One Winter Day

 Yesterday morning I complained to Ken about the fact that it was much harder to be a nature photographer in Wyoming in the winter months. The wildlife and birds are limited in variety and don't seem to travel as much. Yellowstone is closed from this direction and there is just so much snow everywhere!

Then I looked out the window and saw a coyote standing on the rocks. I grabbed the camera and began snapping as another dog moved into the frame and then a third. I know from experience these canines are sensitive to the slightest sound and movement so all my shots were taken from inside the house but what a thrill to watch them hunting cottontails!

We have a family of four coyotes that has been living on our place for three to four years now. This is the group that has a member with only three legs that I believe is the mother. I am a little concerned that I haven't seen her since the start of the heavy snows about six weeks ago but I am hoping she is just saving her strength while the rest of the pack hunts.

A few hours later I headed over to Powell to teach a class at Northwest College. Along the way I passed a field where I counted 5 Ring-necked Pheasant cocks and three hens. Like the coyotes, they are incredibly quick to flee once a vehicle so much as slows down anywhere nearby but I managed to get at least one good shot of a male before he ran away from me.

Hanging in there

I have been photographing this tree on my property for about twenty years now. It doesn't seem to get any bigger but it still appears healthy and I am always amazed at its ability to hang on. I know there is a great caption there, somewhere!

Winter Beauty

I love that I live in a place where I can walk out the door for an afternoon stroll and come back renewed by a sense of awe at the beauty that surrounds me. Tower Rock brings a feeling of joy every time I look at it - which is many times a day. There is rarely a morning when one or both of our resident Golden Eagles are not sitting on the top watching over their territory in search of a meal. At some point the Common Raven pair comes along and harasses the bigger birds until they give up and retreat to a further ridge but we continue to see them throughout the day and the next morning they are back in place again.

The tracks that are visible at the base of Tower belong to both bobcat and coyote. Somehow they manage to avoid each other most days although occasionally their paths will cross and then the bobcat usually has the upper hand (paw?) despite his smaller size and being out numbered.

Heart Mountain is about 20 miles away but its form dominates the horizon in a way that pleases my sense of balance.

This is home.

Inauguration Day

Yesterday seemed like a good day to put on the skis and get out into the wild. The endless discussions and coverage from Washington were a constant reminder of the dysfunctional family that America has become over the last year or so. I chose to go to my healing place in nature which is a much more peaceful environment and doesn't involve people trying to talk over each other in an effort to make their opinion seem the most valid. 

This doesn't mean I am sticking my head in the sand. Like many others I have fears about what is to come in this country, particularly as it affects this beautiful world in which we live and its many inhabitants. But yesterday, for me, was about spending time gathering strength from the beauty around me and appreciating the natural world in all its glory. 

 Above, the view looking east from Yellowstone's east entrance.

This swing, left, was a discovery made as we returned to the car parked at Pahaska. I don't know who put it there and it is probably illegal but its presence tickled my fancy as a symbol of innocence and fun.

Snow Lodge

As far as Ken and I could figure out, I think this was our twelfth, or so, visit to Old Faithful during the winter. It may be more. The first time we stayed there during the snowy season was before 1995 because that was when the new Snow Lodge was built. 

For anyone who hasn't had the experience, it is hard to describe how different it is from the summer months. It is not just the lack of people - the entire attitude of everyone there from guests to workers has a more intense feel to it. After all, when the average temperature hovers around zero degrees Fahrenheit as it did this year, it takes a hearty and dedicated soul to really enjoy getting out and exploring each day. 

 Ken and I take our back-country cross-country skis with us when we go and we have our favorite ski trails all planned out in advance. Some years, like this one, are a little more challenging because of the need to break trail through pretty deep snow but we always come back with a renewed appreciation for the incredible environment that makes up Yellowstone in the winter.

The first photo, above, shows the bobby sock trees at first light.

 This tree, covered in rime frost, was barely visible through the fog at Fountain Paint Pots.

 The next two images are also from Fountain Paint Pots. The fog gave a mystical feel to the morning.

The bison were looking especially frosty this year. They always have the right of way on the roads, above.

I captured a shot of this collared bison, left, very early one morning.

 This bighorn ram almost looks fake with the amazing sky as a backdrop. This shot was taken between Gardiner and Mammoth on our way into the Park. I have seen lots of rams with broken horns before but never one like this where there is a big chunk broken off the very top. That must have been quite a battle!

 Ken skiing on the boardwalk near Castle Geyser. Usually we hike the boardwalks because the trails are so icy but the amount of new snow this year convinced us to don the skis for a loop around. Note the three bison grazing on the far river bank.

This coyote was passing through as we made our way back to Mammoth at the end of our stay.

Three Good Terns

We had the pleasure of observing three different varieties of Terns during our last visit to Florida. The largest of the group are the Caspian Terns, seen here in the first image. Besides their size, they can be distinguished from other terns by the mottled dark forehead. 

The Common Tern is much smaller and less colorful in its non-breeding months when its bill is black instead of red. 

In between the other two, size-wise, is the Royal Tern. They always seem to have a very modern hairdo!

The Bark

Just one quick shot today. I am fascinated by White-Tail Deer since Mulies are much more common on our land. The white-tails always appear more delicate to my eye. These two were being very sweet to each other with the one on the right nuzzling the one on the left as I drove by. They didn't seem concerned when I stopped to take a shot but just as I clicked, a dog barked somewhere in the distance and they both went on full alert. A second later they were over the hill and out of sight.

The Dark Side

I am not sure why but my favorite images from the latest visit to Florida were all taken under low light conditions and have a feeling of the spotlight about them. Almost all were shot underexposed - in a couple cases, dramatically so. 

 This Brown Pelican, above, flew into the first light just at sunrise. The extreme low tide adds to the feeling of darkness. These birds seem prehistoric to me at the best of times but especially so in this image!

 I was thrilled to capture this group of preening White Pelicans just after day break. Underexposing for the brightness of their feathers left the background moody and dark.

 This Great Blue Heron stood stoically as a flock of Dunlin flew by him. The smaller birds can't seem to sit still and kept swirling around the calmer, large bird.

I managed to capture several frames of this White Pelican coming in for a landing. The water almost looks like ice as he gets ready to touch down.

Leaping Lizards!

Happy New Year! Here we go again for another trip round the sun. If 2017 is anything like 2016, it will be a wonderful year. I am including a couple of fun photos from our brief trip to Florida over Christmas. 

 I don't know how many shots I took of this particular lizard, above, as he spent hours at a time sitting on the head of the concrete rabbit. I'm sure he just thought of it as a nice, stone perch but I found it endlessly amusing!

I have tried a number of times in the past to capture a shot of a Brown Anole with his throat pouch extended, to no avail. I discovered the secret this time around - start shooting and hope it happens!