Month: October 2025

This shadow of a black cat crossed my path yesterday and I thought it made the perfect Halloween image. Happy Halloween!

I was late leaving for my walk yesterday morning and a few minutes after I left, the phone rang. It was Truman. “Where are you?” he asked. “I’m almost to Sun Park Lane,” I answered. “Well, get over here. There’s a Beaver in Angler’s Cove and I think it’ll still be here when you get here.” I considered turning back, getting my longer lens and driving over but I figured it would be gone when I got there. I was wrong. It took me about 25 minutes to walk the mile and a half to Angler’s Cove and the Beaver was still there, perched on a submerged rock, grooming. Every so often it would stand, scratch its belly, swim a few laps under the bridge, and return to its grooming spot. It spent the better part of the morning there. I stopped in to check about 1 PM when I was out on an errand and it was still sitting on the same rock sunning. I hope it’s not a sign that the Beaver is ill. It didn’t seem distressed or in pain but it spent some time scratching. Right now, here at Sun City Lincoln Hills, they are doing warfare on the Beavers, including removing their dams from the creek that runs along Ferrari Pond Trail. I suppose that’s because they might have some deleterious effect on the golf course so naturally they have to go (she said facetiously).

It was mid morning when we encountered the Great Gray Owl near Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. He moved a couple of times while we watched him. This was by far the best view of him because it was unobstructed and the background was subdued. He faced the bright sun and never fully opened his eyes when he did face the sun. I don’t know if he was considering moving to his daytime roost because he was sleepy or if he was just squinting in the sunlight. The entire hour or so we watched him, including when he moved from a perch to the ground to two other perches, he had a long piece of grass or straw that appeared to be stuck either at the edge of his beak or embedded in the feathers next to his beak. It’s visible in this image if you look closely and even the shadow of it appears as a line on his breast feathers. I guess he had no feeling of its presence because he didn’t try to shake or scrape it off.

It was an unexpected treat to visit Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons on my recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. Mount Moran loomed, reflected in Jackson Lake, with a few misty clouds surrounding its base. It was a chilly October morning and we watched in amazement as two young women in swimming suits dashed across the rocky beach and with little hesitation, jumped into the water. I’m not sure what the temperature was but the average temperature for the day, according to the National Weather Service, was 23 degrees. We were not tempted to join them, preferring to absorb the sunshine and the spectacular view.

On our last morning in Yellowstone last week, we headed to Fishing Bridge where we had intel that the area was a Great Gray Owl’s hunting ground. When we arrived, a group of photographers had already gathered and the Great Gray Owl was perched on the limb of a pine tree surveying the meadow below. I was shooting vertical so when it took off, the owl was immediately out of the frame. It landed on the ground a short distance away and I quickly swiveled the camera back to horizontal so I was ready when it took off again. I got several flight shots, a first for me with a Great Gray Owl. I was concentrating on the bird and I didn’t even notice the fence in the background until I looked up as the owl flew to another limb in a tree behind me. I wish the fence weren’t there but at least it is the typical Wyoming buck and rail fence that I first discovered, and actually fell in love with, in the 60’s when I worked in the Grand Tetons so to me it is an acceptable “hand of man” for a wildlife photograph.

What a week in Yellowstone! It started off with a bang. On our first morning, after photographing some incredible black and white landscapes, we visited the place where last year we came across a small pack of Coyotes feeding on an unidentified carcass. It was just off the road that leads to Yellowstone’s Petrified Tree. Feeding there, across from the tree, were three Moose, a bull, a cow, and a calf. We watched for a while and the snow started to drift down and the cow and calf walked up the slope, quickly followed by the bull. The snow flakes are visible as they drifted down in front of the dark shape of the bull Moose. It was a very special treat to see the bull, the cow, and the calf all together. I had the 2X teleconverter attached so the widest focal length I had was 360mm so I was unable to capture the entire family as a group, so I grouped them in this post. We revisited the site a few other times during the week but the Moose were not to be found again.

When those big bulls come lumbering through the sage in Yellowstone, you’ve got to take notice. We waited across the road while this Bison bull munched on the grasses. After fifteen or twenty minutes, he decided to cross to the other side of the road, perhaps expecting greener pastures. The lone bull garnered slight attention because there was a herd up the road and most cars opted to stop for the larger herd. But he stopped traffic when he decided to lumber across. It’s always fun to watch these massive creatures in Yellowstone. They command respect. When he crossed the road, we were too close by park rules (minimum distance is 25 yards) so we had to get back into the vehicle. Of course, the shot on the asphalt road was not the kind of shot we wanted so we were content with the shots of the bull walking through the sage.

Oh, That Sunrise Serenade! Yesterday morning’s sunrise at Alum Creek in Yellowstone was one of the most gorgeous sunrises I’ve ever witnessed. It was 20 degrees and the mist from the water and the nearby thermals hung low in the sky, surrounding the trees and making the scene mysteriously magical. But what made it even more magical and memorable was the accompanying serenade from the howling Wapiti wolf pack a mile or so away, better even than Glen Miller’s “Sunrise Serenade.” It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.

Coyotes are great mousers. When they’re focused on something in the grass, nothing seems to deter them from their mission. This Coyote was determined to get the vole, or whatever was hiding in the grasses but it came up without its intended meal. After searching briefly around to try to spot the elusive critter, the Coyote continued across the meadow and out of sight.

That old adage, “red sky at morning, sailors take warning” predicts impending bad weather. Whether or not that is the case, the fact remains that morning red skies are spectacular. And, a morning red sky like yesterday’s that lit up the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park was an example of a spectacular sunrise. There was indeed fire in the Hole!

The Federal Government shutdown has not closed our National Parks. No one was manning the North Entrance under the Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone National Park yesterday morning when we entered but the park was open and there were other visitors there besides us. The best part is that we discovered an official park greeter in the Lamar Valley at a rest stop. Its boxy, rather robotic looking frame stood, hands on hips, its trash door face sporting a smile and dressed with a jaunty tie that appears to indicate “no P”, rather ironic for a rest stop. I’m not sure of the significance of the pair of shoes, one resting on its shoulder and the other at its base. Perhaps someone didn’t want to disturb the smile. Later in the day, the robotic greeter had returned to its original intended purpose, that of a trash dispensary. The frost had melted away and with it, the pleasant greeter. And, I have to give a shout out to Moose for pointing out this Carolism that I somehow didn’t notice when we arrived at the rest stop. Perhaps it was because I had to use the facilities and if I’d seen the “No P” sign, I’m not sure what the consequences might have been. 😱

I’m back in Yellowstone National Park. Despite the government shutdown, the park is open and the critters await! I photographed this Coyote on my visit here a year ago in October. We came across a small pack of Coyotes feasting on a carcass on a berm at the side of the road. They kept constant watch on the surrounding area, perhaps because they were concerned that whatever killed what they were feasting on might return. Considering the red tinge to the fur on its face and muzzle, this Coyote appears to have had its feast and was on guard duty.

When the early morning light shines through the kitchen window, it creates a magical glow on flowers I have on the countertop. I had moved a bouquet of sunflowers from the dining room table to the countertop in anticipation of the morning display with no clouds and sunny skies. I had to act fast because the light changes constantly and I had to move the vase and the flowers several times over the few minutes that the light was perfect. This was my favorite from the morning’s brief display.

A couple of months ago, I was out on my morning walk early enough to watch the sun rise over Ferrari Pond. On this day a Great Egret, silhouetted by the rising sun, preened.

My dear, dear Arizona friends Melinda and Lonnie, stopped in for a brief visit on their way to a whirlwind weekend visiting more old California friends. They’d never seen my new home and they wanted to visit Ferrari Pond here in Lincoln where I walk most mornings. We spent so long talking and reminiscing in the morning that we didn’t get out to see the pond until almost noon when the sun was high and harsh. Most of the local critters seem to lay low midday so we weren’t expecting to see much but as we arrived at Angler’s Cove, an Osprey flew toward us, then overhead, then slowly circled the cove looking for fish. It even dipped low over the water once and we thought it would extend its talons to catch a fish but it pulled up before it hit the water. For me an Osprey is an unexpected visitor, one I’d not seen here before. It spent quite a bit of time circling the cove before flying off. Then a few minutes later a little further up the trail next to Ferrari Pond, a lone Coyote crossed right in front of us, paused briefly as if to acknowledge our presence, then disappeared into the brush. So, we actually had two unexpected visitors yesterday and my friends were happy they had a chance to share in the wildlife we have here.

The morning light shining through the shutters onto the mums setting on my granite countertop was gorgeous. But, by the time I found some black poster board to use to block the cupboards in the background for the shot, the light had changed. It’s still pretty but not as gorgeous as it had been. Then I realized that the pot the flowers are in, one that was my mother’s and is probably more than 60 years old, has a slight list to one side. It was hand made and apparently, before the clay pot made it to the kiln, it slumped slightly to one side. Once fired, the list became permanent. I first thought I had held the camera off kilter but no, it’s the pot. That’s a horizon that can’t be fixed in Photoshop.

Last year in Bolivar Flats, the American Avocets were the stars of the show. They were everywhere, on the beach and in the surf, but mostly in the surf as they waded in the shallow water. The droplets filled the air, suspended around the Avocet as it swept its beak through the water searching for a meal.

It was after 8 PM and the setting sun was starting to color the clouds and the water when we headed back to Rohrer Bear Camp in the river boats on our first evening there after a couple hours watching bears along the river. A Harbor Seal popped up suddenly, and watched us with curiosity as we motored by.

A young Glaucous-winged Gull flies over the Uganik River, it’s eyes peeled for scraps of salmon discarded by the Kodiak Brown Bears along the beach.

My new Nikkor 24-70 f/2.8 SII lens has arrived. It’s super light weight, the zoom is internal, and its focus is very fast. I always love trying out a new lens. I unboxed it and attached it to my Nikon Z8 which had just returned from Nikon after a deep cleaning so I got to test them both at the same time. Both performed perfectly. With nothing too interesting to photograph at home, I went out into the backyard and used the lantana my subject. Shooting wide open, the surrounding leaves made the perfect background.