Bighorn Sheep having lunch on a slope in Glacier National Park

We saw a small herd of bighorn sheep along the Going-to-the-Sun Road, in Glacier National Park, cross the road and head down the slope. This bigger male was keeping others away from the spot he wanted so he could get the choicest vegetation. I waited for him to move away from the rest of the herd and get to the spot he wanted before I captured this image. We were along the road west of Logan Pass.

215 mm focal length, f8, ISO 200, 1/80 sec

Remeber, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Island fox on Santa Cruz Island, in the campground, Channel Islands National Park

In the Channel Islands National Park, Santa Cruz Island has the resident island fox that was endangered. We camped in Scorpion Canyon at the eastern end of the island. Since they're protected, they have no fear of people. In fact, the rangers warn you when you get there that the foxes will steal your food if you're not careful. We arrived at campsite #1 on Scorpion Canyon and had a fox practically greeting us before we set our packs down at the table. Right after we turned our backs to look for a level place to put the tent, it leaped up onto the table and started sniffing our packs. Funny that we were hoping to see an island fox during this trip and they came to us. Over the course of the one-day visit, we saw three at one time working as a team.

The island fox in this picture was in a clear space under some bushes and must've felt pretty comfortable. I was standing on the trail taking pictures and recording video and it barely paid any attention to me. It was biting at its fur and scratching itself. The ranger told us that the total number on all the Channel Islands is now around 1600, up from about 60, and that this represents what is believed to be the historic numbers.

The image was taken at ISO 1600, f5.6, 105mm focal length, 1/80 sec. using a Canon 70D.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Pronghorn Antelope feeding at north Yellowstone, close up

When we entered Yellowstone National Park from the north, from Gardiner, Montana, we saw a herd of about 14 pronghorn antelope grazing right by the road. Some other antelopes not part of this herd were grazing on the other side of the road close to the town of Gardiner. When we saw them and watched for a while, they approached the buildings of the town and even crossed over a parking lot to search for edibles. We took pictures of them in that position, but didn't think to include them in our blog, since you could see roads and buildings in the image, along with the animals.

Rick used his Canon PowerShot to get this 24x zoom image, with an ISO setting of 400, f8, 1/1000 second.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Pronghorn buck at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park

During our recent trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone, we encountered a herd of 14 pronghorn outside the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana.  This buck seemed to notice the lenses we had aimed at him for photography, so we got this head-on shot.

Pronghorn are unique to North America.  Like other horned animals, their horns have bone at their core, but unlike others ungulates, their horns are covered in sheaths that they shed every year, much like antlered animals shed their antlers annually.

Pronghorn are the fastest land mammals in North America capable of hitting 55 miles per hour.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Yellow-bellied marmot on the move, Kings Canyon

The yellow-bellied marmot is also called the rock chuck, closely related to the wood chuck. We encountered this one at our campsite in Evolution Valley in the northern region of Kings Canyon National Park. It was the morning after a rainy evening and we were setting our gear out to dry in the morning sun. This marmot came along, seemed to have something to eat while hiding in a crevice, then came out to search around the area for more food. It didn't seem to mind our presence that much, so we had a chance to take 20 - 30 images.

I used my camera that has a 50x zoom lens so we didn't have to be that close. We didn't want to disturb him and for him to show natural behaviors. I got lucky in taking this image while he had his rear right foot off the ground while he was on the move. He hung around camp for about 20 minutes or so.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!

Death Valley coyote looking around

Coyotes are very adaptable animals. You'll find them in the high mountains and low deserts. This one was right along the road in Death Valley National Park. It seems that after he looked at us for a while, thinking we might throw some food out for him, he started to consider his options and was looking to move on.

This photo also shows the effects of a camera lens's depth of field, where the more distant part of the scene is out of focus. Even the back and hind legs of the coyote are out of focus, but the face is in focus, which is the main thing you want to get right when you're taking wildlife photos, particularly the eye or eyes.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story!