Where Antelope Play

I'm continuing to look through North Dakota images taken earlier this month.  This pair mated shortly after we drove off.  If you look closely you can see the swollen neck on the buck.  The female was scent marking the sage and the buck was raking its horns on the scent. Taken in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Youth

One of the challenges of photography is to catch the essence of an animal.  Young bison are no exception.  Their bounding run is not smooth and difficult to pan especially when they suddenly change direction.  This is the best of my attempts, although not quite what I want.  Another reason to try again next summer.

Caught!

This prairie dog looks like it has been caught with it's hand in the cookie jar.  One of the challenges of wildlife photography is capturing the peak action.  Most animals eat, eat, and then sleep.  I watched prairie dogs for a couple hours and didn't get my dream shot: the near jump and squeak that they occasionally do.

Ominous Sky

We just returned from a short trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  The emphasis was on hiking and exploring the badlands, possibly getting a shot of bison rut behaviors.  The bison were there but not very active in the extreme heat.  We started this day with blue sky and ended our hike by racing back to the car during a lightning show.