Badlands Snow

 
It has been awhile since my last post, it seems the more time I'm out the less time I have to write. I recently went through Badlands NP after a light snowfall. This was the first time in the park with snow and the textures popped. By the time I was through the park most of it had melted, I can't wait to get back.

Instagram is currently my primary sharing outlet, usually with a couple posts each week. I can be found: @dale_bohlke

Technical: 3 image panorama

Mule Deer Action

Visiting Badlands National Park to watch the mule deer rut is becoming a yearly event. Most of the behavior is bucks chasing does but occasionally things get real interesting. After watching a small herd for quite awhile I noticed the does had their attention directed to something behind the butte. Eventually I saw what the were watching. The following minute of action took place over about an hour in real time.

One Morning, Two Badgers

I wanted to see a badger and on this morning in the Badlands National Park I was lucky to see two in widely separated locations. I had watched this one go to bed in a prairie dog burrow the day before so it was only a matter of time before he woke up and I found him hunting. The second one was hunting with a coyote. the coyote split and it continued hunting allowing me to stalk within range and get some nice tight footage. As you can see in the first half of the video the badger was intensely curious but did not run until it got downwind of me.

Partners in the Hunt

I saw a similar pair hunting last year and had to get a photo. Most of the time they are separated by several feet and only visible on opposite edges of the frame. I watched two pairs in prairie dog towns and was lucky to get these guys close together. Maybe next time I'll get an actual prairie dog hunt. Finding a pair is also a good way to find the badger that is much more camouflaged than the coyote. Coyote and badgers hunting together is well documented and beneficial to each. From what I have read when one gets a meal the other does not attempt to steal it from the other.

Smile for the Camera

This red tail hawk was soaking in the last of the afternoon's warm sun as I pulled up. I watched him for awhile and then he smiled.
Then I asked him to give me a great big smile but it didn't make quite as good a picture.

Technical: Initially I thought this was a ferrigonous hawk but the color on the neck leads my to believe it is a red tail.

Badlands Morning

The sun was still below  the horizon as the wind was creeping up to the 25 mph range. A couple hours later muted, dull color was the rule. This is the familiar rock formation at Fossil Trail taken from a little different perspective.

Technical: ISO 800, 1.3 seconds, f 11

Badlands Badger

Badgers fascinate me! Last fall I watched one at long range while it hunted with a coyote and I put it on my shot list to get quality footage this year. Shot lists are wish lists that frequently go unfilled but yesterday it worked out better than could be imagined. It started by being stalked by a badger, a little worrisome with only a tripod to hide behind. Later in the morning this guy, different than the first one, was busy fluffing and preening as I watched while kneeling in the dirt. 

Technical: Canon 7D, 600mm + 1.4 telextender, uncropped

Portrait Session

Normally I am not a fan of wildlife portraits. So many of them seem static and the subject seems flat. I made an exception last week while watching a young burrowing owl. It seemed to have a character that was changing almost constantly. 

Juvenile Burrowing Owl

 

I was on my out of the park and feeling good about getting the bison shots I was looking for when I saw this owl standing on a prairie dog mound. Two hours later, after about 100 still shots and 50 video clips, I headed east.  The shots were taken of the window and a little shaky but still fun to put together and share with you.