Wild
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Yes Dear, I'm Sure I Know Where I'm Going!
The title seems like an appropriate caption for the lead bird based on the look it's getting from the bird at the right.
Strut Your Stuff
This is a tight crop of some birds showing off. I like the bird at upper right corner appearing to be egging them on :-) .
Early Morning Liftoff
The cranes roost on sandbars in the middle of the Platte River at night to protect them from predators. In the morning, they tend to fly up in "swarms" which are amazing to both see and hear.
Endurance, One Leg at a Time
You think you have it bad? Just imagine being a wild creature having to endure the cold on days like today (1/18/2016) with a high temperature of around 15 degrees F, and most of the day being well below that temperature. These geese were congregated at one end of a pond in Platte River State Park (Nebraska) that had open water. Most of the waterfowl were Canadian Geese, but there was a pair of what appear (based on Wikipedia) to be Greylag geese, which I don't believe are common to the US (again, based on Wikipedia). The greylags didn't appear to be enjoying themselves as much as the Canadians.
Post edit...I've learned that this is a Greylag Barnyard Goose. They originated in Europoe and were domesticated for their meat. Probably brought to North America a long time ago...
Lark on the Look
Today (12/1/2015) while driving the country roads looking for interesting landscapes following yesterday's storm, I came across a covey of meadowlarks busily hopping around and pecking at the snowy gravel roadway. I would guess that they either had found some spilled grain on the road or were filling their tiny gizzards with gravel.
Ruffled Feathers
Another meadowlark out on the road. It was windy enough to ruffle it's feathers, thus the name of the photo. I'm glad I spotted them and was able to get a couple of decent shots.
MeadowlarkBirdRuffled FeathersBack RoadsCountryRuralSnowLark
Helter-Shelter
Making Tracks
King of the Mountain III
King of the Mountain II
King of the Mountain
It's Time to Move
High Mountain Family IV
High Mountain Family III
High Mountain Family
We came across this family of elk off of Fall River Road, just below Fall River Pass. I love that they had placed themselves on a ridge, providing an ideal view/perspective for photography.
Bugle Break
On Break
A Soft Bed Among the Thistles
This calf was comfortably bedded down while an adult bull elk (the main focus of my photo stop) and various cows milled about in a wooded area. Because of the woods, my photos of the adults weren't very impressive. However, this image made the whole stop worthwhile.
Smelling the Bush
Maybe checking for scent from other bulls, or from cows? I don't know.
Just Can't Quit...
Some old habits are hard to break.
The lighting was rather poor/harsh, but I like the emotive nature of the shot anyway.
Another Pose
Same elk, same location as previous shot. Car horn still going off.
On Alert (read below)
I spotted this bull elk one afternoon along the lower reaches of Trail Ridge Road. Naturally, I pulled over to take pictures, leading to the inevitable jam-up of traffic, everybody wanting to get a good view and photo. I was getting frustrated with this elk because he kept eating grass and wouldn't look up for a good "pose". Then...among the "herd" of cars a car alarm went off, "honk, honk, honk,...". That made quite a disruption to the peace, but was a perfect way to get a striking pose out of this otherwise stubborn elk!
Here's Looking at Ya
This cicada decided to contently pose on the side of my deck rail one afternoon this summer (2015). He (or she) was pretty cool headed, staying there long enough to allow me to go into the house, grab my camera, mount the right macro lens, mount my flash and DIY flash diffuser and return for taking between 20 and 30 hand-held flash photos. The flash diffuser was no more than 1 foot distant from him, yet he hardly moved. I particularly like this composition with the eye detail (click to a larger view to see) as well as the imposing/towering perspective.
CicadaCicada CloseUpCicada FaceCicada EyesCicada MacroTowering CicadaGreen Cicada
Cicada Full Body "Portrait"
Meadowlark Serenade II
MeadowlarkRural BirdSinging BirdCountry BirdSinging Meadowlark
Meadowlark Serenade
A rusty center pivot irrigation system provided a number of perches for local meadowlarks this evening. This one was perched near the drive control (to the left) for a set of drive wheels.
MeadowlarkRural BirdSinging BirdCountry BirdSinging Meadowlark
