With classes being as demanding as they have been for the last month or so, the only chance I get to photograph wildlife is on my daily commute back and forth to the college. Luckily for me, that is really not a problem around here! The backlit pronghorn buck above gave me a rare chance to snap his portrait as he stood trying to decide if I was a threat or not. They are much more accessible this time of year as they gather in herds - they obviously feel there is strength in numbers. One of the amazing things about this guy is the shininess of his horns. That is because he most likely just shed the old covering so these are sparkly and new. You almost never find shed antelope horns (although I have found pieces of them before.) I suspect the reason is that they shed just the husk, not a solid horn, and I think they are kind of like fingernails in makeup so they simply disintegrate soon after being dropped.
This beauty to the left was sitting in a cottonwood tree alongside the Clark's Fork River two days ago. His beak seems to be huge in comparison to the size of his head!
Yesterday we loaded up the snow machines and headed to Pilot Creek for a day of backcountry skiing. I don't know how it works but even though we have no snow at all down here, Cooke City has a whooping 65" base already. The snow was perfect for skiing - knee high powder with a solid base. Getting to the area we wanted to ski was not so much fun - the trails have not yet been groomed and we just about beat ourselves to death riding the snow machines over the bumpy roads for a dozen miles or so.
It did not stop snowing the whole time we were there so the photos ops were not plentiful. At one point I had a short window when I could actually capture Republic Peak in the background.
I thought this snow snake to the right deserved to be photographed before it plunged under its own weight.
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