog near Lake Powell. Along the way the scenery makes me feel tiny but I also feel very much in touch with the earth and the geology of the area.
In January of 2008 I was onboard a cruise ship for a tour of New Zealand that included time spent viewing Whakaari / White Island which is an active andesite stratovolcano that rises 1,053 feet above the Bay of Plenty.
I recently visited Red Fleet State Park in north-eastern Utah near Vernal and came away with a few landscape images that I liked.
Sometimes a picture says more than words so I'll just say Flaming Gorge is awesome at sunrise with storm clouds moving in.
Cheatgrass is invasive but I sure think it can be pretty especially with a lovely bird amongst it like this male Long-billed Curlew that I photographed on Antelope Island State Park recently.
This Piping Plover image reminds me to try to photograph birds in other than perfect light. Sidelit and backlit images can be spectacular so I don't like passing up taking the chance that I might just get a great shot despite what some photographers think of as bad light.
While looking through my archives a few days ago I came across two images, one of sand dunes at Fort De Soto County Park in Florida and the other of sand dunes on Antelope Island State Park in Utah. I remember that I took both images because I loved the sky, the vegetation on the dunes and how they both make me feel so connected to these two locations that I am deeply attached to.
Yes, poop happens. If there are birds there is poop. That is the straight poop... I mean scoop!
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.
Once again the weather forecasters blew it. Their predictions were wrong. They missed the boat. If weather predictions were a dice game... they crapped out.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I've been seeing a pair of Coyotes hunting together regularly on the island, yesterday I was able to get a few images of one of them as it ran along the road.
It tickles me to be able to photograph wild Bison.
This is part 2 of my three part series on Wild and Wonderful Antelope Island State Park and it covers some of the wildlife that can be found howling, grazing, buzzing and posing for my camera.
For today's Friday Photos I am mixing it up a bit and posting images of Pronghorns, a Black-crowned Night Heron, a Long-tailed Weasel and an American Kestrel. Please enjoy!