Wildlife | Swan & Cygnet What a great treat! Today, on my walkabout trail around a small pond, a Mute Swan family had taken up residence. Mom and child moved slowly along the bank looking for a snack. Again the Nikon 1 with its 2.7 crop factor allowed me to capture a nice image while not disturbing the Swans. For the whole story with all images, see Wildlife | a 7 Image Story.
Wildlife | Sandhill Crane Occasionally, it’s better to be lucky than good. Seldom do I get close enough to capture a portrait of a Sandhill Crane. This image is by far the closest and clearest Sandhill Crane I have ever captured. By using my vehicle as a blind, I was able to get very close without disturbing it. It must be accustomed to having people and cars around them. This Sandhill is one of a nesting pair that comes back to this lake every year. For the whole story with all images, see Wildlife | a 7 Image Story.
Wildlife | Pronghorn Portrait This beautiful Pronghorn roams the Badlands. The image was a simple click out the car window. Sometimes, Pronghorn will pose for the camera. Using a vehicle for a blind also helps to get closer without disturbing the critter. Pronghorn are North America’s fastest land animal. They roam the America West and The Great American Prairie. Pronghorn live in grasslands, brush lands and deserts. They migrate from a summer feeding grounds to a winter feeding grounds. Although they tend to travel in large or small herds, often they graze alone or somewhat apart from the herd. They seem so majestic alone in a field. For the whole story with all images, see Wildlife | a 7 Image Story.
Wildlife | Bugling Bull Elk Rut season in the Grand Tetons brings out the largest Bull Elk. This one could be heard bugling for miles. It’s such a unique sound of the wild. Elk an be aggressive animals; even dangerous, year-round. Females can be really aggressive in the spring when their babies are born. Males get even more aggressive in the fall during rut. See Elk | a 7 Image Story for more Elk information and images. For the whole story with all images, see Wildlife | a 7 Image Story.
Wildlife | Bighorn Sheep This Bighorn Sheep image, captured in Badlands NP, really shows how they blend into their habitat. In the fall, Bighorn Sheep carry their full winter coat. They look so majestic in the early morning sun against the mountains. They seem to be more comfortable when they standing on the side of a mountain. Just walking down the road does not appeal to them. Photographing Bighorn Sheep seems much easier than some other wildlife; particularly in the national parks where they are more accustomed to seeing people. Using a vehicle as a blind and safe cover allows you to get very close without disturbing the sheep. Their symmetric lines draw the viewfinder to your eye. Also, see Bighorn Sheep | a 7 Image Story for more information and images.
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep are found in western Canada and western United States. Bighorn Sheep are the largest wild sheep in North America. A large ram can weigh over 300 pounds with ewes weighing less than 150 pounds. Rams have large, tightly curled horns weighing up to 30 pounds, while ewes slightly curved, shorter horns. They are well known for their ability to climb high, steep, rocky mountain areas where they can evade predators. Their hooves are hard around the outside and soft on the inside giving them better traction on slippery rocky terrain. Their tan or brown fur with white belly, rump, and muzzle blend into the mountain background.
For the whole story with all images, see Wildlife | a 7 Image Story.
Wildlife | Raccoon This Raccoon image is clearly the nicest raccoon image I have ever captured and one of my favorite wildlife images. This image was captured at Everglades NP while taking a little time off during a business trip to Florida. Wild Everglade raccoons greeted our air boat as we docked on a remote island. These guys roamed around an old native American house site which is still regularly visited. They seemed thinner than the fat raccoons seen around the farms in Illinois. For the whole story with all images, see Wildlife | a 7 Image Story.
Wildlife | American Bison This old Bison image, captured in the Solitude of Wind Cave NP, is one of my favorite images. He has such character in his face and head. A mature Bison makes in imposing figure. They stand 5-6 feet tall weighing 1,800 to 2,400 pounds. Bison grow a thin layer of soft fine hair and a thick outer layer of course hair. This old Bison is shedding his thick winter coat making him look very shaggy. In the fall, he’ll grow a new coat. Also, see American Bison | a 7 Image Story for more information and images.
The American Bison, also call Bison Bison, is our National Mammal and symbolic of the Great Plains. It’s largest land animal in North America. At one time millions roamed in herds across the grasslands of The Great American Prairie. They can run at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. Just like much of the Great American Prairie has gone the way of the plow; so most of the Bison have gone. Today, small herds are live in Canada and the USA; mostly in state and national parks like Wind Cave NP, Custer State Park, and Yellowstone NP. With about 5,000 Bison, Yellowstone NP has North America’s largest population of wild Bison and is the only place in the United States where bison have lived continuously since the prehistoric times of the last ice age.
For the whole story with all images, see Wildlife | a 7 Image Story.
Wildlife | a 7 Image Story Picking seven wildlife images from the thousands in my database was difficult. These images were primarily chosen because they represent some of my best compositions. Like these images, many of my favorite wildlife images come from the Great American Plains and the American West with only a few from the Midwest. My favorite locations to capture wildlife images tend to be Yellowstone NP, Grand Teton NP, Badlands NP, Wind Cave NP, and the Platte River in Nebraska. See more wildlife images in my Wildlife Portfolio.
American Bison This old Bison image, captured in the Solitude of Wind Cave NP, is one of my favorite images. He has such character in his face and head. A mature Bison makes in imposing figure. They stand 5-6 feet tall weighing 1,800 to 2,400 pounds. Bison grow a thin layer of soft fine hair and a thick outer layer of course hair. This old Bison is shedding his thick winter coat making him look very shaggy. In the fall, he’ll grow a new coat. Also, see American Bison | a 7 Image Story for more information and images. The American Bison, also call Bison Bison, is our National Mammal and symbolic of the Great Plains. It’s largest land animal in North America. At one time millions roamed in herds across the grasslands of The Great American Prairie. They can run at speeds up to 30 miles per hour. Just like much of the Great American Prairie has gone the way of the plow; so most of the Bison have gone. Today, small herds are live in Canada and the USA; mostly in state and national parks.
Raccoon This Raccoon image is clearly the nicest raccoon image I have ever captured and one of my favorite wildlife images. This image was captured at Everglades NP while taking a little time off during a business trip to Florida. Wild Everglade raccoons greeted our air boat as we docked on a remote island. These guys roamed around an old native American house site which is still regularly visited. They seemed thinner than the fat raccoons seen around the farms in Illinois.
Bighorn Sheep This Bighorn Sheep image, captured in Badlands NP, really shows how they blend into their habitat. In the fall, Bighorn Sheep carry their full winter coat. They look so majestic in the early morning sun against the mountains. They seem to be more comfortable when they standing on the side of a mountain. Just walking down the road does not appeal to them. Photographing Bighorn Sheep seems much easier than some other wildlife; particularly in the national parks where they are more accustomed to seeing people. Using a vehicle as a blind and safe cover allows you to get very close without disturbing the sheep. Their symmetric lines draw the viewfinder to your eye. Also, see Bighorn Sheep | a 7 Image Story for more information and images. Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep are found in western Canada and western United States. Bighorn Sheep are the largest wild sheep in North America.
Bugling Bull Elk Rut season in the Grand Tetons brings out the largest Bull Elk. This one could be heard bugling for miles. It’s such a unique sound of the wild. Elk an be aggressive animals; even dangerous, year-round. Females can be really aggressive in the spring when their babies are born. Males get even more aggressive in the fall during rut. See Elk | a 7 Image Story for more Elk information and images.
Pronghorn Portrait This beautiful Pronghorn roams the Badlands. The image was a simple click out the car window. Sometimes, Pronghorn will pose for the camera. Using a vehicle for a blind also helps to get closer without disturbing the critter. Pronghorn are North America’s fastest land animal. They roam the America West and The Great American Prairie. Pronghorn live in grasslands, brush lands and deserts. They migrate from a summer feeding grounds to a winter feeding grounds. Although they tend to travel in large or small herds, often they graze alone or somewhat apart from the herd. They seem so majestic alone in a field.
Each image will be posted individually this week with a bit more narrative under category Wildlife.
Click any image below for a slide show.
