I love the four seasons. Each of them brings opportunities to photograph a range of animals with vastly different backdrops. This image required a zoom lens and a healthy crop as the Elk, or Wapiti, meaning “white rump”, tend to scatter quickly if you happen to get too close. And if you’ve never heard these bulls during rut, I highly recommend it—their whistling scream is haunting as it echoes through the mountains.
We stopped on a snow-bermed road when a bright patch of orange—slightly off from the colors surrounding it—caught my eye. I’m glad we did because he might be the most beautiful of red foxes I’ve had the pleasure of photographing. He wasn’t concerned about our presence. A stubbly field separated us.
Foxes, like dogs, are members of the canidae family. While reading up on them I discovered that the remains of a man and a fox were found together in a Jordan cemetery four thousand years before the first known human and domestic dog were buried together. The setting for this photograph appealed to me a great deal. The snow load was too heavy for the old cabin, sturdy as it might once have been, and the fox appeared to have made it his homestead.
Last year, in the same area, we came across a vixen and kits. She was introducing them to their meal, a large ground squirrel. The cycle of life.
March was one for the record books. I got to cross several things off my list. Light pillars soaring up into the heavens—a treat coming at the end of the season for spotting them. And the aurora! I’ve never seen a light show that magnificent before and as an extra treat, we got to share it with family.
The weather has hinted at spring, but we woke up this morning to a snowstorm. I used to dread spring’s arrival because it signaled the end of snowboard season, but I’ve been working on a beautiful bee and butterfly garden for several years now. I enjoy watching it come to life. Last year, perennial roots I’d planted bloomed for the first time and I have high hopes that my showy milkweed might flower this summer.
Garlic lays nestled beneath a bed of straw, topped with snow, and I can just see the tops of the chess pieces on the garden table.
Today’s image is an extra fancy snowflake. I could hate the fact that I’ll be out shoveling again, or I could embrace the beauty of a spring snowstorm. I think you know what I’ll do!
it's (almost always) about the water... 