Blog Archives
Stampede-Raising the dust
Friends, a herd of bison can be peacefully grazing or taking dust baths in prairie dog town, when suddenly something sets them off and they are off, stampeding across the prairie raising the dust. You can see from the horns that these are young animals, while the older ones seem to follow along, somewhat unwillingly. Shooting into the sun, emphasizes the dust, but also hides the details in the bison. A photography trade-off that needs to be solved with photoshop. til Tomorrow MJ
Pronghorn
Friends, this is a male pronghorn from the badlands. They get their name from the horn grown by males that is forked with a hook-like branch. They do not grow antlers like the deer and elk, but grow a horn that is partially shed each year. They can run 60 MPH and rely on their speed and agility to survive out on the open grasslands. til Tomorrow MJ
Bull Elk
Friends, In the fall after his antlers are polished, this male elk runs the ridge top in search of a harem of cows. Males lose these antlers in the late winter and grow a new and bigger set in the spring and summer. The Rocky Mountain Elk have been transplanted to the park after being extinct from the badlands. Now they thrive within the Theodore Roosevelt National Park where they are protected.
The fall grasses have lost their green and have cured to a straw color and bushes are turning into spectacular hues of yellows and oranges. Elk are larger than the deer species and are harder to find in the vast acres of badlands. The male in the bottom images is a smaller bull and is gathering his cows while keeping a watchful eye on the photographer. It is always a thrill to see elk in the wild and it makes my heart beat faster or maybe it is because i am chasing them uphill. til Tomorrow MJ
Mule Deer-Where Are They
Friends, Mule Deer are everywhere if you look up into the rocky slopes and down into rabbit brush filled ravines. They often lay down in the day light hours, but along toward sunset, they are roaming everywhere. Driving through the National Park after 5pm, if you don’t see deer, you are not looking very hard. til Tomorrow MJ
More muleys
Friends, this big-eared mule deer doe is relaxing in the grasses of the badlands. She is chewing her cud and checking out the photographer. One of the characteristic traits of these deer are the large ears hence their name, mule deer with mule ears. The image below is a fall image of a fawn that was born in the spring, if you look closely you can see remnants of his spotted coat. til Tomorrow MJ
Mule Deer
Friends, yesterday i showed you a white tail deer and today’s image is of a mule deer in the badlands. His antler tines branch and in spring and summer his antlers are covered in velvet, a vascular tissue that causes the antlers to grow and deposit calcium. He loses his antlers every year like the white tail but is a much larger animal. They frequent the rugged ravines and steep hills regions of the National Park. The below image shows the very early stages of antler growth. til Tomorrow MJ
Along the River
Friends, most of the badlands in North Dakota are very dry (arid) except the area directly adjacent to the Little Missouri River. The Whitetail deer are found mainly along the river while Mule deer are found in the drier areas. This Whitetail buck posed for us in the fall with his antlers polished and ready to chase the girls. White tails are smaller than mule deer and get their name from the white underside of their tails that they flag when they flee from danger. The bucks grow antlers every spring and summer, then shed their antlers every winter to begin the cycle over again. The whitetails have antlers with tines coming off a main beam. In this image you can see his all white tail and his antlers are quite typical for a whitetail buck. Below image is the Little Missouri River bottom. til Tomorrow MJ
Weekly Photo Challenge: Two Subjects
Friends,Two American Bison heading up the side hill to greener grasses. While this may look like a couple, they are actually two males, the one in the front being a younger version of the one in the back. An early snowstorm in September had painted the sage and brush with white and as the snow melted, the clay on these slopes became very slippery. The whole herd was progressing very slowly with an occasional stall when an animal had difficulty moving to the higher ground. The Bison have been reintroduced to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and thrive within the fenced region. Cattle of the badlands they compete with wild horses, elk, deer, antelope and other grazers for the lush grasses. Even the prairie dogs eat the grasses. til Tomorrow MJ
What the trees hide
Friends,The dense tree cover serve to hide the wildlife in the badlands. This male elk is venturing into a clearing after raking his antlers on the brush, scraping the velvet off and polishing his antlers for the fall breeding wars. I know he is in the middle of the image but i wished to emphasize the surrounding trees and the small clearing. The male mule deer (below) is peeking from behind a tree. His antlers are still growing and covered with “velvet” , but his curiosity is over whelming. By setting the deer and elk in the middle of the frame, the emphasis is on the surrounding trees. An experiment in composition. til Tomorrow MJ
MJ Springett 