Nov 6, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep
captured by D5 / 180-400VR
Spring lambs are simply the cutest thing and heading towards their first winter, they transform into Rocky Mtn Bighorn Sheep adults. These masters of the vertical world are simply a fascinating critter to watch and photograph. I’ve done so for nearly forty years and they never cease to amaze and entertain me as they go about their daily lives. The small ewe band had a number of spring lambs who were as interested in us as we them. This leads to fun moments as they kept an eye on us photographing the downslope migration. It was really easy to add human thoughts to their facile reactions. The entertainment Bighorn can bring to your photography.
Nov 5, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Bison
captured by D5 / 180-400VR
Bison are truly amazing critters! The vast majority of the time though, I focus on the big, loan bulls cause they are such icons of the American West. The cows tend to have that “weathered” look which doesn’t translate as well as that icon. The other morning we came across this herd and the temps, light, and background made their breath pop so I had to stop. As I scanned the herd for bulls, this trifecta of cows watching me caught my attention. I think the photo says the rest, don’t mess with the moms!
Oct 30, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
There is a locale in Yellowstone that this time of year, the big boys like to hang. And if you’re lucky, they will come out of hiding and play with you, and the light. Such was the opportunity yesterday when we found him and a bud just doing what they do best, looking majestic. When we first found them, they were in a spot where we couldn’t park, there was no safe place to even stand to shoot. After watching for fifteen minutes, I decided to go on and then ninety minutes later, we returned and that when things began to happen.
We watched as this magnificent Rocky Mountain Elk bull strolled out of the shadows, heading our direction. The path he was going to take was office so I moved so when he went through that shaft of light, I’d be in the right place. Shooting hand-held with the D5 / 180-400VR, I dialed in +.7 exp comp, made sure the internal 1.4 was not engaged, I framed up the shot I was hoping to get. Then he strolled right through the spot. Click! Then he kept going out in the bright sun. While he was front-lit, this symbol of wilderness lost some of his magnificence. That’s because the mystery of his world was missing, a part that makes this forest dweller secretive. So there are times when less is more and light or no light, that is the question!
Oct 22, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Except for when they nest, they spend their entire life at sea. When the kids fledge, it is literally their first flight and it’s straight out to sea. A pelagic species, the Northern Gannet has a six-foot wingspan and three-foot body length built to do one thing extremely well, fly!
On the Newfoundland Coast, you will find the St Mary’s Ecological Reserve, the home of 40,000 Northern Gannets during the nesting season (30k adults and 10k new kids). It’s a gathering of nature I heard about decades ago and just now was fortunate to see and photograph. It’s an experience I will never, ever forget and will always treasure!
The Gannets nest on the ledges of the sea stack. They mate for life and when they leave the sea stack after nesting, they don’t see their mate until the following spring. There is just enough room at each nest for an adult. So the other adult after it’s delivered the kid’s food just flies around the sea stack. They might do that for hours. And they do it effortlessly!!!
Their life is at sea and they fly with the grace of nature, what a challenge to bring to a single click! There was a spot when they flew their circuit around the sea stack they would briefly light up from bounced light. By standing at the right place, I could take advantage of that bounced light, the sparkling Atlantic in the background when they had their wings set in a glide. Shooting with the D5 / 180-400VR I just watched them make their circuit and when I saw one in the right spot, I shot. For me, the photos sum up my experience I had waited decades to live.
Oct 4, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
When most hear the name Bighorn Sheep, they think of those high up in the Rockies, butting heads in the snow and braving the cold. The Rocky Mountain Bighorn is a spectacular creature but they are rivaled by their desert cousin, the Nelson’s or Desert Bighorn Sheep. My life long fascination and love for Bighorn began with the Desert Bighorn way back in ’84 when I was part of a translocation, there to document and work the move. When you are sitting on three animals (that’s a heck of a story) and one of them kicks your F3T out of your hand while shooting, you tend to have a whole lot of respect for that critter. I fell in love with them that day which still goes strong today.
As you might imagine, finding let alone photographing Desert Bighorn Sheep requires going to the desert. At the same time, finding them in that vast space when they move about so much is a huge challenge. There are a few locations like in Palm Springs and by Hoover Dam, you find small bands that are well known, but by and large they are a secretive species. That’s one reason why I’ve not gone after them for decades with a camera, just watched them every now and then with bins. Another reason is they live in a rugged word where triple digits and vertical faces are the nicest things you can say about their habit. This doesn’t lend themselves to a quick pic.
One well known but guarded secret place to find the Desert Bighorn Sheep is the Great Basin Nat’l Park. That’s where we found them for a couple of days until they moved downrange to forage. For those couple of days, we had a herd of ninty head, rams and ewes which had come together at the beginning of their rut. When sex is in the air, a big, white Suburban is not even noticed bristling with 180-400VR out its window. The time we had with the herd was the finest Bighorn Sheep photography I’ve ever experienced!
On the last day of our trip, the sheep were gone from the locales where we had been working them. After many hours, we finally found them downslope foraging and new greens and in a locale, there was no way we could access. I talked with a range manager a week later to find out they had walked over the mountain and were in a valley that was accessible by helo only. We lucked out with our three days with the herd, but what a magical three days. You can see more images from my time here but this is just a fraction of what I shot and doesn’t come close to fulfilling my love affair with this noble king of the desert.
Oct 2, 2019 | Wildlife Photography
Ever since I saw my first photo of a Northern Gannet over thirty years ago, I’ve longed to see it with my own eyes. Bird Rock at the Cape St Mary’s Ecological Reserve is the site of the Northern Gannet nesting colony. Just a tad short of the eastern point of North America, this lone sea stack starting in May, is the home to forty thousand plus Gannets for the few months they come off the sea to set forth the next generation. It’s a sight and sound I have longed to witness and it is nothing like I imagined. It is so much more!
The photographic challenge smacks you right in the face when you walk up to the edge. How do you tell the story of this natural wonder, nesting Northern Gannets of Newfoundland? Standing back and shooting the entire coastline (Z6 / Z24-70f2.8) is one option but then, who are all the white dots? You focus on just an individual, even one propositioning a hopeful mate (D5 / 180-400VR), and you lose the mass. I’m a couple of days into this challenge and after the first day, I knew I was close, but no cigar. The second day I was closer … I have more days to tell the story in my photos of one of many.
