We are going to build a store in Wyoming.  So “I” needed to go this week and start the ground work for the store.  I get teased a lot for assigning to myself any scope of work near Yellowstone.   I’m not too proud to say that this is mostly true.

Friday and Saturday was spent in Yellowstone.  Never having been in the park in the winter I was looking forward to this trip.  The only road open to four wheels starts at the north entrance at Gardiner, Montana and goes to Cooke City.  Some of the best wildlife viewing in the park.  It was an incredible two days.  For the next few days on my blog I will show the range of wildlife that I had the great opportunity to photograph.  And for those of you that follow my blog….stay tuned this week because one experience I had was very unique.  Not just for me but for any park visitor.

The coyote in these photographs was unusually animated.  In the park for these two days the theme was survival.  This coyote was not about to let his snack get the best of him.  It all started with the usual stopping and the back and forth tilting of the head.  The coyote has incredible hearing.  It in fact is pin pointing the sound of a varmint under the snow.  The give away of the upcoming leap is the coyote slowly moves his body weight back to his hind legs.  Then he springs forward!

I have seen this hunting routine before.  The coyote lunges upward and forward burying his face in the snow.  On this occasion he took two leaps in sequence.

In the snow goes the Coyote face and mouth.  Out comes the snack.

Except this time the mouse BIT the coyote.  He dropped the mouse.  This photograph shows the expression of the coyote just as he was bit and dropping the mouse.

He was  not happy with the what was supposed to be his snack.  This photograph reveals his feeling toward the mouse.  The action afterwards I will choose to not post to protect the squeamish (like miss Nall).

Tomorrow a new adventure.  Another beautiful animal in Yellowstone (in winter conditions).

Another great reason to live in the Wasatch Front!   The Harrier Hawk can be readily watched and photographed at the Bird Refuges of Utah.  As of late the areas are flooded with photographers hoping to get a “fun” shot of this bird.

Adult Description

• Medium-sized hawk.
• Long tail.
• Long, slender, rounded wings.
• White rump.
• Flies low, with wings held up in slight “V.”

Male Description

Head, back, and upper chest light gray. Chest and belly white, usually with some rusty markings extending onto flanks. Wingtips black. Line of black on rear of wings. Underwings white. Tail darkish gray above and whitish below, with some barring. Rump white.

Female Description

Back dark brown, with many feathers edged with tawny. Face streaked brown and whitish. Face outlined by white facial disk. Chest and belly streaked dirty white and tan. Rump white. Upper side of wings brown, lower side barred white and dark brown. Tail brown with dark bars.

Immature Description

Juvenile similar to adult female, but with rusty wash across mostly unstreaked underparts.

Cool Facts

• Most male Northern Harriers are mated to one or two females at the same time. Some males pair with up to five mates in a season. Females incubate the eggs and brood the offspring, while the male provides the bulk of the food for his mates and their nestlings.
• Unlike other hawks, the Northern Harrier relies on its hearing as well as its vision to capture prey. The feathers of the face are stiff to help transmit sound, and it shows a pronounced “facial disk,” much like that of an owl.
• The Northern Harrier feeds primarily on mice, other small mammals, and small birds. It will, however, take larger prey, such as rabbits and ducks. It has been known to subdue large prey by drowning it.

American Kestral

Identification Tips:

• Length: 8.5 inches Wingspan: 21 inches
• Short, dark, hooked beak
• Small, long-tailed hawk
• Long, narrow, pointed wings
• Gray crown
• White cheeks
• Two black mustache marks
• Black spot at rear of crown on both sides
• Seen from below, flight feathers are pale with dark barring
• Juveniles and immature females like adult female

Adult male:

• Rust patch on crown
• Rust nape, breast, back and tail
• Rust tail has a broad black subterminal band and a narrow white terminal band
• Pale belly
• Blue-gray wing coverts
• Dark flight feathers with pale subterminal spots creating a “string of pearls”
• Black spots on scapulars, wing coverts and flanks

Adult female:

• Pale buff breast streaked with brown
• Rust-brown nape, back and wing coverts
• Back and wing coverts barred heavily with black
• Rust-brown tail with numerous dark bars of even width and a narrow white terminal band

Immature male:

• Barred rust-brown back barred heavily with black
• Streaked breast

I love this Bird – The American Kestral

Sometimes the subject you seek is unavailable.  What to do when the light is incredible?  Look to any subject.  In the end it may be the light that is the subject.  In my opinion this is indicative of this photograph.  Again tonight with only a few minutes of sunlight I sought out eagles, hawks, herons, etc.  The light was so dramatic the seagull was the fall back for a subject.  Not often am I treated with the contrast and direction of light like I was tonight.

Yes it’s a wolf!  And yes it’s looking at me!  And yes that’s blood on his  face!  Shot last year near Canyon Village in Yellowstone.  Like Moose Peterson has been experiencing the past few weeks…what a thrill to be there with the wolves.

Back in Arizona tonight.  This photo is another HDR image from an old abandoned home.   I love how the process allows this outcome.  I hope to get out tomorrow and shoot a little more HDR images here in Prescott Valley, Az.  Time permitting the camera will be firing and I will be grinning (ear to ear).

Cute little guy huh?  The Kestral is a pretty small bird.  Not much bigger than a Robin.  Maybe the same size.  What a fighter.  This predator dives and kills fast.  Not too many rodents get past this one.  At Farmington Bay they are prevalent.  The only chance  to shoot them is when they rest.  And you better have a very long lens.  They are extremely shy.  This was shot with the D3 and the 200-400 mm lens with a 1.7 teleconverter.  Effectively at 640mm.  Shot at 1/1000 at f/6.7 and ISO 200.  Every shot I have of the Kestral was shot from the car.  Just opening the door will prompt a very quick exit by this efficient hunter.

I love my wife!   She works hard for my family and is my best friend.  And she knows me very well.  Tonight after church she knew I had few opportunities this week to shoot.  So guess where I went?  My favorite spot minutes from my home.  It’s a good thing because church gets out late.  With only a little time to shoot I was very fortunate to get a couple of shots.  The photograph above is my proof that the sun came out just before it set.  The late day light is reflecting off the water.  No adjustments or filters.  Right out of the camera – beautiful.

This shot of the Great Blue Heron was just as the sun set.  I shot this through my 600mm lens and the D200.  The low light required an ISO of 1000.  You may ask why I did not use the D3 and it’s incredible resolution at high ISO?   The D200 sensor creates a crop that makes the 600mm effectively 840mm.  The birds were way out there tonight and I needed the reach.  I can only imagine the resolution of this shot if it had been done with the D3.

There is no question that I wish the light was better and this shot was taken with the D3.  I love the position of the Heron.  Just landing his feathers look really in disarray.  Both shots of the Herons were ran though Nik color Efex pro filter.  I used the brush tool to fill the whole shot then erased back the Heron at 30% opacity.

I have attracted one of the sinus colds that people talk about.  The one no one wants to get.  Quarantined in my own house and room.   No camera.  No outdoors.  Tonight the sneaking was to my computer.  To play!   Back to eagle shots taken on the 5th of Jan.  at Farmington Bay.  My hope and dream is to someday go to Alaska and shoot the large congregation fishing and fighting for food.

These two photo’s are from the same original.  The one above is the actual shot taken through Topaz – “buzsim” filter.   The photograph below is cropped, one click in NIK Silver Efex pro and erasing back the eye and beak.  Too much time at the computer.  I need to get out BAD!!!!

I get really thrilled when it comes to challenges.  Especially when it is photographic.  The photograph of this chair was a real challenge.  A few years ago the same photo could not have had the same results if taken on film.  Yes the zone system could maximize the wide exposure range.   But it would not have the details in the shadows.  Or the highlights would completely blow out.  We are so fortunate to live when digital photography allows us to be even more creative.  And possibly better replicate photographic scenes.  This shot had a 10 stop range in exposure.  The ultimate opportunity for HDR.  It worked well here.  To have the tools to get these kind of photographic results is amazing.  Lucky..we are!!