I mentioned in yesterday’s post that the usually-active wildlife corridor in my backyard has been very slow this summer. The bears must have heard me. They finally showed up today. A mother with two cubs. They navigated around my camera traps, but I was able to grab a few snapshots as they clung to the perimeter of the yard on their way through. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/6.3 at 1/1000th of a second (top photos), ISO 2000, f/6.3 at 1/800th of a second (bottom photo).

In lieu of much recent activity up at the camera trap, here’s a shot of a young Virginia opossum from back in the fall. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 400, f/14 at 1/80th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

A couple of marmots engaged in marmot-y behavior. These are the yellow-bellied species and they were photographed at Mount Evans in Colorado. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/125th of a second.

Great grays are certainly majestic owls. But they do look kind of funny when they’re on the ground — often half sunken in snow — just after diving for a vole or other prey. I’m not entirely sure if this was a successful attempt or not. The owl hung out for quite some time in the snow and then turned and flew in the opposite direction. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.

Wind Cave National Park is known for what’s under ground, but it’s also a great spot for all that exists above ground. This male pronghorn granted me a few moments to grab a nice side portrait before he moved along to do pronghorn-y things. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.

My dog and I have had a few close encounters with our local skunks the past few nights, on our pre-bedtime walk. Not sure if this is the same one we came face to face with, but likely, and it eventually found its way to my camera trap in the back woods. Thankfully, the close encounter did not result in any sort of a stinky situation. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

Unlike most owls, burrowing owls are active during the day. They also are unique in that they live in burrows in the ground. They can be found in a variety of habitats including open grasslands, deserts, agricultural areas and any other wide open spaces. This little guy was photographed down on the west coast of Florida. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 380mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.

It’s that time of year when male bullfrogs are singing their nightly solos in the hopes of acquiring new admirers. I captured this image years ago in Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in southern Indiana. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 100, f/11 at 1/125th of a second.

Deer are fairly regular visitors to my backyard camera traps at night. Usually it’s a single deer tripping the shutter, so it was nice to capture this image of a fawn following Mom through the woods. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 20mm lens, ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th of a second, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.