Here’s another one from Yellowstone — a mother bighorn with her lamb. For most of the year, the males live in bachelor herds at higher elevations while the females can be found down below with the young. It’s only during breeding season that the rams and ewes get together. We came across several large herds of females and young on this recent trip, very habituated to our presence and going about their business as if we weren’t there.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/320th of a second

One of the nice things about going to Yellowstone with people that hadn’t been there before was revisiting all the great landscape features of the park. Usually, I just head straight for the wildlife and drive right past the geothermal highlights. Both of these shots were taken at Mammoth Hot Springs, where travertine terraces of calcium carbonate dominate a large hill at the northwest entrance to the park. It almost looks like winter, although there was not yet any snow on the ground. The top shot was taken below the terraces while the second shot was taken from above.
Top photo — Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/22 at 1/100th of a second
Bottom photo — Nikon D800 with Sigma 15mm fisheye lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/500th of a second

Here’s another one from Yellowstone. This was the only night (or morning) that we had clouds in the sky and therefore any substantial color. These three pronghorn cooperated by running through the scene. I said this in previous posts about pronghorn, but it bears repeating — they are the fastest land animal over long distances (and only slightly slower than a cheetah in a sprint, at 60 miles per hour versus 61 miles per hour).
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 130mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/60th of a second

It’s my Aunt Sue-on-my-wife’s-side’s birthday today. So this mountain bluebird goes out to her. There are three species of bluebird — the mountain, the western and eastern (the eastern are the ones you see in Florida with the rust colored breast). The mountain lacks the rust, but is just as striking with it’s bright blue feathers. I photographed this one in the Mammoth Terrace area of Yellowstone last week.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/8000th of a second

Figured I’d post another double shot from the Yellowstone trip last week. Today, it’s a bull elk doing his bull elky thing. The first shot displays his impressive rack and rutting posture as he chases members of his harem around. In the second shot, the same elk is bugling — the term used for the bull’s call as he tries to attract a willing cow. Elk, like all deer, have antlers that they shed every year. With each growing season, the rack gets increasingly larger before being shed. In Yellowstone, elk usually “drop” in fall or early winter. The size of this guy’s rack indicates that he’s been around for awhile.
Top photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second
Bottom photo — Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second

Here are two shots of one of the black bears we met last week in Yellowstone. Based on body size, as well as the length and shape of the ears, I think this is a female. She was causing quite a “bear jam” as a crowd of people were watching her go about her business of eating berries along the side of the road. We also saw a few grizzly bears, but none close enough for photos.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 2000, f/4 at 1/500th of a second (bottom photo 1/400th of a second)

Wolves have long been my nemesis — one of the main North American animals that have, for the most part, eluded me in the wild. I see them quite often when I go to Yellowstone, but never close enough for decent photos. This weekend that tradition continued. That being said, I did get relatively close to this young black wolf and its grey companion. The two were howling up on a ridge and eventually disappeared. When they appeared again, we realized that they had duped us by passing by further up the road. As I say every time I leave Yellowstone, I’ll get them next time. For now, this is the best that I could do.
Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4.5 at 1/4000th of a second

Badlands National Park is one of my favorite wildlife destinations in the country. In the northern, grassy area of the park, prairie dogs, bighorn, pronghorn, burrowing owls and bison are all very common. The sun had just set behind these three bison when I took this shot.
Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 350mm) ISO 800, f/4.5 at 1/400th of a second

There are many species of ibis throughout the world. Most recently I posted a photo of the red ibis. This is the white ibis, photographed at Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel Island, Florida. Click for larger view.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 550mm with Nikon TC-14 teleconverter) ISO 400, f/8 at 1/800th of a second

The American avocet is a very graceful bird, with longs legs and a thin, delicate beak. I came across this particular bird late one afternoon in Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in north central Colorado. It was feeding in a shallow swampy area, providing a nice opportunity for reflections.
Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/320th of a second