So… Elk in abundance. You get enough of them quite quickly, exactly for that reason. After awhile it’s no longer a challenge, or any fun to shoot them (unless of course if you get them in a better location then right off the road where everyone with their cell phones photographs them 😉 ).
But there’s plenty of other wildlife to be found.
Blue Jays I’ve seen before. They’re around in abundance as well. But at least they have some stunning colors to speak for them. Every time I see them I’m surprised by how vibrant blue their feathers really are. It never fails to amaze me.
And I just love how curious they are 🙂
D800, ISO1600, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, Nikkor 70-200mm, Nikkor TC2
D800, ISO1600, 1/1000 sec @ f/5.6, Nikkor 70-200mm, Nikkor TC2
There were other birds still (more about that later).
The snow came in very handy to help us spot these. You don’t really see them in the field when there’s no snow, unless they’re moving around quick and obvious, but they do stand out well when they’re jumping up and down trying to dig out the mice from under the snow. Just like this one.
D800, ISO200, 1/250 sec @ f/11, Nikkor 70-200mm, Nikkor TC2
D800, ISO200, 1/250 sec @ f/11, Nikkor 70-200mm, Nikkor TC2
Crop of the above, see the mouse’s feet sticking out? Poor thing 😉
D800, ISO200, 1/250 sec @ f/11, Nikkor 70-200mm, Nikkor TC2
Crop of the above. Quite the dental work, hasn’t he? 😀
Then on the other side of the Rockies, in Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, we ran into another animal.
Quite a careful animal, but then again… It took off when we saw it from the walkway, but when I went into the bushes and sat there for awhile it came back out, curious as it was.
Of course other passers-by had to ruin the close encounter, and it took off again.
D800, ISO1600, 1/500 sec @ f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200mm
Oh, and there was this little fellow still. Also ran away first, but curiosity won him over and he turned around to see what that funny dude with the camera really wanted 😀
D800, ISO800, 1/500 sec @ f/2.8, Nikkor 70-200mm
