Ground squirrels can sometimes be hard to distinguish from prairie dogs. One way to tell them apart is their stance. Prairie dogs tend to lean forward (and are more rounded of body) while ground squirrels stand more upright. There are many different kinds of ground squirrel. This is the Wyoming ground squirrel, photographed in Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in north central Colorado. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/800th of a second.

I caught this female pronghorn at the salad bar. She seemed to really enjoy the variety of options at her disposal in this particular little corner of Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

When an eastern newt is in its juvenile phase, it turns a bright orangish red, puts on a nice spotted coat, and spends its time on land. As it grows into the newt it will eventually become, it moves to a more permanent water source in the form of a river, pond or lake. It’s when it’s in this red phase that it is commonly called a red eft. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 120mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/20th of a second.

The desert can be a beautiful place when in full bloom (or anytime for that matter). But blooms can be quick and unpredictable, and certain cactus may not bloom at all for years before opening up. I was lucky on this occasion in Joshua Tree in California and hit it just right. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at 1/3rd of a second.

The upland sandpiper may not have the most spectacular coloring, but makes up for it by cutting a fine looking profile. You’d expect a bird like this to be found in coastal areas, but this species of sandpiper favors the open fields of the central part of the country. This one was photographed in South Dakota in Badlands National Park. As for diet, upland sandpipers will eat just about anything, including grasshoppers, crickets, weevils, beetles, moths, ants, flies, bugs, caterpillars, millipedes, spiders, snails and earthworms. All the good stuff. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

Badlands National Park is one of my favorite locations for wildlife. I almost always see bighorn and on this occasion, a few lambs with their mothers showed up. This little guy took a break from playing to pose for a quick portrait before getting back after it. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.

A rather large black bear fills up on berries, preparing for hibernation a few years back in Yellowstone National Park. The denning period for black bears in Yellowstone is roughly five months. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

Here’s another of our backyard visitors. Not from this week, of course, but from back in July. Hawks can be difficult to distinguish one species from another, but the banding on the tail and spotted chest gives this one away as a juvenile red-tailed hawk. I also like that fancy pant on the left leg. It seemed quite intrigued by whatever it was staring at through the back windows of our house. Perhaps our cat, who likes to sit back there. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.

Black-capped night herons (also known as black-crowned night herons, or simply night herons) are widely distributed throughout the world wherever there is salt or fresh water wetlands. This guy allowed me a very close approach in ideal lighting conditions for a headshot — direct, low sun, with a dark shadowed background. Taken during a work trip last year to Kiawah Island in South Carolina. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 360mm) ISO 200, f/8 at 1/1250th of a second.

Armadillos can be difficult to photograph because they keep their noses to the ground 90% of the time. They’re also quite skittish. They have a great sense of smell, but terrible eyesight so the trick is to position yourself upwind so that they don’t know you’re there and wait for them to lift their heads. I photographed this nine-banded armadillo on Merritt Island in Florida. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 220mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/1000th of a second.