My Holiday Blessing

My Holiday Blessing
©Jay Ryser
www.jayryser.com

It’s the day after Christmas as I write this, but the event happened yesterday, Christmas Day. I wanted to write all this down, as soon as possible, as it’s fresh in my memory. And if you don’t mind, allow me to ramble just a bit – this is nature photography-related. I always have mixed feelings about Christmas; at one level, there’s the holiday spirit that seems to wane a bit more each passing year. I don’t dislike Christmas or anything it represents, but everything around it seems to suck the joy out of the holiday (buying things, shipping things, standing in one line, then another – I got to spend two delightful hours of my life, that I’ll never get back, in the post office a couple of days before Christmas, and I still have a bunch of items I’ve not been able to ship yet). Fortunately, I’ve been MALL-FREE SINCE 2003™ (yeah, that’s right – I trade-marked it). Usually by the time Christmas rolls around, I’m exhausted and not particularly in a holiday mood. Not in actual Grinch-mode, just blah (my preferred term is weltschmerz, but so few folks are familiar with that term, I just use blah instead).

In my aforementioned blah mood, I stole out of the house very early on a frigid, snowy Christmas morning, the family still snug in their beds, to seek out foxes. Foxes are a tonic for me, and spending time with them has a very soothing effect. My little fox hole is a wonderful place, with many foxes that are pretty habituated to the presence of people, but that doesn’t mean they’re always around or always cooperative. If you’ve kept up with some of my previous posts, you’ll know that there have been some huge changes in that park, including the loss of two of my favorite foxes. I won’t go too much into detail about that, except to acknowledge their loss as part of my weltschmerz. It’s only recently that the park and its residents have seemed to mostly recover from those changes.

It was still before sunrise when I arrived at the parking lot and set up my gear. I saw two other people who I greeted briefly (both, surprisingly, in a more blah mood than me, it seemed), and quickly started down the icy trail, tripod and gear over my shoulder just as the first rays of the sun broke the horizon. It was cold enough that the snow squeaked loudly under my shoes – I wasn’t going to be sneaking up on anything that morning. The sky was mostly clear, and the woods were bathed in a warm, golden light. Twenty meters from the parking lot and I was alone in a Winter Wonderland. I had to cross two wooden foot bridges on my way to my usual spot – a crossroad on the back trails. I’m usually fairly cautious crossing these – I had a spill near another of these a couple of years ago that nearly tossed me headfirst into the creek that runs through the park – and the bridges are frequently icy.

As I turned a corner on the trail, I noticed a fox curled up just outside the drainage system he uses as a den. It was the previous beta, now alpha male of the little area. He spotted me and quickly slunk into the den, disappearing from view. “Of course,” I thought. I went ahead and set up the tripod nearby, hoping he’d emerge from the den at some point so I could get a few images. I do like to take red fox images in the snow – their fur is puffy and contrasts beautifully with the snow this time of year.


He poked his head out a few minutes later. I wasn’t expecting too much from him. When he was still a beta male, he was very camera shy. He’s a good looking fox – classically handsome in a fox-way – but always camera shy and prone to hiding in the brush as the beta. It’s not unusual for me to talk to my subjects in as soothing voice as I’m able to muster; most of the time it doesn’t cause them to flee, and sometimes it even works to make them a little more relaxed. “It’s just me – I’m harmless. Just go about your business and I’ll stand over here and stay out of your way.” To my great surprise and delight, he hopped out of the den and sat by the den entrance. Then he curled up and took a little nap. He wasn’t completely asleep, as every time I made a small noise, or something else happened, one or both ears would rotate around in the direction of whatever noise caught his attention. He quickly adjusted to the sound of the shutter firing, and after the first few shots, he didn’t even bother turning his ears towards me at all.

For about half an hour, he napped, stretched, and quietly sat by the den, with me firing off images 10-15 yards away. The sun hadn’t quite crested the ridge, so he was still in very soft light the entire time we were together. Sufficiently rested, he stood up, stretched again, and slowly trotted off. I had filled an 8gb card by that time. “Thank you, and have a Merry Christmas!!” He turned around for a quick glance, and disappeared up the ridge and out of sight. At that moment, I was more relaxed and at peace than I can recall being in a very long time.

This was a blessing, a very special moment. I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas gift, and I don’t mean the photo opportunity (although that was wonderful, too). I do mean being given the opportunity to spend a brief period of time in the presence of one of God’s wild creatures, who seemed very relaxed in my presence, to be able to share a moment in time, and maybe even be able to share a slight connection among another living, thinking, feeling being.

Peace on Earth, Good Will to All Living Things

LIFE (AND DEATH) IN THE TALUS FIELD

LIFE (AND DEATH) IN THE TALUS FIELD
©Jay Ryser www.jayryser.com
Wildlife, Landscape, and Nature Photography Online Magazine


To the casual observer, a talus field is a large jumble of oddly-shaped rocks that have collected at the base of a mountain slope. To anyone who has ever tried to ascend or descend a talus slope, particularly while wearing a heavy pack, it’s a dangerous area where one misstep on a poorly balanced rock can pitch you dangerously into a world of hurt. It’s slow going, and treacherous footing – most people and many animals avoid talus field when they can.

Talus is another word for scree – a collection of broken rock fragments that have broken away from a higher cliff or mountain slope as a result of weathering and erosion. Talus can range in size from golf ball-sized stones to chunks of rock the size of VW Beetles. Technically, scree is smaller than talus, ranging in size from gravel to small stones. Because of the irregular size of the rock fragments, there can be quite a bit of space between the rocks, making talus slopes an ideal home for a variety of small animals.

The alpine zone (mountainous regions above tree-line), is a unique ecosystem characterized by intense weather conditions, a very brief Summer growing season, hardy vegetation, and animals with specialized survival skills. Many talus fields are found in the alpine zone. Two of those species of animals with specialized survival skills happen to be two of my favorite animals – pikas and marmots.
American Pikas (Ochotona princeps) and Yellow-Bellied Marmots (Marmota flaviventris) are two of the more common species inhabiting the talus field, and two species highly adapted to this extreme environment.

Marmots
Marmots are essentially high-altitude ground hogs. The name marmot comes from French marmotte, from Old French marmotan, marmontaine, from Old Franco-Provençal, from Low Latin mures montani “mountain mouse”, from Latin mures monti, from Classical Latin mures alpini “Alps mouse”. Marmots are also called “whistle pigs,” “rock chuck,” and my favorite nickname, “brake-line chewers.” In North America, marmots inhabit mountainous terrain in the western ranges, including the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. Other varieties of marmots can be found in similar locales in Europe and Asia.



I have not always been so kindly disposed to marmots. In my younger and more adventurous days, I’ve had ropes and harnesses chewed upon during alpine bivvies, and once very nearly rappelled using a nearly chewed-through rope. I’ve even been known to chase a marmot with an ice ax, without good intentions, after catching one chewing through my pack. Since that time we’ve managed to put aside some of our old conflicts and have actually become quite chummy. How can you stay mad at something so cute?

Marmots get the nickname “whistle pig” from their habit of whistling, hooting, or squeaking out a warning to their neighbors if predators are present. Marmots therefore have the reputation as being one of the few truly altruistic species on the planet – they keep themselves in danger to warn their peers. Marmots are also apparently Mormons (or LDS, if you prefer). One dominant male can share a burrow with 3, 4, or more females, and breed with all of them. Marmots are very skilled burrowers, and can construct a complex system of rooms and tunnels under the talus, including toilet areas, dining rooms, living rooms, and bedrooms.

To survive the long, cold alpine winters, marmots hibernate for 6-8 or months out of the year. Each summer (and at their altitude, it’s a very brief summer), they must almost double their body weight. Much of their day is devoted to eating, and they have a varied diet. Marmots are usually vegetarians, consuming alpine grasses, leaves, and flowers, gut also eat fruits (when they can find them), grasshoppers, and even bird eggs. Full grown marmots weigh between 6 and 12 pounds (2.7-5.5 kilograms).

Marmots have several behaviors that set them apart from other mammals. To protect their young, marmot parents whistle, hoot, and squeak, and run back and forth to distract predators as their young flee to safety (another way they are considered altruistic). My favorite behavior is the Helicopter-Tail. When they sense danger, while fleeing, their tails spin around in a circular pattern- it sometimes appears like they’re getting an extra boost in speed with the propeller action of their tail. And while they’re running, they’re hooting and whistling, but honestly, in my head I hear Nya-aaa-aa, wooob-woob-woob-woob.

Pikas
Pikas are very close in appearance to large hamsters, but are actually more closely related to rabbits and hares. They’re often referred to as “rock rabbits.” They’re small animals, only about 6-8inches in length (160-220mm) and weigh about 6 ounces (170grams).

Unlike their marmot neighbors, pikas are awake and active over the winter months. To survive during the coldest months under the rocks and snow, pikas must gather enough food during their brief summers to last them through the winter. To do this, pikas devote a sizeable portion of every day to gathering food (grasses, leaves, flowers, thistles, etc.). The process for this is for the pika to run out in their talus field and gather mouthfuls of vegetation and pile it into tiny little hay bales to dry in the sun. Once the vegetation is dried, they bring it into their underground burrow for storage. Despite weighing only about 6 ounces themselves, they must gather in excess of 50 pounds of food to last the long alpine winter. It’s not uncommon for pikas to try to steal little hay bales from other neighboring pikas – when they’re caught, a loud argument usually ensues. These arguments are sometimes exploited by nearby predators.

Pikas live in small communities, but unlike their neighboring marmots, they tend to be solitary except for mating season. Pikas seem to have three speeds during the summer. The first is to perch themselves on a rock outcropping to survey their surroundings. They can be absolutely still during these times (presumably to prevent detection from raptors and other predators. The second is to move at blindingly fast speeds through the talus field, going out in search of and returning with mouthfuls of vegetation for processing and storage. because they blend in so well with their environment, they can be exceptionally tough to spot and track. Lastly, they disappear for long periods of time into their burrows in the talus, and may not emerge for minutes to hours later.

Pikas do share another trait with marmots. When they spot a predator or potential danger (or if you get too close to their little hay bales), they emit a surprisingly loud “EEENK.” They also keep themselves in harm’s way to alert their neighbors. It’s more common to hear pikas than see them.

Pikas have special adaptation to like at high altitude. They have very thick, dense fur means they stay warm in frigid temps and high winds, but it also means they can’t dissipate heat quickly or effectively, making them prone to overheating in warmer temps. About the only place not covered in thick fur is their eyes. Even their toes and the end of their nose is covered with fur. Their ears are short and round and lay almost flat against their skull, presenting the least area to the cold. When perched on a rock, they tuck their feet almost all the way under their bodies and bunch their shoulders around their short neck in an effort to conserve heat.

Both marmots and pikas are common (at least for now) in alpine regions of western North America. It’s easiest to spot marmot near roads and trails as the sun themselves on a warm rock or sit upright to survey their environment. Pikas are much more difficult to spot, in part because of their small size, their coloring, their speed, and their ability to look just like a rock when perched motionless on a rock outcropping. You’re much more likely to hear a pika than see one. Patience is rewarded, as both species are very curious and will check out visitors (from a distance) to their realm.

I find the best times to photograph marmots and pikas is summers, from dawn until mid morning. On very cold mornings (below freezing t mid 40’sF), marmots may be slow in getting out of their burrows and may wait for the sun to warm rocks. During the mid part of the day, marmots seems to nap, and may become active again in the late afternoons to close to sunset. Pikas seem to be busy most of the day, with three primary activities – perched on a rock, maniacally gathering, drying, and storing food, and hidden away in their burrows for long periods of time.

Because both species are smart and curious, sometimes the best photo strategies is to locate an area where you can hear marmot whistles and pika squeaks, and set you gear there quietly, and wait. Marmots are much easier to spot. They can approach quit closely at times when they don’t feel threatened. Pikas are much more difficult to spot. It’s not unusual to just see movement out of the corner of your eye as they run between the rocks. Spend some time and get to know your pika – they tend to have established routes and follow those routes most of the time. Instead of trying to track them with a long lens, pre-focus on a spot that you’ve observed them perch on, and when they resume their perch, hit the shutter. The more time you spend, the more familiar you’ll become with the routes and their habits. My favorite pika, Larry the Pika, has a routine that’s well known to me, and I can usually get fairly close and have memorized most of his favorite perches, allowing me to get set up and wait for my shots.

Since both species live anywhere from 8,000 to 14,000+ feet, dress appropriately. You may need to spend hours in the talus field waiting on your subjects. They have specialized fur to keep them warm and protected from the wind, and if all you have is a T-shirt and shorts, your photo safari will be over very quickly. And while you’re at altitude, wear a broad-brimmed hat and wear sunscreen. Your skin will thank you in the coming decades.

My usual set-up for capturing images is a DSLR and a telephoto lens, usually a 300mm f/2.8 with a variety of teleconverters. I use a tripod and gimbal head for practically every image I shoot. Without a tripod, I stand little chance of getting images of tiny little pikas that don’t look like a potato in a pile of rocks. I shoot close to wide open using a large aperture (f/2.8-5.6) to limit DOF and make the subject stand out from the background (in this case, similarly sized and colored rocks). There’s usually plenty of light, so low ISOs are the norm. Because of the plentiful sunlight, I sometimes add a polarizing filter to reduce glare and help prevent blown highlights from snow and light colored rocks – losing a couple of stops still gives me shutter speeds in the 1/1,000-2,000 range – plenty fast to freeze action.

Pikas, and marmots to a lesser extent, are considered at risk species due to climate change and global warming. They live on what is essentially a cold island. They are unable to migrate to different locations, as doing so would require them to cross long stretches of excessively hot ground. Their only alternative is to climb higher and higher up the mountain, and there’s only so much mountain to climb. Most pikas spend their entire lives in a half-mile radius. It’s estimated that pikas cannot survive in temps higher than 75F for more than a few hours.

Anecdotally, 8-9 years ago I rarely saw coyotes much above 12,000ft on Mt Evans, but now I see them regularly above 14,000ft, presumably pursuing their prey (marmots and pikas) as they continue to move up the mountain to escape climbing temperatures.

TAKING BETTER ZOO PHOTOS

TAKING BETTER ZOO PHOTOS

DISCLAIMER
I’m not an All Knowing Photography Guru (AKPG), but I do have a passionate interest in my subjects (wildlife, usually) and in improving my photography. And like many of our group members, I’ve read, studied, submitted photos for critique, and tried to glean as much information from other photographers who do great work, to learn their secrets.

INTRO
This post is aimed at our less experienced members. If you’re a member of the Animal Photography group, you like animals and photographing animals. Chances are, you’ve taken a trip to the zoo to get a chance to capture some exotic animals that you may never have an opportunity to see otherwise. And, chances are, you may have been a little disappointed in the pics you took. Taking good photos at the zoo can be a challenge, but there are some simple things you can do to improve your photos and get more satisfaction from your photography. We’re not going to take casual snapshots – we’re doing this seriously. Most experienced photographers are very familiar with these suggestions, and may have many other great suggestions to share – feel free to add to these suggestions.

LOCATION, LIGHT, & TIMING
The first thing to do is Know Your Zoo. If you can, buy a season pass. A onetime trip to the zoo is not the best way to do photographic justice to the subjects there. Start out by going to the zoos web site and printing out a map. Map sure North is indicated so you can orient the map and get an idea of where the light will be at different times of the day. Plan your day and your shooting to catch the best light.

Get to the zoo as soon as it opens (and if they have an early-opening day, be there). The best light for photography will generally be early in the morning, the late afternoon, and early evening. Mid-day is just too harsh to do justice to your subjects. Take a nap in the gift shop between 11AM and 4PM, or go see a movie, and go back around 4PM. Fortunately, you brought your zoo map and have an idea of where the light will be best depending upon the time of the day. Follow the light.
If you try to take photos during the middle part of the day, you’ll get areas of harsh light next to dark shadows and you’ll get either get burned out, featureless highlights or noisy, featureless dark areas, plus washed out colors. Most zoo animals also seem to seek shade and nap during the mid-day, limiting your photographic options. Nothing makes for a dull photograph like a sleeping animal with its back to you.

It may be a good idea to leave the kids at home when you go on a zoo photography expedition. Nothing like having a photographer along on a family trip to bore and frustrate the life out of family members. And bore other people you will. Most zoo visitors walk from habitat to habitat, spend a few minutes, take a quick snapshot, and move along to the next animal. Not you – you’re going to pick only one or two animals for the morning, and only one or two for the evening. If you’re planning to get shots of every single animal there in a single day, you will not be pleased with your results. Do this mindfully – have a plan, and don’t go overboard. Plan to camp out at a habitat, catch the best angle, best light, and the best action. You might spend half an hour, an hour, or longer at each habitat. Wandering mindlessly is for tourists – you’re on a mission. Remember, Mindful photography, not snapshot photography.

HAND OF MAN
I’m picky. When I take a zoo shot, I don’t want it to look like I took it in a zoo. Zoo habitats are very obvious. The trick is to make it look like it wasn’t taken in a zoo. This is not easily accomplished. Whenever we have elements that are man-made and are unnatural to the animals environment in the shot, we call the Hand of Man (HOM). It’s getting harder and harder to capture images of wild animals without HOM, and it’s downright tough with zoo animals. But that’s what we’re trying to achieve – no HOM and no indication that this is not a wild animal. We’re trying to exclude bars, fences, fake concrete “rocks” and “cliffs” that immediate degrade the image quality.

While we’re trying to make an image with no HOM, we’re not going to present this as a wild animal – always disclose that this was a zoo image. It’s unethical to present a shot as a wild animal when it’s a zoo animal.

GEAR & SETTINGS
The gear you use can make or break your zoo shots. If possible, avoid using a compact camera. Because of the design of their sensor and lens, they have a huge depth of field (DOF), making it difficult to keep the obvious zoo habitat & HOM out of the shot. Most compacts also have a limited telephoto range and a limited range of settings.

A better option would be a bridge camera or super-zoom. These cameras have a longer focal length and usually have more sophisticated settings, allowing greater control of photographic elements.

The best option would be a DSLR – even an entry level DSLR will provide better image quality and much more control over camera settings than a compact or a super-zoom. A lens with a focal length of 200mm is the minimum you need. A 75-300mm lens should work well for zoo photography. Anything over 400mm is probably overkill for most zoo photography. The faster the lens, the better you’ll be able to control DOF. An f/2.8 lens will have a much shallower DOF than an f/6.3 lens, and having better control over DOF will result in better zoo photos.

Here’s the section where I blather on about using a tripod. If you don’t like using a tripod, you may be tempted to skip this paragraph – DON’T! For all the same reasons I’ve already mentioned, a tripod is your best friend. Your photos will be much, much sharper. The tripod will force you to slow down and be more mindful of light, composition, point of view (POV), and it will allow you to keep the camera/lens aimed at your subject without making your arms numb while you wait out the animal. As helpful as a tripod is, there are some caveats: a tripod acts as a lure for young, energetic, inattentive, and poorly supervised children (of any age). They like nothing better than tripping over tripods, and they get extra points for causing your precious gear to crash to the ground. ALWAYS keep a firm grasp on the tripod and your gear. If a group of children gather near, lift and close the legs together and quietly move off to a safer spot until the danger has passed. That’s another reason to camp out – you’re taking your time so you can wait-out the tourists and get the best shots.

If your using a DSLR or more advanced camera with a PASM setting, use Aperture priority mode and try the widest aperture you have – the wider the aperture, the shallower the DOF (see below). Most lenses aren’t at their sharpest at the widest aperture, so check the LCD and make sure the background is sufficiently blurred if you crank down the aperture by a stop or two. If you don’t have a PASM option, switch your camera to Portait mode – you’ll achieve close to the same effect in portrait mode.

Use the lowest ISO setting you can to maintain a decent shutter speed (generally 100-200). Don’t bother with the camera’s built in flash. If you don’t already do so, consider shooting in RAW. I won’t go in to detail about the advantages of RAW vs. JPG except to say that RAW will likely give you much better image quality and latitude in post-processing.

If you have a more advanced camera, change the focus to Spot Focus, rather than Local or Wide. It’s usually best to use the Matrix Metering, but be sure to activate the Histogram and Blinkies to warn you about any under or overexposure problems.

Use Continuous Focus, not Single Shot Focus. Remember, this is Mindful photography – we’re not just going to hold down the shutter, but we can take a few photos in rapid sequence if there’s some special action we want to capture.

SIMPLIFY & ISOLATE
You may recall the forum post Simplify and Isolate. Simplify the composition and isolate the subject. It’s going to take some effort to do this, but at a zoo, you do have more control over the situation than you generally do with a wild animal. That’s why the hosts on Animal Photography generally hold photos of pets, domestic animals, and zoo animals to a higher standard than wild animals. That’s not to say it’s going to be easy or fast. That’s why you’re camping out in front of a habitat.

To SIMPLIFY THE COMPOSITION, wait for the animal to get away from any distracting elements – the fake zoo habitat, rocks, tree limbs, fences, bars, etc. No limbs or rocks or other elements cutting across the animal. No other elements in the photo that distract the eye from the subject. For a wild animal, you may want to include elements of the natural habitat in the photo, but not in a zoo photo (unless it’s an exceptional zoo habitat)

To ISOLATE THE SUBJECT, you have several options. Most zoo animals (and wild ones too) tend to behave in predictable ways. The more confined the environment, the more predictable the behavior can be. If you have an idea about the route the animal takes, use that knowledge to your advantage. Stake out a good spot with the best light and the best angle, get some catch light in the animals’ eyes, isolate it from the fake zoo habitat, and get a great shot.

If you’re using a sufficiently long lens, you can zoom in for a tight crop, doing either a portrait or a frame-filling image and exclude as much of the habitat as possible. Don’t be afraid to get in close (well, not physically) with the lens.

Use depth of field (DOF) to your advantage. The wider the aperture of your lens, the shallower the DOF will be. That way, you can keep the eyes and face in sharp focus, let the body of the animal fall out of focus, and hopefully you can completely blur the background. The faster the lens you use, the better you’ll be able to control DOF.

ANGLES & PERSPECTIVE
Most modern zoos tend to have the habitat at roughly eye level with the viewing public, and that’s a good thing, particularly for photography. We’re going to get the most connection with the animal when the viewer and the animal are at eye level with each other. If I have to shoot down on the animal to get a photo, I won’t take the photo (unless there’s a very compelling reason to make an exception). There are sometimes some advantages to shooting upwards at an animal (we want to emphasize its height, for instance), but for most animal photography, keep the perspective at eye level.

Keep the focus on the eyes of the animal (that’s why we switched to Spot Focus) – the eyes are the most crucial element to have in focus. If the shoulder or foot is in sharp focus, not the eyes, it won’t be a great photo. The animal doesn’t have to face you, but the eyes should be clearly visible. And for the love of all that’s good in the world – NO ANIMAL BUTTS – no shots from behind. The animal doesn’t have to face you, but it needs to at least present a side view.

What about shooting through bars, fences, mesh, and glass? My first response is “Don’t bother.” You can sometimes use a shallow DOF and hope that by focusing on the animal that the bars/fence/mesh will be thrown out of focus. It just doesn’t work as well in practice as it does in theory. I’m going to stick with the Don’t Bother response when it comes to shooting through zoo glass. The glass is usually absolutely filthy – sure, you can bring travel sized glass wipes, and that might help, but zoo glass is not optical glass. Expect reflections and distortions when shooting through glass – even clean glass. Even worse is thick acrylic walls. The pictures will come out blurry – usually with some areas REALLY out of focus and some areas only kind of out of focus, but no areas actually in focus.

CONCLUSION
A word of warning – some zoos are not in the best areas of town. Carrying a load of expensive gear can make you an easy mark – whenever possible, go with others (maybe even other photographers for a field trip) for your safety.

I hope this makes some sort of sense. If not, I’d be happy to answer questions or provide further clarification. I’m sure some of our group members can do a much better job than I. I am going to suggest that we take the opportunity to visit our local zoo and try some of these suggestions. Let’s also do our next Challenge as ZOO ANIMALS and see how we do.

The Coyote Project, Act IV, Scene ii

A brief review: I decided I needed a new wildlife project, some sort of challenge, so decided the coyotes at my local park fit the bill perfectly. Turns out, they fit the bill a little too perfectly. They turned out to be quite the challenge – they’re smart, sneaky, well-camouflaged, and extremely camera shy. I haven’t noticed any Acme crates, but so far they haven’t needed any assistance.

I had an extremely close encounter that I mentioned in a journal entry, and a couple of other sightings recently since my last photo update. My last time out before this I was almost skunked (and I NEVER get skunked); the only time I saw a coyote was on my way out, after packing up my kit.

Today was pure serendipity – I wasn’t even planning to look for the coyotes, but on a whim I decided I’d just do a quick to the park to see what turned up. The light was gorgeous, and not a cloud in the sky. I saw the coyote out on the ice in the pond as soon as I arrived. That seems to be her strategy, at least when dealing with me. She waits on the ice where she has a 360 degree view of her area, watches where I go, and just takes off in the opposite direction. It’s hard to hide from her when she follows that tactic.

I waited until she was in the brush, and quickly set up in an established blind at the other end of the marsh, facing away from the marsh. Wildlife photography is a waiting game most of the time, and it took a little patience before I spotted her again. She was trotting along the edge of the trail, and for once, was in almost the perfect location, at a wonderful distance away. She even came a little too close before she spotted me – some of the pics have the bottoms of her feet cut off. I was afraid to move too much, so I didn’t even try to swing the camera into a portrait orientation.

overall, I’m pleased with these shots. The directional light was a little tough, there are some blown-out highlights, but overall, they turned out fairly well. i still think I can do better, so I’ll be out again tomorrow morning.

Coyote (Canis latrans)
Crown Hill Park
Lakewood, CO
Sony Alpha700
Sigma 300/2.8
Giottos tripod, Acratech ballhead, Wimberley Sidekick

ISO400, f/5, 1/1250sec

You never have a camera when you need one . . .

And if you were thinking this involves the coyote, you’d be correct.

I always enjoy going out in bad weather, because it increases my chance of seeing wildlife and keeps the crowds down at the same time. Unfortunately, no one was able to go with me other than the dog. And through hard experience, I’ve learned that Akitas and cameras do not mix.

Anyway, the park was almost deserted. Well, deserted of people, but not geese. There was a HUGE flock right next to the parking lot. They quickly noticed my dog while he was still in the car, and were visibly concerned. I tried to get him out as slowly as possible to keep from spooking them, but as soon as he rounded the car, the entire flock exploded into flight. It was an impressive sight.

We proceeded on our walk, but not more than a few steps on the trail we both noticed something – there was a coyote in the grass not more than 10 meters away. he was crouched down in the grass, apparently sneaking up on the geese – but that plan was spoiled when we spooked the flock. He casually sat upright, initially unaware of us, watching the geese fly away. He quickly became aware of us and just sat there watching us for the longest time.

After a few moments he casually stood up and started slowly walking parallel to the same trail we were on. After only a few feet he stopped, crouched down, and executed a perfect jump in the air, pouncing on something, and wound up with a fat vole in his mouth, which he quickly ate. All at only 10 meters away.

To make a long story short, we ran into the coyote several more times, usually less than 15 meters away each time. He never displayed any sign of aggression, just curiosity. We just happened to be sharing the same trail while he was going about his business.

It was frustrating to not have my camera to have recorded all this, particularly after spending to much time and energy get some decent shots of these wonderful animals. Despite the frustration of getting no shots with such a wonderful opportunity, it was a privilege to spend so much time with such a magnificent creature.

Quick Coyote Update

I'll spare the fine details and focus just on the basics (it's late and I'm off to bed).

First, let me say that there are at least 4 coyotes, not just 2 that I knew of before, that reside in my park.

I know this know because as I was chasing one coyote and suddenly found 2 together. I had just chased the one about half a mile, alternately running on icy pavement, shin-deep snow, and tripping over buried logs, when I received a call from my wife, who I left with the dog in order to chase the coyote.

_"Hey, you should have just stayed here. I just spotted one coyote in the reeds, and another one just walked by, 20 feet away, and just sat there starring at me for the longest time. You could have gotten some great shots."_

BIG sigh.

Quixotic Coyote

*A quick refresher:* I was seeking a new wildlife challenge, and the coyotes at the park a couple of miles from my house seemed like good candidates. Unfortunately, they turned out to be a little too good. They're smart (wily, if you'd prefer), well camouflaged, and highly adaptable. I haven't noticed any large crates from _ACME_, but so far, they haven't needed any.

I haven't posted many pictures from this challenge lately because there haven't _been_ any pictures. The coyotes have adapted too well to my efforts. I figure out their routes & routines around the marsh, and they leave the marsh for the open fields. I track them to the open fields, and they're on the ice on the lake. I hide in the reeds at the shore of the lake waiting for them on the ice, and they're goodness knows where. I don't. I'm ethically opposed to feeding wildlife (and agree that a fed wild animal is a dead wild animal), and it's illegal. I'm almost to the point of considering a predator call.

Yesterday I caught a coyote on the frozen lake, but it was too dark to get a decent shot, and I never saw the coyote again that morning. I _did_ run into a coyote again yesterday afternoon while walking the dog along a game trail in the remote back part of the park - the dog and I were heading north and the coyote was heading south on parallel trails only about 7-8 meters apart. We all stopped for a brief moment and looked at the other, then the coyote trotted on his way. The dog and I waited a few minutes and then tracked the coyote at a discreet distance for about 20 minutes. Of course, having a camera with me would have made things far too easy . . .

This morning I was out well before sunrise, again hiding in the reeds waiting for the coyote to go out on the frozen lake. He was a no-show. the sun was just up, so i decided to try the open field. I spotted him briefly and tracked him to the wildlife area. I kept spotting him and positioned myself where I anticipated he'd emerge from the brush without success. I was about to call it a morning but decided instead of heading back to the closest exit I'd take one last loop around the lake. Just as I was in an open spot the coyote made a dash across the frozen pond. Fortunately I still had the camera/tripod set up and was able to quickly fire off several frames before he disappeared into the reeds.

Coyote (Canis latrans)
Crown Hill Park
Lakewood, CO
Sony Alpha700
Sigma 300 f/2.8+1.4TC
Giottos tripod, Acratech ballhead, Wimberley Sidekick

ISO400, 1.640sec, f/2.8

Stinkin' Coyote

Sometimes the best laid plans of mice and nature photographers go awry.

This is one of those times.

My new challenge is a pair of coyotes at my local park. It's where I usually walk my dog (or where _he_ walks me, depending upon your perspective). I figured these coyotes would provide enough challenge to occupy me for a bit, and maybe force me to improve my game a little in the process.

I underestimated them.

I've managed to sight them regularly now. I know their morning and evening routes & routines. i can find them most of the time with a little effort. I've managed to gradually get closer to them, and to hide well enough for them to unwittingly get closer to me. I count each minor improvement I make as a major victory, since I am dealing with an alpha predator who is smart and wary. I figured it wouldn't be long before I had some nice pics (close range, good light, low ISO) at this rate.

What I didn't figure on was the coyotes stepping up their game in response to me.

Since I had a little time off for the holidays, I decided to spend my morning pursuing the coyotes.I could always manage to spot at least one of the coyotes out in the middle of the frozen pond before sunrise - just too far away and behind too much brush for a decent shot. I think that's part of her plan. No matter which way I approach a hiding place for the pond, the coyote is now on the lookout for me, and on the frozen pond has a 360-degree escape route. When I arrive, she now watches me and exits the opposite side of the pond. They've adapted too well in a short period of time.

This shot is after packing up from the wildlife area. She was in the open field chasing voles. She spotted me very quickly, and after looking away from the viewfinder for a split second, she managed to just disappear. This was the best shot of the day.