Posts in Category: wildlife
Maine! Chickadees never fail me
Black-capped Chickadee: York County, Maine, USA, November 2024 — If I have the urge to photograph something…and that seems to happen to me fairly frequently :)…I know that if I go sit on my little folding camp stool on the back deck for a few moments the Chickadees, at the very least, will come, even here in the bird doldrums of deep November in Maine. They have no fear. This one sat there on the rail not 6 feet from me in my corner of the deck for maybe 30 seconds. Time enough. Sony a6700 with E70-350G at 525mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Pronghorn on the ridge
Pronghorn: Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — We came back down off our second loop on the Blacktail Plateau and our amazing Wolf encounter, to find a small herd of Pronghorn feeding in one of those wet low spots between two ridges below the road as you come into the Lamar Valley. The buck had stationed himself on the western ridge above the herd where he would keep his eye on things. Of course we stopped for photos. 🙂 He was a handsome, heathy, well grown buck, and proud with it. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Maine! Crow attendant
American Crow: York County, Maine, USA, November 2024 — Of course when the eagles are perching by the river they are never without their attendant crows. And not the kind of attention they really like. The crows are continuously harassing the eagles, trying to keep them moving, never letting them settle for long. Of course our eagles are used to it and pretty much ignore the crows, but that does not stop the crows from trying. This one landed right above me. Sony a6700 with E 70-350 G at 525mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Wolf at the carcass
Wolf: Blacktail Plateau, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Sorry for the “nature raw” shots if they bother you, but this is real. My wolf encounter was because wolves were coming to a carcass that was right by the road on Blacktail Plateau. Others who were there that day saw this mother with 2 pups about 200 yards down the draw from the carcass, and she was obviously carrying food back to them. While we were there, the park rangers came with a truck with a winch and hoist and removed the carcass to take it somewhere where the wolves could feed without being in such close proximity to fool hearty tourists and photographers. 🙂 Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Big Grey Wolf
Wolf: Blacktail Plateau, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — I always feel the need to apologize for these photos. Even though it was a once-in-a-lifetime encounter with a wolf, I know I was in the wrong place at the right time. No one with any sense allows a wolf to come this close…about 3 yards…but she snuck up on me, coming up the back side of the ridge while I was sitting just down from the brow. By the time others alerted me to her presence and I stood up, she was right there, cresting the ridge. Too late to run (and that would have been the worst of ideas anyway) I simply tried to keep the camera steady and thought “I’m not in your way, just go around me”. I did not feel threatened in any way…and I would like to think she didn’t either, and she did turn and walk around me, keeping that 3 yard distance. Lots of head-shots…only cropped for composition, so full frame really with the Sony a6700 and the Tamron 50-400 Di iii at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. (And glad for them because I certainly could not have thought about what I was doing at that moment any more than to point and shoot.) Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Pika reward
Pika: Sheepeater Cliffs, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Persistence pays off. This was our 4th visit to Sheepeater Cliffs in search of Pika…on of the smaller species of wildlife in the Park, and certainly one of the cutest. Rock Bunnies with satellite TV dish ears. We had seen Pika on one visit before, but the light was failing when we were there and they were not close…this time they were close and right out in the sun. They love the little tuffs of grass at the edge of the talus slope. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Success
Coyote: Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Late afternoon coming back from our lightning visit to the Grand Tetons, we came up beside this hunting Coyote on the slope above the road and right across from a pull-out. Right place, right time, and ready. Popped out of the car and had a lot of fun watching the action. This sequence is of a successful pounce…vole, mole, something. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Another day on the carcass
Grizzly Bear and Wolves: Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Because we were on our way to the Tetons, we arrived at the Bear Jam in the Hayden Valley early, with the fresh sun on the ridge where the carcass was and the wind not risen yet. Better conditions by far than our first stop there, but still, the Bears and Wolves were too far away of great photography. This is from the ridge above and on the other side of the road. A ranger was set up there with a scope, showing visitors what all the lenses were pointed at. There were two bears, though one stayed pretty much hidden behind the other and half a dozen wolves. Again this is a 2mp crop from the 26mp sensor, so there are not many pixels under the bear and wolves. 🙂 Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Morning Swans on the morning river.
Trumpeter Swans: Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — These two handsome Trumpeter Swans were swimming upstream on the Yellowstone right past the carcass on the bank and the Coyote from a previous post. Again the light was challenging. ISO 16,000 challenging, but with some noise reduction in post, this is still a satisfying image (at least to me). Sony s6700 with my bird and wildlife modifications. -1 EV to hold highlight detail. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Coyote on carcass
Coyote: Hayden Valley, Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — Early in the morning, before the sun had worked its way down to Yellowstone just as you come into the Hayden Valley, we stopped to see what was on the elk carcass that was at the edge of the water on the far side of the river for several days while we were visiting the park. Only a Coyote. (One of the days we did not visit the valley, a bear came and dragged it away, but we only ever saw the coyote.) Challenging light, and a good distance away. These shots are at ISO 20,000, cropped and processed for noise in Photomator, but not bad at all. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed as above.