Things got interesting in the yard yesterday. While walking with the dog, I spotted this common garter snake with the better part of a spadefoot toad hanging out of its mouth. Good for the snake. Very bad for the poor toad. They battled for awhile before the snake finished the job and then quietly slithered away with a full belly. Nikon D850 with Nikkor 105mm macro lens, ISO 500, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.

It’s that time of year again when the horseshoe crabs are spawning in the Delaware Bay. I took this shot a few years back down in Cape May, New Jersey. The crabs generally come ashore in greater numbers at high tide on full or new moons. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 20mm) ISO 200, f/20 at 1/3rd of a second.

Here’s another quarantine image from my backyard. I’ve seen a lot of these eastern bluebirds flying around, but they are reluctant to let me get too close. This guy was a bit more agreeable. His colors weren’t as vibrant as some of the others I’ve seen. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/800th of a second.

This young guy was waiting patiently for his mother to return to the den with breakfast. There was also another sibling nearby and they would take turns playing with each other and then stopping to scan the horizon. Photographed in Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/320th of a second.

Here’s another one captured the other day in my yard. This is a male house finch. A mated pair have been hanging around our garage. I’m assuming their nest is somewhere nearby. They look like normal brown sparrows until viewing them through my long lens. The female, however, doesn’t have the red. I want to hang feeders to draw in more of the birds I see flying around, but it’s not recommended with all the bear activity. Two days ago, we had a large male walk up the driveway, past our front door and then into the back yard where he stood a few times as if about to climb a tree. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera in hand. Until next time. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm f/56 PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/200th of a second.

The sky was starting to take on a bit of late-day color as I caught this bison trudging through the snow in Yellowstone. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/250th of a second.

I may not be able to get on a plane and go back to Africa or Asia or anywhere else on the planet anytime soon, but there’s plenty of wildlife worth appreciating a bit closer to home. Chipmunks dig up our yards, destroy mortar in our stone walls and cause all other manner of havoc around the yard. But we still love having them around. These three babies have been making a daily appearance in our backyard. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.

Looks like a perfectly fine place to relax to me. This black bear cub was one of several siblings perched safely in the trees while Mom foraged below. Photographed in northern Minnesota. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.

Here’s another one from the Rocky Mountain region, a bighorn ram. Winter tends to be the best time to see the rams as they leave their bachelor herds and come down from higher elevations to vie for females. They also come down seeking easier grass to uncover beneath the heavy snow. This headshot was taken in Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.

Although pikas look like furry little rodents, they are actually lagomorphs, which include rabbits and hares. They live in high, rocky settings. This one was photographed up in the alpine tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second.