Favorite Images Made in 2017

It was a year filled with opportunity and adventure.

“Under the Cover of Darkness”

This image alone, is the best wildlife image I have made, from start to finish. No, it may not be the prettiest, and it can certainly be difficult to look at, but this was the scene playing out as I pulled up to a carcass one morning in Yellowstone National Park. The day before, a friend informed me of an elk carcass a little more than a hundred yards off the road. As I watched and photographed ravens, eagles and a female coyote eat their fill, I couldn’t help but wonder if the elk was a pregnant female. The head was facing the other direction, and the body was sinking into the deep snow as the day progressed. It was the thought of a wolf coming in and taking out the unborn calf that kept me at the site the entire day. As I arrived to the location at o-dark-thirty on this morning, the shape of a large canine next to the elk had me stop and shoot the scene trying to capture what was happening, and as it played out in my head the day before, it was now occurring right in front of my eyes.

Both of these images were made on the same night while in Sax-Zim Bog. Some friends and I had been looking for owls along one of the roadways when I noticed a glow and went back to the truck for a wide angle lens. The sun hadn’t even fully set as the northern lights began to show their true colors.

“Beauty in the Bog”

“Lights Over the St. Louis”

It’s difficult for me to show one of these without the other. So although the second one ranks in my top favorite images made in 2017, it’s the beach scene that adds to the story.

“Grizzly on the Beach”

“Obstacle in the Natural World”

After watching this handsome grizzly swim the river, lumber up a snow covered slope and cross the road right in front of my truck, I was thrilled to see it climb over a corral fence as the sun backlit the water droplets still falling from its fur.

“Screeching Halt”

On its way into a carcass, this juvenile Bald Eagle seemingly puts on its brakes as it comes in for a landing. Whether it’s northern lights or critters, it’s all about capturing the action in my book, and this shot fits the bill perfectly.

“Morning Light”

The forecast for a northern light show was excellent which had me out the door and at the ready before it was even dark outside. Going to a couple different locations during the night and not seeing anything can get frustrating, but something inside me said stay, so I did. It wasn’t until the sun began to rise the following morning that the lights began to dance. In this image the orange glow is the sun shortly before cresting the horizon.

“Nature’s Charm”

What a great way to end the day while camping in the northwoods! I don’t think either Tom or I have experienced more mosquitos and biting flies during a single trip. But the critters we saw, along with the solitude of no one else around made up for the amount of butane we used in our themacells!

“Walk This Way”

Part of the series One Less Tune in the Forest. While driving at a snail’s pace down the gravel road looking for critters, a rustling down in the ditch caught my eye. I slowed down, grabbed my camera, and up flew a Great Gray Owl. As it landed in a Tamarack tree, a smaller critter began making its way across the road from where the owl flew up. Presuming it was a vole, I kept snapping images as the owl went down to grab it and bring it back up to the tree. Also made a quick image of the White-throated sparrows making a heck of a ruckus nearby. After the owl downed its morsel, it flew down to the ditch again where it proceeded to pounce on presumably more prey. The grasses were too tall to tell for sure. Then it was back onto the road where it did the walk, before it flew deep into the woods. 

Interestingly enough, looking back at my images, I could see that the owl had picked up a White-throated sparrow chick, not a vole.

“Fox on the Run”

A bonus for taking the scenic drive home, was getting to watch some fox kits romp around in the north woods of Wisconsin.

“Constant Attention”

If you’ve ever watched a nest of birds as the parents come in with food, you know that look of multiple necks stretching out as long as they can with open beaks ready for that morsel of food. While camping at Wyalusing State Park with my sister and her husband, we spotted an Oriole nest hanging from a branch at the end of our sites. For two full days, we watched the wind toss the nest around on what seemed to be a very thin branch, but even in the strongest gusts, the babies stayed sheltered. Add to that scene the parents who came to feed those young who were too tiny for us to even see yet.

“Oh, That Look”

I almost melted when this Great Gray Owlet looked in my direction. Either that, or I was sinking up over my boots in bog water. It was probably the latter, but so worth the experience!