Animals

Scarface

Scarface was a well-known grizzly bear that lived in Yellowstone National Park. His face and ears had been damaged as a result of many fights. We liked this image because it makes him look happy and friendly, even though he was a dangerous animal. Sadly, at the age of 26 (old for a grizzly bear) he wandered out of the park and was shot and killed by an unknown person near Gardiner, Montana.

Alpha Male Elephant Seal Demonstrating His Dominance

This large male with many battle scars ruled his section of beach. Any interlopers were quickly attacked and chased away.

Beta Male Pulls Himself Up On the Beach

Some beta males we were watching would take a dip in the ocean as a ruse to get closer to a group of females. They would come out of the water near a cow seal and attempt to mate. Most of the time the nearby alpha male would see what was happening and charge the interloper, who would ungracefully slip back into the water.

I Named Him "Goofy"

He had such a comical look that I couldn't resist poking a little fun at him. In actuality he was an alpha male with a large harem.

An Interloper Challenges the Alpha Male

This beta male would not back down when this alpha male charged at him. After a short contest, the beta male retreated back to the water. However, while the fight was going on, another beta male managed to infiltrate the harem and mate with one of the females. You can't be in two places at once!

Elephant Seal Pup Stretching

In a short time these pups will be mature enough to leave the beach and feed themselves in the ocean. They won't return for several months.

Big Guy Hauling Out

These large animals are graceful and quick in the water, but can only move slowly and for brief moments while on land. This male has just pulled himself onto the beach and is resting after ten seconds of effort.

Female Elephant Seal Cooling Herself

As you look down the beach at any given time, you see dozens of elephant seals flipping sand onto themselves to cool and shade their bodies from the warm sun.

Hibernating Monarch Butterflies

As colorful as they appear, these groups of monarchs are difficult to spot in the high branches of eucalyptus trees unless some sunlight illuminates their wings from behind.

Monarch Butterflies Hibernating

Eucalyptus trees attract the monarchs. Their leaves contain oils which, when consumed, give the monarchs a bitter flavor that deters predators.

Bison Shaking off Rain

I tried to show the shaking by letting the bison's movement blur the image.

Bison in the Rain

This bison was rain-soaked but seemed unconcerned with the weather. He did, however, keep an eye on us.

Bison on the Move

We got out early on the back roads of Grand Teton National Park and were lucky to see this herd of bison moving from their night resting area to a feeding area.

Teton Bison, Grazing

I like to call this kind of photo an "animalscape". The scenery and the bison share the scene equally.

Bison Cautioning Tourists

The bison seems to be saying, "Don't even think about parking here without a handicapped placard!"

Grazing Bison

This bison was just a few feet from the car. It didn't seem to mind our presence as I shot from the window.

Grizzly Cub Scratching

Momma grizzly had gone ahead of her cub. Bears of all ages seem to find pleasure in scratching their backs.

Black Bear

We turned off the main road onto a dirt road leading to a campground and we encountered this black bear slowly walking along the side of the road, stopping now and then to eat berries. We followed the bear for about an hour, during which time it did not even glance at us even though were were just a few feet away in the car.

Bobcat in Shaded Nook

These shy cats are difficult to find in the wild. This photo was taken at the Sonoran Desert Museum in Tucson.

Resting Dragonfly

I liked the orange of the dragonfly against the greenery.

Trumpeting Bull Elk

In late summer during rutting season, bull elk can be heard bugling their mating calls throughout Point Reyes National Seashore.

Dispute Between Cow Elk

I couldn't determine the reason these cow elk were fighting, but I'm sure it was important.

Alert Cow Elk

The cow elk stay in fairly large herds while grazing or resting. A large bull is usually nearby, watching over his harem. If a cow strays too far from the herd, the bull will chase her back to the others.

Elk Calf Eating Wildflowers

The calf was on a little ridge, which allowed me to blur the background and emphasize the animal.

Spring Fawn with Mother

Even though the doe is out of focus, it's easy to see her concern for her fawn.

Yummy Hay!

She looked up at just the right moment!

Grazing Pack Horses

These horses carry supplies into the high country of the Eastern Sierras. They were surprisingly docile and allowed me to walk among them as they grazed.

Happy Dog

Just a happy, wet dog.

Pronghorns Running

When they get going, pronghorns can disappear over the next hill in a blink of the eye.

Squirrel Feasting on a Pine Cone

This squirrel was on a stairway just outside our cabin door at Grand Teton National Park.

Yummmmm!

This rabbit slowly crept across the grass. I carefully lifted my camera and shot a sequence of the dandelion disappearing into the rabbit's mouth.

Young Bull Moose Crossing River

We had waited near this spot several hours because we had heard that a large moose was making its way up the river. This young bull following a cow arrived, but he wasn't the main attraction. A very large bull moose showed up about ten minutes later.

Bull Moose

Soon after seeing the younger bull, this large male arrived. His antler rack spanned about six feet. He was in no hurry and our viewing ended when he went into the brush to rest.

Young Bull Moose Approaching Female

The cow moose was having nothing to do with this young bull. This was about as close as she allowed him to approach.

Pastoral Scene with Grazing Horse

We were driving near Cambria when we came across a woman painting at an easel. I looked at what she was seeing, got out of the car, and took several photos of this scene from different viewpoints.

Pastoral Scene With Two Grazing Horses

This viewpoint is closer to what the painter was capturing. Her composition included the church-like building in the background.

Mango and Coco

The serious look of our "Grand-dogs", who are often mistaken for siblings. There must have been food nearby.

Roosevelt Elk Near Schoolhouse

This large herd of Roosevelt Elk makes its home near Orick, California and Redwood National Park. They can be spotted just about every time you drive through the area on highway 101.

Alert Squirrels

I wasn't sure what these squirrels were looking at, but they seemed very interested in something. This at was a park in Fort Bragg, California, and there were several dogs around. The squirrels may have been reacting to them. Notice the ocean waves breaking in the background. I don't usually associate squirrels with the ocean.

Mule Deer Doe and Thistle Plant

We saw a small herd of mule deer as we were leaving Yosemite. After some impatient waiting, I was able to photograph this doe and the thistle blossoms together.

Nervous Coyote

A small pack of coyotes were hanging out by the road in Death Valley National Park, hoping for handouts. Many people were happy to oblige them. I just took pictures. The promise of food overwhelmed their normal distrust of people.

Percherons

The magnificent horses were on a farm in Camas County, Idaho.