Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
What she really thinks of him. Notice how she waited until his head was turned. 😀
A fun shot of this American bison pair recently. They were actually quite amorous with each other, copulating a couple of times and then hanging out together afterwards. I suspect there will be a calf in their future before long
That sun had to feel really good after the cold and snow the past 36 hours had brought to the plains. Certainly, these guys are built to withstand the harsh, winter weather but you know it isn’t easy.
Just the day before I had photographed this same guy lying down, caked in snow, waiting for the storm to end. Sunday, with it finally over, he was up and about, pushing aside the snow to get to the grass underneath.
The landscape was absolutely gorgeous in its new blanket of white that stretched from the plains to the Rocky Mountains 20 miles away. Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado.
The morning this was taken a couple weeks ago saw me capture some of my best bison pics ever. The action shots got the most of my attention but I have to say, this is one of my favorites too.
The young “red dog” calf was walking with the herd, oftentimes jumping and running just like you would expect a kid to do. At one point, it stopped and watched as a big bull came walking by. I happened to capture the scene, with the little one seeming to look up to its elder.
The calf is starting to change colors to its adult, brown coat, and was the only true calf among the herd. In the coming months though, I would expect there will be a whole new batch of calves to watch.
Captured with my Canon 6D Mark II and Tamron SP 70-200 f2.8 Di.
These two bulls put all that energy to work attempting to one-up each other. Back and forth they battled for 10 minutes, pushing each other through the fresh snow. It was tons of fun to watch these 1,000+ pound creatures battle!
It used to be we called these buffalo but that actually was incorrect. While they are part of the same family that includes the European and African buffalo, the Bison is its own, distinct species.
It is believed they were called buffalo by early North American explorers due to their resemblance to the Old-World species. Native Americans call them Tatanka, a Lakota word that translated means “bull buffalo.”
What an absolutely thrilling encounter this was! The bison at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge are a favorite photo subject of mine. However, they have a lot of land to roam there so it can be hit or miss as to whether or not you even see them.
Yesterday, as a snowstorm wound down, it was a definite hit. The snow and cold had them feeling quite invigorated and extraordinarily active. Among the highlights were five bulls that were having great fun running around chasing each other. These big guys can actually run up to 40mph and they put their athleticism on display.
At one point, they were running on the opposite side of some trees and then turned, coming right at me. All I could do was ‘pray and spray’, furiously snapping pics as they came charging through the snow. It was absolutely thrilling! Perhaps a bit disconcerting as well given their size as they passed only a few feet away. 😉
Technically the full moon this month was called the Full Cold Moon. However, as it set early in the morning Sunday, I happened across this scene. It seems fitting to post it now for Tatanka Thursday. 😉
The sun was just started to climb over the horizon and shed its golden light on the landscape and the creatures below. Above, a cloud layer but not low enough to obscuring the setting moon. In the background, the Rocky Mountains were waiting for their chance to see some sun.
Taken at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
Kind of a different, fun capture. I have a vision in my mind for a similar, better shot but have yet to get it. This is the closest I have come. The bison were east of me, into the rising sun and with temperatures in the teens, their breath was creating clouds of vapor. I underexposed the shot leaving little more than a silhouette of these impressive creatures of the plains.
Two and a half years ago, President Barack Obama signed the National Bison Legacy Act making this vision of the American West an American icon. To me, this was a most fitting and long overdue honor.
The American Bison was hunted to the brink of extinction in the 1700s and 1800s with as few as 750 reported by 1890. President Teddy Roosevelt worked hard to preserve them and their numbers have since rebounded with about 500,000 now living on public and private lands.
It used to be we called these buffalo but that actually was incorrect. While they are part of the same family that includes the European and African buffalo, the Bison is its own, distinct species.
It is believed they were called buffalo by early North American explorers due to their resemblance to the Old-World species. Native Americans call them Tatanka, a Lakota word that translated means “bull buffalo.”
I am very fortunate to have a location nearby, the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, where I can routinely photograph them, which is where this image was taken less than a month ago.
The recent cool weather here along the Colorado Front Range seemed to please the Bison. This past weekend they were extraordinarily active with lots of running and a few battles. Here, two of the big boys go at it with one almost knocking another down. The action was a good ways off and the cruddy, overcast skies did me no favors in terms of photo quality but the action sure was fun to see.
A fun picture of these ladies and their offspring. The herd was on the move and it was tough to get decent shots of them as they were all clustered up. Rather than push a less than ideal situation, I decided to risk it and go a good ways ahead of them.
With a hill then between them and I, I was keeping my fingers crossed they would continue on their same path and pop up at the top. Sure enough they did. Six pretty cows and four calves led the herd giving me this cool capture of these once endangered species.
If you’re interested, this image is available here.
