Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Another image from the awesome encounter I had with this cool creature earlier this month. The badger was wary of me and moved away briefly before coming back closer to where I initially saw it.
Largely nocturnal, it isn’t often you get to see one of these cool dudes. This gives you a look at the badger’s stocky, low-slung body. If you’ve never seen one, they are actually pretty big with males pushing close to 20 pounds and 30 inches in length.
Just yesterday I was lamenting that my recent photo excursions were less than fulfilling. Hours later, my luck changed for the better in a big way.
The sun was just coming over the horizon and as I studied the landscape, I noticed a big, brown “rock” next to a prairie dog burrow. I thought to myself that didn’t look familiar. Well, it wasn’t. The “rock” then moved and turned and looked at me!
Needless to say I came to a fast stop and started clicking. This gorgeous badger put on a nice little show for me for a little while.
Unfortunately, it ended quickly when some jerk came along at Mach 1 blaring their music and scared it off. Nevertheless, I was very thankful for the opportunity to spend some time with this amazing creature of the Great Plains – and to hopefully see an improvement in my luck on my outings.
American badger sow brings out her cub for show and tell. I had heard this pretty lady and her little one were making appearances so naturally I had to go see if I could spot them. It took sitting and waiting and staring at a hole in the ground for three hours Saturday but they did indeed pop out for a little while.
There definitely wasn’t much action as they just came out, lied in the sun looking around and then went back into their home. Nevertheless, I was happy to get a chance to see them, something that is pretty rare. And, that little one, what a cutie! 😀
The American badger has a pretty wide range from southern Mexico stretching well into Canada and from California to the Great Lakes. In a few areas it is considered threatened, largely due to loss of habitat from human encroachment.
My, what a big yawn! My, what big teeth!
Going back to this past spring and the time I spent photographing these two cool residents of the Colorado plains. On this morning, the female seemed pretty tired, likely from having been out hunting all night to keep her cub fed.
While her “little” one was very rambunctious, mom was far more inclined to just sit there and try to relax. Here, she lets loose with a big yawn, showcasing that mouthful of teeth that are the last thing many a prairie dog saw.
I suspect a lot of parents, two-legged and four-legged, can feel this badger sow’s pain. Children can be a handful and oftentimes ruin the most peaceful of moments. Such was the case here.
Mom had just emerged from the den and was in no rush to wake up entirely. The cub, however, had other ideas, incessantly pestering its mother to play with it.
When mom continued to ignore the cub and put its head down to rest, the little one got even more aggressive in its attempts, grabbing mom with its claw and chewing on mom’s ear. It was hilarious to watch but I did feel a bit sorry for her. 😉
This no-so-little badger cub was desperately wanting its mom to play but she was having no part of it. From the time she emerged from the burrow, she was doing her best to catch naps while keeping an eye on her not-so-little one.
A very fun time with these two yesterday although they did not make it easy. I knew exactly where they had been seen but I had to sit and wait three hours for them to come out. When they did though, it was well worth it and they spent more than an hour outside before heading in for a nap.
It has been a few years since I had a good photo opportunity with badgers so needless to say, I came away with a big smile on my face.
An American badger cub hunkers down at its home, hopeful that the photographer didn’t see it. Clearly I did!
I have recently been organizing some older photos and came across this one from July 2017 that I have never shared. We were camping on Colorado’s northeastern plains and as usual I was up at dawn and out looking for critters to photograph.
Taking one of my favorite back road routes, I was going slow as I passed this prairie dog colony looking for burrowing owls. Seeing movement far in the distance I stopped and much to my surprise there were two badgers, clearly mom and a cub. Mom dove down into the hole almost immediately but the youngster was a bit braver and stuck around just long enough for me to grab a couple captures.
This was actually the last time I have gotten images of these elusive creatures. Hopefully this summer I can finally find some more.
A bit early with what would be a cool pic for Mothers Day tomorrow but I was just flipping through older images and came across this one. Taken last May, these American Badger had her den in a great spot for viewing and provided me tons of photo opportunities of her and her cubs.
I’ve been watching the same spot this year but thus far haven’t seen them. Hopefully I will in the coming weeks but, it is pretty rare to see one at all so I am doubtful.
The American Badger is a rarely seen creature found across the western and central United States, northern Mexico and southern Canada. Its preferred habitat includes grasslands where it can find it’s the prey it relies on to survive. Carnivorous, the badger is part of the same family that includes the wolverine, ferret and weasel. It is ferocious in its hunting ability choosing snakes, prairie dogs, mice and other residents of plains-like areas where it lives. It is considered an endangered species in parts of Canada and a threatened species in some locations in the United States.
An American Badger cub plays a game of hide and seek with the photographer. Taken back in May with this little one’s mom had her den right near a road with great visibility. It was about time for the cubs to wake up and I was patiently waiting their appearance. This guy was the first to show but not without checking out his surroundings and making sure it was all clear.
The American Badger is a rarely seen creature found across the western and central United States, northern Mexico and southern Canada. Its preferred habitat includes grasslands where it can find it’s the prey it relies on to survive.
Carnivorous, the badger is part of the same family that includes the wolverine, ferret and weasel. It is ferocious in its hunting ability choosing snakes, prairie dogs, mice and other residents of plains-like areas where it lives. It is considered an endangered species in parts of Canada and a threatened species in some locations in the United States.
A fun image of these two American Badger cubs taken back in May. The three cubs and their mom provided a couple of weeks of fun and a photo opportunity that does not come along often. The cubs would appear for an hour or so each morning and spend time romping around and playing.
The behavior here was often repeated with one seeming to rear back and roar although I never did hear a sound come from them.
The American Badger is ferocious in its hunting ability choosing snakes, prairie dogs, mice and other residents of plains-like areas where it lives. It is considered an endangered species in parts of Canada and a threatened species in some locations in the United States.
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