What was that?

I'm a hunter by nature. It's in my genes and every fall I hunt deer, well actually I hunt year round. I haven't killed an animal in at least 15 years but I still head out with a camera when everyone else is in the woods with a gun. Last week I went out looking for deer and came upon this unsuspecting little guy. I'm sure his mother is in the processing plant and he is getting by on instinct.

Otter Family Portrait

Every time I drive by a bend in the Lamar River I look for these guys. This time I drove past, backed up, and identified a rock otter (from the same lineage as a stump bear). Then I noticed these guys swimming in the water. My next hour flew by! Video captures their personalities and activity better than stills, you will see more of these.

Watchful Mother

This footage is from a couple evenings during May while in Yellowstone. Photography has been sporadic this summer including  exploration of non traditional subjects: dogs jumping, demolition derbies, and county fairs.  Perhaps after 20+ years of photographing the prairie I needed a break. I'm looking forward to fall color and travel during September and October to rejuvenate the creative juices.

A Morning at the Rookery

I've shared still images from the morning but I thought I would share this nature minute to give a feel for the entire experience. I hope to be back in a few weeks to watch the chicks being fed. 

Keeping Dry

I was in the woods as it started snowing yesterday and recorded some good fall to winter transition footage as the ground turned white. this guy was busy stocking up but could not figure out who else would be moving around in this kind of weather.

Technical: My last post had some footage uploaded directly to the blog instead of going through YouTube. Apparently it is not visible on all platforms so I'll go back to the intermediate step unless someone knows how to get footage visible to all using a direct upload.

Are you watching me?

This guy was busy burying acorns when he looked up and suddenly realized I was not a tree. Working in such close quarters I had a hard time maintaining focus and keeping him in the frame.

Technical: cropped vertical from C100 video frame

A morning with the cranes

I recorded this one morning a couple weeks ago. I like to watch the cranes wake up routine and listen to their raucous calling as they leave the roost each morning. As the season progresses they spend more time warming up making for even more interesting dancing and stretching routines.

Spring Pelicans

The recent cool weather not only reminded me of the upcoming season but also of an afternoon in May that was spent watching pelicans in western Minnesota. The usual location at the LacQuiParle Dam was filled with fisherman and therefore very few pelicans. I went up river to the Marsh Lake Dam where the pelicans were alone except for a couple fishermen and myself.

Technical: Recorded with a Canon C100 using a 100-400 mm lens.

A Morning with Moose

I spent a beautiful morning with four moose in Yellowstone a couple weeks ago. The temperature was  a little chilly (about zero F) and the shutter button froze, something that has never happened before. A backup remote shutter release saved the day. Later I used  a blow dryer for a few minutes over the grip and there have been no problems since.  

Bison Sparring

Most of the time I get bored watching bison since they eat so much of the time.  During late autumn there is more excitement  when young bulls test each other by sparring with each other. Usually there is just head scratching but it can get quite violent. 

Technical: All filming was done from the roadside using a 100-400 mm lens on a Canon C100.

Badger Yawn

One could interpret this image in many ways depending on your opinion of badgers. Most badger images show their fierce defense display which they show when confronted. If you have watched one waddle you know running away from danger is not an option. I spent about half an hour watching this badger on Sunday evening, most of the time we were both motionless looking at each other.  This badger was curious, cautious, and a creature with incredible hearing. She reacted to a foot stepping on sand. Why do I say "she"? This den was the site of a litter of badgers last year and I am making the assumption the same badger has returned, only a guess. A special thanks goes to Kathy J. for alerting me to the badger's return since I missed all the action last year.

Technical: image taken from Canon C100 video capture, moderate cropping

Winter Robins

A flock of about a dozen robins have been active in this seep fed stream for the last several days. Robins are not supposed to be here during December. While recording video I had time to consider their plight. I took this shot, recorded the scene, but what is the big story here?

Happy Thanksiving

I  thought this was a good time to share this video taken a couple months ago in Flandrau State Park. I upgraded to the new OS Mavericks yesterday and put this together on iMovie 10+. Upgrading appears to have been a mistake. Footage from the C100 is not visible with quick look but the 7D footage is visible. 

Ram in the snow

I took a couple variations of this ram thanks to the 100-400 mm lens.  The steep hills of Gardiner Canyon fit with the myth that sheep live in a remote, rugged wilderness. However, this was photographed from a pull out along the road.

Busted

This is the last thing a wildlife videographer wants to record when filming deer behavior.  The buck's body language is fun to watch but hard to put into a story about the deer rut. The lens is white, manual focus is required, and tracking him through the woods are all movements that he may have keyed in on. I am covered in a bag blind so the only movement is the camera and my gloved left hand. In my experience deer with little hunting pressure are very curious. Archery hunting from fixed tree stands is allowed in the park with a 3 deer per hunter limit so there is some hunting pressure but also lots of deer. This area of the park doesn't have hunting so I am free to hunt with the camera.

A Simple Pleasure

Sometimes we overlook the simple acts in nature. This clip is presented in real time, unedited except for the addition of background music. I invite you to sit back and enjoy one of life's simple pleasures.

Kestrel in the Storm

This guy was waiting out the snow while still looking for lunch. I was impressed by its delicate nature and small size. The gray sky and the kestrel's subtle color made this a perfect shot to convert to black and white.

Technical: converted to b & w in Lightroom

Stretching in the Snow

I recently watched a great talk by Andy Biggs whose photography in black and white is phenomenal in its simplicity of design. His subjects are the iconic megafauna of Africa but done in a unique way. If I were to go to Africa I would signup with him. His work can be seen at: Andy Biggs Photography  There are other great photographers at: Talks at Google Photographers. A couple of my favorites are Art Wolfe whose personality clearly comes through and Moose Peterson who I gained new respect for after watching.

Technical: I didn't go all the way to B&W with this image, only removing the saturation from the tree. 

Solitary Sandpiper

As I nature photographer the possibilities are endless, each morning's shoot is an adventure.  A few days ago this sandpiper was a cooperative subject.  I like the dynamic feel of the lines and the bird as it is considering where to step off the log.  Technical: handheld, slight cropping.