Photo of the Day

Rare flight photo of an Endangered and Special bird!

Heading from Wood Buffalo National Park in Alberta to Aransas Wildlife Refuge in Texas!

Whooping Crane

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- October 26, 2024

All Time Favorite Photo!

Love, Family and Home

Mom and Babe in Front of Snow Den!

Polar Bears

Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada

Photo of the Day- March 2, 2022

Photo of the Month- March 2022

Photo of the Year- 2022

46,327 Website Visits in 2023!

All time high 126.9 per day

Thank you!!

Photo of the Year- 2023

What are the Odds?

Once in a Lifetime Photo!

Meteor (Shooting Star) Northern Lights Big Dipper and Badlands Butte

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- September 26, 2023

Photo of the Month September 2023

Photo of the Year 2023

See Night Sky page in Dakota Region tab for story behind the photo!!

What is New in 2024!

Major Additions in 2024

Space Spectacle of a Lifetime!

• May 10-11, 2024 G5 KP9 Geomagnetic Storm Northern Lights in Night Sky page in Dakota Region tab with 42 spectacular photos, strongest storm since 1989 (35 years) most visible in hundreds of years!
• August 11-12, 2024 G4 KP8 Geomagnetic Storm Northern Lights in Night Sky page in Dakota Region tab with 14 spectacular photos
• Dream Week of Two Solar Storms!
  • October 6, 2024 11 photos G3 KP5 Geomagnetic Storm
  • October 7, 2024 10 photos G3 KP6 Geomagnetic Storm
  • October 10, 2024 3 photos G4 KP9 Geomagnetic Storm
  • October 11, 2024 37 photos G4 KP9 Geomagnetic Storm
• First photos in 3 years of the endangered Whooping Cranes
• Mountain Bluebird page in Dakota Region tab including 44 photos of parents feeding fledglings!
• Eastern Bluebird page in Dakota Region tab including fledglings
• American Kestrels page in Dakota Region tab
• Loggerhead Shrike page in Dakota Region tab
  
• Western Meadowlarks in Dakota Songbird #2 page in Dakota Region tab
• Red Fox page in Dakota Region tab
• Woodpecker page in Dakota Region tab
• Extraordinarily rare Prairie Rattlesnake photos of their Combat Dance in Dakota Badlands page in Dakota Region tab!
• Burrowing Owl photos in Owl page in Dakota Region tab!
• "How Animals Adapt to their Habitats" presentations to Highland Acres and Roosevelt Elementary Schools on April 19, 2024
• Mountain tab photos enlarged and dated on October 29, 2024
• Hummingbird photos dated in Birds tab on October 30, 2024
• 34,607 website visits from January 1, 2024 to June 30, 2024, an average of 190 visits a day! Thank you!!

Photo of the Day

(many can be found in Gallery II page)

10/26/24 Whooping Cranes

10/25/24 Greater White-fronted Geese

10/20/24 Bighorn Sheep

10/19/24 Sandhill Cranes

10/17/24 Tundra Swans

10/16/24 Great Egret

10/15/24 Tundra Swans

10/14/24 Mule Deer

10/13/24 Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan- ATLAS)

10/11/24 Northern Lights

10/10/24 Northern Lights

10/7/24 Northern Lights

10/6/24 Northern Lights

10/4/24 Great Egret

10/3/24 Northern Harrier

10/1/24 American White Pelican

9/27/24 Western Meadowlark

9/22/24 Mountain Bluebirds

9/15/24 Mountain Bluebird

9/14/24 Mountain Bluebird

9/13/24 Pronghorns

9/8/24 Mountain Bluebird

9/6/24 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

9/4/24 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

9/1/24 American Bison and Calf

8/31/24 Juvenile Cooper's Hawk

8/25/24 Rock Wrens

8/24/24 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/23/24 Black-capped Chickadee

8/22/24 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/18/24 Pronghorn

8/17/24 American Kestrel catching grasshopper in Flight

8/13/24 American Kestrels

8/12/24 Northern Lights

8/11/24 Northern Lights

8/6/24 Western Grebes

8/4/24 Mule Deer and Fawn

8/3/24 Swainson's Hawk and Western Kingbird

8/2/24 Western Kingbird

7/29/24 Burrowing Owl

7/28/24 Eastern Kingbird Mom and fledglings

7/21/24 Swainson's Hawk nestlings

7/20/24 Common Nighthawk

7/19/24 Burrowing Owl

7/17/24 Burrowing Owl

7/16/24 Extraordinarily rare Prairie Rattlesnake photos

of their Combat Dance!

7/15/24 Bullock's Oriole

7/14/24 Red-tailed Hawk

7/7/24 Cedar Waxwing

7/6/24 American Bison and Calf

7/4/24 Western Kingbird

7/3/24 Clay-colored Sparrow

7/2/24 Female Bobolink

7/1/24 Female Bobolink

6/30/24 Mountain Bluebird Fledglings

6/29/24 Eastern Bluebird Fledglings

6/28/24 Rock Wren

6/26/24 Western Grebe Water Dance

6/23/24 Mule Deer Doe and Fawn

6/19/24 Eastern Bluebird

6/16/24 Mountain Bluebird mom feeding her baby

6/14/24 White-faced Ibis

6/13/24 White-tailed Mom (Doe) and Baby (Fawn)

6/11/24 Killdeer parent and Baby

6/9/24 Mountain Bluebird

6/8/24 Western Meadowlarks

6/1/24 Downy Woodpecker

5/31/24 Red Fox Kit

5/30/24 Red Fox Kit

5/28/24 Red Fox Kits

5/27/24 Spotted Towhee

5/25/24 Bobolink

5/19/24 Wild Turkey

5/17/24 American Bittern

5/12/24 Brown Thrasher

5/11/24 Column of Colors Northern Lights

5/10/24 Farland Church and Northern Lights

5/9/24 American Kestrel

5/5/24 Northern Harrier, Western Meadowlark, Black-billed Magpie, Mountain Bluebird, American Kestrel, Loggerhead Shrike

5/4/24 American Robin

5/3/24 Say's Phoebe

4/27/24 Western Meadowlark

4/23/24 Loggerhead Shrike

4/23/24 American Bison and Calf

4/21/24 Mountain Bluebird

4/20/24 Green-winged Teal

4/17/24 Mallard

4/15/24 Western Meadowlark

4/12/24 American Kestrel

4/11/24 Cedar Waxwings

4/9/24 Porcupine

4/6/24 American Kestrel

4/4/24 Mountain Bluebird

4/3/24 Redheads

4/2/24 Hooded Merganser

4/1/24 Northern Harrier

3/20/24 Mallards

3/19/24 Mallard

3/18/24 Snow Geese

3/17/24 Cedar Waxwings

3/10/24 Golden Eagle

3/7/24 Canada Geese

3/1/24 American Bald Eagle

2/26/24 Canada Geese

2/22/24 American Bald Eagles

2/11/24 Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

1/1/24 Porcupine

545 photos added to pages in the Dakota Region tab in 2024 as of November 1, 2024

20 photos added to pages in the Bird tab in 2024 as of November 2, 2024

Photo of the Month September 2024

Iridescence!

Due to stacked hummingbird melanosomes!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- September 4, 2024

Photo of Month- September 2024

Photo of the Month August 2024

Not a Sunset!

Red Reflection after Midnight!

Northern Lights

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- August 12, 2024

Photo of the Month- August 2024

Photo of the Month July 2024

A Lifetime Photo!

Extraordinarily Rare Combat Dance!

Male Prairie Rattlesnakes

McKenzie County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- July 16, 2024

Photo of the Month- July 2024

Males compete in combat rituals to earn mating rights to nearby females. In these combat “dances,” males face each other with their heads and part of their bodies off the ground, then they intertwine and attempt to throw each other into the ground. The male which is not thrown into the ground earns dominance and mating rights.

https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/prairie-rattlesnakes.htm

Photo of the Month June 2024

Fledgling Feeding!

A very, very special Day !

Mountain Bluebirds

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- June 16, 2024

Photo of Month- June 2024

Photo of the Month May 2024

Magnificent Column of Colors!

Northern Lights in strong geomagnetic storms have more colors (8) than rainbows (7-red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and violet).

Green: The most common color, caused by oxygen at lower altitudes; Red: Caused by oxygen at higher altitudes, and is associated with intense solar activity; Blue: Caused by nitrogen particles, and is the rarest color; Pink: Caused by nitrogen molecules in the upper bands of the aurora, usually at least 150 miles above the ground; Purple: Caused by a mix of nitrogen and oxygen; Yellow: Caused by a mix of nitrogen and oxygen; Orange: Can sometimes be seen, but is very rare and White: Can sometimes be seen

Strongest Geomagnetic Storm (G5 KP9) since 1989 (35 years)!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- May 11, 2024

Photo of the Month May 2024

"May’s northern lights were the space spectacle of a lifetime, scientists say.

Space scientists are saying the solar storm was the most impressive in decades and, by some measures, even centuries."

Washington Post May 25, 2024

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/05/25/northern-lights-auroras-best-500-years/

"During the first full week of May, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, creating the strongest solar storm to reach Earth in two decades — and possibly one of the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 years."

NASA May 16, 2024

https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/how-nasa-tracked-the-most-intense-solar-storm-in-decades/

In early May, a particularly large and complex sunspot cluster called Active Region 3664 appeared on the solar disc. It cranked outa barrage of X-class solar flares— the most intense kind, or explosions of high-energy particles and electrons that race through space at the speed of light. Several shortwave radio blackouts affected high-frequency signals on Earth.

Slower-moving shock waves of magnetism, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), barreled through space like interstellar tsunamis. Several overlapped, colliding with Earth’s magnetic field on the night of May 10, igniting vibrant auroral displays around the world. NASA said it was among the strongest aurora displays in 500 years.

The sun takes about 27 days to rotate, meaning that, since two weeks have elapsed, the sunspot is rotating back into view. As is customary, it has been assigned a new name and number: Active Region 3697.

Washington Post May 30, 2024

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/05/30/sunspot-solar-storm-auroras-northern-lights/

Photo of the Month April 2024

Breakfast!

Diving Duck goes Fishing!

Hooded Merganser

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- April 2, 2024

Photo of the Month- April 2024

Photo of the Month March 2024

The Great Spring Migration!

Nesting Grounds in the High Arctic!

Snow Geese

Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- March 18, 2024

Photo of the Month- March 2024

Photo of the Month February 2024

Mates for Life!

Smaller male is on the left!

American Bald Eagles

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- February 22, 2024

Photo of the Month February 2024

Photo of the Month January 2024

Aternoon Snack!

Eating Bark!

Porcupine

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- January 1, 2024

Photo of Month January 2024

What is New in 2023!

Will You be My Friend Children's Book Series

Children's Nature eBooks

available at Amazon.com

#1 Foxy Babies

#2 Baby Panda Adventure

#3 Foxy Town USA

#4 Seven Reasons to Love Mountain Bluebirds

#5 Time to Go Potty

#6 There are More than Tigers in India

#7 Seven Reasons to Love American Kestrels

#8 Owl About It

#10 Polar Bear Adventure

more to come this year!

Search Stephen McDonough MD

Loggerhead Shrikes photo taken on May 15, 2021 included in the definitive shrike book "Shrikes of the World" published in 2022 and was available for purchase in March 2023!

February-March 2023!

The new Alaska page is the States of USA tab is based on Seven trips to Alaska from 2006 to 2018- new photos will be added during February 2023- 32 added as of March 18, 2023

1 photo added from November 30, 2014 to the Antarctica page and education information added to the Antarctica page on February 3, 2023

10 Photos added to the Books, Education and Events tab as of January 7, 2023

Major Additions in 2023

• Ring-necked Pheasants page in Dakota Region tab
• American Kestrels page in Dakota Region tab
• American Bald Eagles in Dakota Raptors #2 page in Dakota Region tab
• Cinnamon Teals in Dakota Waterbirds #2 page in Dakota Region tab
• Long Lake National Wildlife page in National Parks tab
• Feral Horses in Badlands page in Dakota Region tab
• Northern Lights in Night Sky page in Dakota Region tab including one photo with a meteor!
• First photos in 10 years added to Bighorn Sheep page in Dakota Region tab

Photo of the Day

(many can be found in Gallery II page)

12/30/23 Bighorn Sheep

12/18/23 Bighorn Sheep

12/13/23 Northern Lights

12/1/23 Northern Lights

11/12/23 Northern Lights

11/11/23 Bighorn Sheep

11/3/23 American Bald Eagle and Snow Goose

10/31/23 Sandhill Crane

10/29/23 Snow Geese

10/25/23 Tundra Swans

10/21/23 Wilson's Snipe

10/19/23 Bighorn Sheep

10/16/23 Bighorn Sheep

10/15/23 Bighorn Sheep

10/10/23 American Bison

10/9/23 Mule Deer

9/29/23 White-crowned Sparrow

9/28/23 Feral Horses

9/27/23 Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

9/26/23 Meteor Northern Lights Big Dipper Badlands Butte

9/25/23 Feral Horses

9/24/23 Feral Horses

9/23/23 Feral Horses

9/20/23 Coyote

9/19/23 American White Pelicans

9/18/23 Northern Lights and Pleiades Reflection

8/25/23 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/24/23 White-faced Ibis

8/18/23 Cattle Egret

8/15/23 White-faced Ibis

8/14/23 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/9/23 White-faced Ibis

7/23/23 Eared Grebes

7/9/23 Lazuli Bunting

6/17/23 Mallard Mom with Ducklings

6/14/23 Green-winged Teal

6/12/23 Northern Pintail

6/10/23 Burrowing Owl

6/8/23 Brown Thrasher

6/6/23 Snowy Egret

5/30/23 Northern Pintail

5/23/23 Great Blue Heron

5/16/23 American Redstart

5/15/23 Great Blue Heron

5/10/23 Blue-winged Teals

5/8/23 Red Fox Kits

5/5/23 Blue Jay

5/1/23 Great Blue Heron

4/24/23 Greater Scaups

4/23/23 Northern Lights

4/17/23 Common Mergansers

4/16/23 Common Goldeneye

4/15/23 Red-tailed Hawk and Red-winged Blackbird

4/11/23 American Bald Eagle

4/10/23 American Kestrel

4/8/23 Ring-necked Pheasant

4/2/23 Northern Harrier

3/30/23 Lake Audubon National Wildlife Refuge

3/29/23 Horned Lark

190 photos added to pages in the Dakota Region tab in 2023 as of February 10, 2024

8 photos added to Hummingbird page in Birds tab in 2023 as of October 6, 2023

Photo of the Month December 2023

Vestiges in Time!

Northern Lights, Big Dipper and an Abandoned School House

Northern Lights

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- December 13, 2023

Photo of the Month November 2023

Skyline Parade!

Male with Four Ewes

Bighorn Sheep

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- November 11, 2023

Photo of the Month November 2023

Photo of the Month October 2023

Late Afternoon Snack!

Autumn Colors!

Bighorn Sheep

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- October 15, 2023

Photo of the Month September 2023

What are the Odds?

Once in a Lifetime Photo!

Meteor (Shooting Star) Northern Lights Big Dipper and Badlands Butte

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- September 26, 2023

Photo of the Month September 2023

See Night Sky page in Dakota Region tab for story behind the photo!!

Photo of the Month August 2023

Morning Landing!

Impressive Wings!

Cattle Egret

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- August 18, 2023

Photo of the Month August 2023

Photo of the Month July 2023

Breakfast!

Love in the Offering!

Eared Grebes

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- July 23, 2023

Photo of the Month- July 2023

Photo of the Month June 2023

Peek-a-boo!

I See You!

Burrowing Owl

McLean County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- June 10, 2023

Photo of the Month- June 2023

Photo of the Month May 2023

Girls out Front!

Flying Together!

Blue-winged Teals

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- May 10, 2023

Photo of the Month- May 2023

Photo of the Month April 2023

On the Fly!

Staying on top of 2 feet of snow!

American Kestrel

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- April 10, 2023

Photo of the Month- April 2023

Photo of the Year- 2022

Love, Family and Home

Mom and Babe in Front of Snow Den!

Polar Bears

Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada

Photo of the Day- March 2, 2022

Photo of the Month- March 2022

Photo of the Year- 2022

What was New in 2022!

Beginning on November 8, 2022-Hundreds of Photos from Tanzania and Uganda were added over the next month!

The Five Africa Cats

African Elephants

Black Rhinoceros

Mountain Gorillas

Baby Red Fox Photos!

More Polar Bear Photos on Sea Ice!

Northern Lights Photos!

Baby Polar Bears are Here- Triplets and Snow Den!!

Major Additions and Revisions made to Florida page, Brown Bear tab, Polar Bear tab, new Africa tab, Tanzania page, Uganda page and in Birds tab!  

Major Additions in 2022

• Tanzania page in Africa tab
• Uganda page in Africa tab
• Northern Lights in Night Sky page in Dakota Region tab
• Polar Bears in Polar Bear/Arctic Tab
• Roseate Spoonbills page in Birds tab
• Great Blue Herons page in Birds tab
• Wood Stocks page in Birds tab
• Tricolored Herons page in Birds tab
• Little Blue Herons page in Birds tab
• White Ibis page in Birds tab
• American White Pelicans page in Birds tab
• Ospreys page in Birds tab
• Green Herons page in Birds tab
• Brown Pelicans page in Birds tab
• Snowy Egrets page in Birds tab
• Great Egrets page in Birds tab
• Yellow-crowned Night Herons page in Birds tab
• Redish Egrets page in Birds tab
• American Bald Eagles page in Birds tab

Photo of the Day

(many can be found in Gallery II page)

11/23/22 American Bald Eagle

11/2/22 Silverback Mountain Gorilla

11/1/22 Mountain Gorillas

10/31/22 Mountain Gorillas

10/30/22 Three-horned Chameleon

10/29/22 Ross's Turaco

10/28/22 Lions

10/27/22 Leopard

10/26/22 Wildebeests and Great Migration

10/25/22 Ostrich

10/24/22 Lions

10/23/22 Cheetahs

10/22/22 Caracal

10/21/22 Black Rhinoceros

10/20/22 Masai Giraffes

10/19/22 African Elephants

10/18/22 Liliac-breasted Roller

10/17/22 White-fronted Bee-eater

10/16/22 Variable Sunbird

10/5/22 American Avocets

9/30/22 Mule Deer

9/29/22 White-crowned Sparrow

9/28/22 Autumn Colors

9/26/22 Killdeer

9/25/22 Northern Flicker

9/24/22 Mule Deer

9/18/22 Feral Horse

9/17/22 American Kestrel

9/16/22 American Kestrel

9/13/22 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

9/11/22 Barn Swallows getting Breakfast

9/10/22 Bison Mom Nursing as Moon set before Sunrise

9/9/22 Cedar Waxwings

9/5/22 Elk

9/4/22 American Kestrel eating a bug

9/3/22 Badlands, Big Dipper and Aurora Borealis

8/31/22 Great Blue Heron catching a fish

8/29/22 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/28/22 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/26/22 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/23/2022 American Avocets

8/20/2022 Western Grebes

8/16/2022 American Bald Eagle

8/16/2022 American White Pelicans

8/10/2022 Black-crowned Night Heron

8/9/2022 Yellow-billed Cuckoo

8/3/2022 Juvenile Northern Harrier

7/29/2022 Belted Kingfisher

7/27/2022 Sharp-shinned Hawk

7/22/2022 Marbled Godwit

7/17/2022 White-faced Ibis

7/13/2022 Black-crowned Night Heron

7/10/2022 American Kestrel

7/9/2022 Mountain Bluebird

7/8/2022 Western Meadowlark

7/1/2022 Swainson's Hawk and Common Grackle

6/28/2022 Western Grebes

6/27/2022 American Bittern

6/23/2022 Mallard

6/22/2022 Black-crowned Night Heron

6/21/2022 Great Blue Heron

6/17/2022 Red Fox Kits

6/16/2022 Swainson's Hawk

6/15/2022 Blue Grosbeak

6/14/2022 Red Fox Kits

6/11/2022 Red Fox Kits

6/8/2022 Common Tern

6/6/2022 Red Fox Kits

6/5/2022 Red-eyed Vireo

6/4/2022 American Bison

6/3/2022 White-breasted Nuthatch

6/2/2022 Burrowing Owls

6/1/2022 Red Fox Kits

5/31/2022 Red Fox Kits

5/30/2022 Desert Cottontail

5/29/2022 Cedar Waxwing

5/28/2022 Red Fox Kit

5/27/2022 Mule Deer

5/26/2022 Feral Horses and Little Missouri River Landscape

5/25/2022 Bullsnake

5/24/2022 Red-tailed Hawk

5/23/2022 Black-headed Grosbeak

5/21/2022 Feral Horses

5/20/2022 Orchard Oriole

5/19/2022 Coyote and Wood Ducks

5/18/2022 Spotted Towhee

5/17/2022 Elk in Velvet

5/16/2022 Black-tailed Prairie Dogs

5/15/2022 Lunar Eclipse

5/14/2022 Chipping Sparrow

5/13/2022 Yellow Warblers

5/10/2022 Northern Harrier nest building

5/5/2022 Glossy and White-faced Ibis

5/2/2022 Cedar Waxwings

5/1/2022 Willet

4/27/2022 Cooper's Hawk

4/20/2022 Hooded Merganser

4/13/2022 Glacier Landscape

4/12/2022 Polar Bear Running

4/11/2022 Icebergs at Sunset

4/10/2022 Polar Bear drinking on the Run

4/9/2022 Polar Bear attacking a Seal Den

4/8/2022 Northern Lights and Icebergs

4/7/2022 Polar Bear Mom and Cub

4/6/2022 Northern Lights

4/5/2022 Iqaluit Nunavut Canada

4/1/2022 Northern Lights

3/30/2022 Northern Lights

3/23/2022 Ducks (Northern Pintails) under the Moon

3/19/2022 Chipping Sparrow

3/17/2022 Snow Geese

3/15/2022 Horned Lark

3/2/2022 Polar Bears and Snow Den!

3/1/2022 Northern Lights

2/28/2022 Polar Bear

2/27/2022 Polar Bear Triplets and Mom

2/26/2022 Polar Bears

2/24/2022 Arctic Fox

2/23/2022 Arctic Fox

1/8/2022 Yellow-crowned Night Heron

1/7/2022 Ospreys

1/6/2022 Roseate Spoonbill

1/5/2022 Redish Egret

1/4/2022 Osprey

1/3/2022 Great Egret

1/2/2022 American White Pelican

302 Photos added to the Tanzania page in the Africa tab as of December 3, 2022

124 Photos added to the Uganda page in the Africa tab as of December 15, 2022

227 photos added to pages in the Dakota Region tab in 2022 as of January 11, 2023

173 photos added to pages in the Polar Bear/Arctic tab in 2022 as of May 12, 2022

174 photos added to pages in the Bird tab in 2022 as of October 10, 2022

4 Photos added to Florida page in States tab as of February 1, 2022

8 Photos added to the Books, Education and Events tab as of March 6, 2022

Photo of the Month November 2022

Family!

Mountain Gorillas

Bwindi Impenatrable Forest, Uganda

Photo of the Day- November 1, 2022

Photo of the Month- November 2022

Photo of the Month October 2022

Family!

Cheetahs

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Photo of the Day- October 23, 2022

Photo of the Month- October 2022

Photo of the Month September 2022

Bison Mom Nursing her Babe as Harvest Moon set before Sunrise!

American Bison

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- September 10, 2022

Photo of the Month- September 2022

An Oddball Photo by an Oddball Photographer September 10, 2022

What are the odds of seeing an American Bison mom nursing her babe as the moon set before sunrise in Theodore Roosevelt National Park? Once in this old photographer's lifetime! It was 32 degrees with frost on the windshield but the sight of a mom taking care of her baby in the frosty morning warmed the heart!

Photo of the Month- August 2022

Beautiful!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- August 28, 2022

Photo of the Month- August 2022

Photo of the Month- July 2022

Blue upon Blue!

Mountain Bluebird

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day July 9, 2022

Photo of the Month July 2022

Photo of the Month- June 2022

High Jump!

Red Fox Kits 

 Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day June 14, 2022

Photo of the Month June 2022

Photo of the Month- May 2022

Remarkable!

Glossy Ibis and White-faced Ibis Flying Together!  

 Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- May 5, 2022

Photo of the Month for May 2022

Photo of the Month- April 2022

Northern Lights and Icebergs 

 Baffin Bay, Nunavut, Canada

Photo of the Day- April 8, 2022

Photo of the Month- April 2022

Conditions needed for this Photograph!

1. Northern Lights needed to be present
2. Sky free of clouds
3. Evening fog had to be low
4. Quarter moon needed to illuminate icebergs
5. Icebergs needed to be present and close to our camp on the frozen Arctic ocean
6. Northern Lights needed to be located in between the icebergs
7. Photographers had to be willing to be up at midnight after 9 long hours already on the ice
8. Guides needed to be willing to be up with photographers after a long day and look out for wandering polar bears

Photo of the Month- March 2022

Mom and Babe in Front of Home (Snow Den)!

Polar Bears

Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada

Photo of the Day- March 2, 2022

Photo of the Month- March 2022

Photo of the Month- February 2022

Unconditional Love!

Polar Bears

Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada

Photo of the Day- February 27, 2022

Photo of the Month- February 2022

Photo of the Month- January 2022

Home Builder!

Osprey

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Sanibel Island, Florida

Photo of the Day- January 4, 2022

Photo of the Month- January 2022

Photo of the Year- 2021

Close Encounter of the Wild Kind!

Gray Wold

Kaska Coast, Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada

Photo of the Day- November 17, 2021

Photo of the Year- 2021

Not my best but my favorite.! A 100+ pound Gray Wolf from 4 yards away! I was walking with the front guide with 15 others near Hudson Bay when this wolf came up to our group and stood in front of me for 30 to 60 seconds before walking away. Wolves are not hunted there and have no fear of man. We just looked at each other- I was transfixed and the wolf just curious! Best wildlife encounter of my life!!

What is New in 2021!

New photos from the Arctic- Polar Bears and other Species- please see Subarctic Tab

Major Additions in 2021

• American Bald Eagles- Dakota Raptors in Dakota Region tab
• Golden Eagles- Dakota Raptors in Dakota Region tab
• Northern Harriers- Dakota Raptors in Dakota Region tab
• Loggerhead Shrikes- new Loggerhead Shrike page in Dakota Region tab
• Red-tailed Hawks- new Red-tailed Hawk page in Dakota Region tab
• Cedar Waxwings- Cedar Waxwing page in Dakota Region tab
• Yellow Warblers- Dakota Songbirds in Dakota Region tab
• Blue Jays building a nest- Dakota Songbirds in Dakota Region tab
  
• Great Egrets- Dakota Waterbirds in Dakota Region tab
• Hooded Mergansers- Dakota Waterbirds in Dakota Region tab
• Wood Ducks- Dakota Waterbirds in Dakota Region tab
• Whooping Cranes- Cranes in Birds tab
• Coyotes- Coyote page in Dakota Region tab
• Black Bears- Yellowstone page in National Park tab and Bear page
• Grizzly Bears- Yellowstone page in National Park tab and Bear page
• Red-headed Woodpeckers- Woodpecker page in Dakota Region tab
• Mountain Bluebirds- Mountain Bluebird page in Dakota Region tab
• American Kestrels- American Kestrel page in Dakota Region tab
• Lazuli Buntings- new Lazuli Buntings page in Dakota Region tab
• Red Foxes- Red Fox page in Dakota Region Tab
• Western Kingbird chase of Red-tailed Hawk in Red-tailed Hawk Page in Dakota Region tab
• Eastern Kingbirds Nest- new Kingbird page in Dakota Region tab
• Ruby-throated Hummingbird- Hummingbird page in Bird tab
• Belted Kingfisher- Kingfisher page in Bird tab
• Autumn Colors- New page in Dakota Region tab
• Subarctic tab- news photos of gray wolf, polar bears, snowy owl, spruce grouse

Indonesia page in Asia tab modified with enlarged photos and tribute to Widodo Ramono- conservationist for critically endangered Sumatran and Javan Rhinos

McDonough Family Conservation Fund page in Endangered Species tab modified with tribute to Dr. David Wildt, founding member of Conservation Centers for Species Survival in C2S2 page

Photo of the Day

12/16/2021 American Bison

11/24/2021 Aurora Borealis

11/23/2021 Red Fox

11/22/2021 Sunset

11/20/2021 Polar Bear

11/19/2021 Polar Bear

11/18/2021 Snowy Owl

11/17/2021 Gray Wolf

11/8/2021 Snow Geese

11/6/2021 Whooping Cranes

11/5/2021 Whooping Cranes

11/4/2021 Greater White-fronted Geese

11/2/2021 Whooping Cranes

11/1/2021 Whooping Cranes

10/29/2021 Whooping Cranes

10/23/2021 Osprey

10/17/2021 Osprey

10/16/2021 Harris's  Sparrow

10/16/2021 Western Meadowlark

10/11/2021 Mink

10/4/2021 Canada and Snow Geese

10/2/2021 American Avocet

9/30/2021 Sunrise

9/29/2021 Mule Deer

9/28/2021 Autumn Colors

9/27/2021 Mountain Bluebird

9/26/2021 Autumn Colors

9/25/2021 Great Blue Heron

9/14/2021 American Avocet

9/9/2021 Belted Kingfisher

9/8/2021 Clay-colored Sparrow

9/7/2021 Great Egret

9/6/2021 Red-tailed Hawk

9/5/2021 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds

9/4/2021 Wood Duck

8/29/2021 Wood Ducks

8/28/2021 Great Blue Heron

8/25/2021 Great Blue Heron

8/24/2021 Belted Kingfisher

8/23/2021 American White Pelicans

8/21/2021 Belted Kingfisher

8/13/2021 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/12/2021 Prairie Falcon

8/10/2021 Upland Sandpiper

8/8/2021 Dickcissel

8/5/2021 Sora

8/2/2021 Willow Flycatcher

8/1/2021 Black-crown Night-heron

7/22/2021 Red-tailed Hawk

7/20/2021 Western Kingbirds

7/18/2021 Eastern Kingbirds

7/17/2021 Red-tailed Hawk and Western Kingbird

7/15/2021 Red-tailed Hawk and Western Kingbird

7/10/2021 Red-tailed Hawk Fledglings

7/1/2021 Willow Flycatcher

6/28/2021 Baby Red-tailed Hawk

6/25/2021 Mule Deer Mom and Fawn

6/24/2021 Lazuli Bunting

6/23/2021 Red-headed Woodpecker

6/22/2021 Red Fox Kits

6/21/2021 Yellow Warbler

6/20/2021 Loggerhead Shrike  

6/19/2021 Mule Deer

6/18/2021 Red-headed Woodpeckers

6/17/2021 Red-tailed Hawk

6/14/2021 Red Fox Kit

6/13/2021 Red Fox Kit

6/12/2021 Red Fox Kits

6/11/2021 Red Fox Kit

6/10/2021 Red Fox Kit

6/6/2021 American Goldfinch

6/5/2021 Red-headed Woodpecker

6/4/2021 Prairie Rose

6/3/2021 Brown Thrasher

6/2/2021 Mountain Bluebirds

6/1/2021 Yellow Warbler

5/30/2021 Wilson's Phalaropes

5/28/2021 American Avocets

5/24/2021 Grizzly Bear- 2nd Year

5/23/2021 Black Bear Mom and Spring Cub

5/22/2021 American Bison

5/21/2021 Cinnamon Black Bear

5/20/2021 Back-billed Magpie

5/19/2021 Feral Horses

5/17/2021 Downy Woodpecker

5/14/2021 Loggerhead Shrikes

5/14/2021 Yellow Warbler

5/13/2021 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

5/12/2021 Common Tern

5/11/2021 Cattle Egret

5/10/2021 American Avocet

5/7/2021 Swainson's Hawk

5/6/2021 Northern Shovelers

5/5/2021 Amerian Bison

5/4/2021 Coyote

5/3/2021 Northern Harriers

5/1/2021 American Avocet

4/30/2021 Wood Duck

4/29/2021 Western Meadowlark

4/28/2021 Loggerhead Shrike

4/24/2021 American Kestrels

4/22/2021 Great Blue Heron

4/21/2021 Whooping Cranes

4/17/2021 Whooping Cranes

4/13/2021 Red-tailed Hawk

4/10/2021 Cedar Waxwings

4/8/2021 Great Egret

4/4/2021 American Tree Sparrow

4/3/2021 Snow and Canada Geese

4/2/2021 Hooded and Common Mergansers

3/31/2021 Hooded and Common Mergansers

3/28/2021 American Bald Eagle

3/25/2021 American Bald Eagle

3/22/2021 Ring-billed and Herring Gulls

3/20/2021 American Bald Eagle

3/19/2021 Mountain Bluebird

3/18/2021 Golden Eagle

3/13/2021 Mallards

3/12/2021 Ross's Goose and Canada Geese

3/9/2021 Canada Geese

3/7/2021 Mountain Bluebird

3/6/2021 Golden Eagle

3/3/2021 Horned Lark

3/1/2021 Great Horned Owl

2/26/2021 Moonset

2/25/2021 Black-capped Chickadee

2/22/2021 Cedar Waxwing

2/4/2021 Canada Geese

2/3/2021 Mule Deer

2/2/2021 River Otter

2/1/2021 Coyote

1/31/2021 American Bison

1/30/2021 American Bald Eagle

1/29/2021 Golden Eagle

1/28/2021 Elk

1/23/2021 Rough-legged Hawk

1/16/2021 American Bald Eagles

1/11/2021 Mallards

1/6/2021 American Bald Eagle

1/5/2021 American Bald Eagle

1/1/2021 Frosty New Year's Day

Ecuador page in South America tab modified with enlarged photos and bird information added

Hummingbird page in Bird tab modified with enlarged photos

900 photos added to Dakota Region tab in 2021 as of November 11, 2021

101 photos added to Yellowstone page in the National Park tab in 2021 as of June 1, 2021

91 photos added to pages in the Bird tab in 2021 as of November 9, 2021

55 photos added to pages in the Polar Bear- Subarctic tab in 2021 as of December 6, 2021

Photo of the Month- November 2021

Very, very Impressive!

Polar bears have large paws compared to body size, reaching 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter. The large paws of a polar bear act like snowshoes, spreading out the bear's weight as it moves over ice and snow.  The forepaws are round and partially webbed!

Polar Bear

Kaska Coast, Hudson Bay, Manitoba, Canada

Photo of the Day- November 19, 2021

Photo of the Month- October 2021

Rarely Photographed in North Dakota!

Mink

   Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- October 11, 2021

Photo of the Month October 2021

Photo of the Month- September 2021

A Long Time Coming- Trying to Photograph a Kingfisher in Flight with a Fish!

Belted Kingfisher

   Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- September 9, 2021

Photo of the Month September 2021

Photo of the Month- August 2021

Who Knew?  Finding Nectar in an Unopened Flower!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

   Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- August 13, 2021

Photo of the Month August 2021

Photo of the Month- July 2021

Feeding a Fledgling when Flying!

Eastern Kingbirds

   Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- July 18, 2021

Photo of the Month July 2021

Photo of the Month- June 2021

Beautiful!

Lazuli Bunting

   Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Photo of the Day- June 24, 2021

Photo of the Month June 2021

Photo of the Month- May 2021

The Future!

Two-Year-Old Grizzly Bear Cutb

   Yellowstone National Park

Photo of the Day- May 24, 2021

Photo of the Month May 2021

Photo of the Month- April 2021

Breakfast Reflection!

Great Egret

   Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- April 8, 2021

Photo of the Month April 2021

Photo of the Month- March 2021

Majestic Nest Builder!

Golden Eagle

   Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- March 18, 2021

Photo of the Month March 2021

Photo of the Month- February 2021

Coyote hunting for Mice!

   Yellowstone National Park

Photo of the Day- February 1, 2021

Photo of the Month February 2021

Photo of the Month- January 2021

National Symbol!

American Bald Eagle

   Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- January 11, 2021

Photo of the Month January 2021

Photo of the Year- 2020

Mom is Feeding her Baby!

American Kestrels

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- July 3, 2020

Photo of the Month- July 2020

Photo of the Year- 2020

Hiding in plain sight!  I had been looking for an American Kestrel nest for Four Years and it turned out that it was very close to a road that I had driven many times.  I felt that there was one in the area that I had seen Kestrels but I had not been able to find it.  In June 2020, after delaying arrival to Theodore Roosevelt National Park to photograph a red fox, I witnessed and photographed a male Kestrel feeding his mate.  By watching the area for several hours, I saw this activity repeated and was able to follow mom to their nest!

What was New in 2020!

Stephen L McDonough Family Wildlife Conservation Fund program announcement- 3 International conservation programs funded- please see in Endangered Species tab!

Photo of the Day

12/19/2020 Saturn and Jupiter Conjunction

12/18/2020 American Bald Eagles

11/6/2020 Snow Geese

11/3/2020 Tundra Swans

10/26/2020 Whooping Crane

10/13/2020 Greater White-fronted Geese

10/12/2020 Great Horned Owl

10/11/2020 Great Horned Owl

10/10/2020 American Bald Eagle

10/8/2020 Ring-necked Pheasant

10/6/2020 Common Grackle

10/5/2020 Red-tailed Hawk

10/4/2020 Yellow-rumped Warbler

9/30/2020 Sandhill Cranes

9/29/2020 American Avocet

9/21/2020 Yellow-rumped Warbler

9/17/2020 Sandhill Cranes

9/16/2020 Pied-billed Grebe

9/13/2020 Belted Kingfisher

9/12/2020 Red-tailed Hawk

9/11/2020 Long-billed Dowitchers

9/10/2020 Merlin

9/9/2020 Great Blue Heron

9/8/2020 American Avocet

9/4/2020 Great Blue Heron

9/3/2020 Swainson's Hawk

9/1/2020 Swainson's Hawk

8/29/2020 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/22/2020 Golden Northern Bumble Bee

8/17/2020 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/16/2020 Ruby-throated Hummingbird

8/15/2020 Southern Sky

8/3/2020 Lazuli Bunting

8/2/2020 Indigo Bunting

7/31/2020 Cedar Waxwing

7/27/2020 Eastern Bluebird

7/25/2020 American Bison

7/24/2020 Comet Neowise

7/18/2020 Comet Neowise

7/16/2020 Eastern Kingbird

7/12/2020 Canada Geese

7/11/2020 American Kestrels

7/8/2020 Red Fox

7/5/2020  White-tailed Deer

7/4/2020  American Goldfinch

7/3/2020  American Kestrels

7/2/2020  Lazuli Bunting

7/1/2020  Lark Sparrow

6/28/2020  Least Chipmunk

6/27/2020  Swainson's Hawk

6/26/2020  Eared Grebes

6/23/2020  Double-crested Cormorant

6/21/2020  Yellow Warbler

6/20/2020  American Kestrel

6/18/2020  Western Grebes

6/17/2020  American Coots

6/14/2020  Feral Horses

6/12/2020  American Kestrel

6/11/2020  American Kestrels

6/10/2020  American Kestrels

6/7/2020  Black-crowned Night-heron

6/5/2020  American Avocet and Black-necked Stilt

6/4/2020  Red Foxes

6/3/2020  Common Tern

6/2/2020  Red Fox Kit

5/31/2020  Great Horned Owlet

5/30/2020  Yellow Warbler

5/29/2020  Red Fox Kits

5/27/2020  Bobolink

5/26/2020  Great Horned Owls

5/23/2020  Great Horned Owls

5/22/2020  Red Fox Kit

5/21/2020  American Avocet

5/18/2020  Great Blue Heron

5/17/2020  Red Fox Kits

5/15/2020  Great Horned Owls

5/14/2020  Red Fox

5/12/2020  Western Meadowlark

5/11/2020  Golden Eagles

5/10/2020  Red Fox Kits

5/8/2020  Red Fox Kits

5/7/2020  Western Meadowlark

5/6/2020  Red Fox Kits (tie)

5/6/2020  Great Horned Owl (tie)

5/3/2020  Great Horned Owls

5/2/2020  Great Horned Owls

5/1/2020  Great Horned Owls

4/30/2020  White-face Ibis

4/29/2020  Great Horned Owls

4/28/2020  American Bittern

4/27/2020  Muskrat

4/26/2020  Great Horned Owls

4/25/2020  Beaver

4/24/2020  Wood Ducks

4/22/2020  White-face Ibis

4/19/2020  Whooping Cranes

4/18/2020  Wilson's Snipes

4/17/2020  Bald Eagle

4/16/2020  Bald Eagle

4/15/2020  Northern Pintail

4/12/2020  White-faced Ibis

4/10/2020  Wood Duck

4/9/2020  Common Grackles

4/7/2020  Northern Shoveler

4/5/2020  Bald Eagle Lunch

4/4/2020  Northern Harrier

4/3/2020  Muskrat

3/31/2020  Northern Shovelers

3/30/2020  Mallards

3/29/2020  Golden Eagle

3/28/2020  Mountain Bluebird

3/23/20  White-breasted Nuthatch

3/22/20  Red-breasted Nuthatch

3/21/20  Red-breasted Nuthatch

3/17/20  Pine Siskin

3/13/20  Black-capped Chicadee

Previous Photos of the Day can be found in Gallery Page

2/9/2020- Nature 2 Book now available!

4/19/20- New Beaver page in Dakota Region- 19 Photos!!

6/13/20 New American Kestrel page in Dakota Region- 124 photos

7/20/20 New Night Sky page started in Dakota Region

photos

8/18/20 Ruby-throated Hummingbird photos added to Hummingbird page in Dakota Region tab

Over 1095 photos added to Dakota Region in 2020 as of December 31, 2020

Photo of Month- December 2020

Striding Forward and Still Together at the End of 2020!

For more photos, please see Dakota Raptors page in the Dakota Region tab

American Bald Eagles

   Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- December 18, 2020

Photo of the Month December 2020

Photo of the Month- November 2020

Soulmates!

Tundra Swans

Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota

November 3, 2020

Photo of the Month- October 2020

Stay Out of My Neighborhood

Red-tailed Hawk and Common Grackle

McKenzie Slough, Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- October 6, 2020

Photo of the Month for October 2020

Photo of the Month- September 20

Heading South!

American Avocets

McKenzie Slough, Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- September 11, 2020

Photo of the Month- September 2020

 American Avocets breed in west-central states east of the Rocky Mountains and into Canada.  They winter in coastal areas of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Mexico and Central America.

"Singing to His Babies"

Mountain Bluebird photo selected by the Theodore Roosevelt Nature History Association in the 2020 Theodore Roosevelt National Park Calendar for the Month of May 2020 (Mountain Bluebird page in Dakota Region tab)

 "Singing to His Babies"

selected for 2020 Theodore Roosevelt National Park Calendar!

This Mountain Bluebird Dad was photographed in June 2019 singing to his babies as to say "Don't worry babies, Mom is bringing more food and I will go out to catch more bugs for you!" Mountain Bluebirds are devoted parents and try to feed each of their 6 babies twice a hour- lots of mouths to feed! This is the second year that one of my photos was selected for the national park calendar, last year was a porcupine.

"Will You Be My Friend?"

Children's Book Nature Series

Seven Books available now!

More to Come!!

#1 Foxy Babies

Roxy, Leo and Moxy are baby red fox babies who love to play and explore together!  Photographed in North Dakota.

"Foxy Babies" is a book about sibling releationships, playing with other and getting along.  The book is soft cover and 30 pages long, all with actual photographs of wild red foxes.

#2 Baby Panda Adventure

Baby Giant Panda Xian Long (Little Dragon) gets help from his sister Bao Bao (Treasured Baby) in learning to climb a tree!  Photographed in China.

"Baby Panda Adventure" is a book about sibling releationships and helping each other to learn a skill.  The book is soft cover and 30 pages long, all with actual photographs of baby Giant Pandas in Panda reserves in Chengdu.

#3 Foxy Town USA

Baby red foxes Moxy and Leo live in Foxy Town USA.  Count the Baby Foxes and see how they greet their Mom!  Photographed in North Dakota.

"Foxy Town USA" is a book about learning to count and family releationships, .  The book is soft cover and 30 pages long, all with actual photographs of wild red foxes.

#4 Seven Reasons to Love Mountain Bluebirds

Mike and Molly are Mountain Bluebirds.  See how they build their nest and feed their babies! Photographed in North Dakota.

"Seven Reasons to Love Mountain Bluebirds" is a book about parental responsibility and family.  The book is soft cover and 30 pages long, all with actual photographs of wild Mountain Bluebirds.

#5 Time to Go Potty

Leo is a baby Red Fox who needs to learn to go potty in the right place!  Advice is given on potty training.  Wild animals were photographed throughout the world.

"Time to Go Potty" is a book about learing the skill of going potty with photographs of animals going potty.  The book is soft cover and 30 pages long, all with actual photographs of wild animals including mammals and birds.

#6 There are More than Tigers in India

Garud (King of Birds) and Gangi (Sacred) are green bee-eaters who discuss conservation and animals in India!  Photographed in India

"There are More than Tigers in India" is a book about conservation and animals found in India.  The book is soft cover and 30 pages long, all with actual photographs of wild mammals, reptiles and birds.

#7 Seven Reasons to Love American Kestrels

Abby and Andy are baby American Kestrels and are taken care of by their parents Alex and Amber!  Photographed in North Dakota

"Seven Reasons to Love American Kestrels" is a book about nature and family and importance of predators.  The book is soft cover and 34 pages long, all with actual photographs of American Kestrels.

Nature Book Series

Nature

“Nature” is a 60-page book with hard cover and photographs with informative captions about animals and landscapes throughout the world.  Photographs include: brown bears (7), polar bears (3), arctic fox, African elephant, Kilimanjaro, giraffe (2), cheetah (2), Denali, guanacos, Fer-de-Lance, black caiman, great egret, white-faced ibis, snowy owl (2), little blue heron, sharp-tailed grouse, Cooper’s hawk, osprey, red-tailed hawk, moose, magnificent hummingbird, slaty flowerpiercer, long-tailed silky flycatcher, brown-throated three-toed sloth, chestnut-colored woodpecker, roseate spoonbills, Sumatran rhinoceros (2), bighorn sheep, St. Mary Lake- Glacier National Park, Badlands sunset, American bison skeleton, icebergs (2), Paine Grande- Torres del Paine National Park, Pleneau Bay- Antarctica, Southern elephant seals (2), Gentoo penguins (4), Antarctic fur seals, orca, leopard seal, Mt. Fitz Roy- Los Glaciares National Park, dragonfly, purple-throated woodstar, collared incas.  Countries included in the book include: United States- Alaska, North Dakota, Florida, Montana; Canada- Manitoba; Africa- Tanzania; South America- Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Peru; Central America- Guatemala, Costa Rica, Belize; Asia- Indonesia; Antarctica, Falkland Islands and South Georgia.  Photographs included in the book were taken from 2007 to 2015.

Nature 2

“Nature 2” is a 111-page book with hard cover and photographs with informative captions about animals and landscapes throughout the world.  Photographs include: giant pandas (3) brown bears (2), black bear, wolf, coyote (2), American bison (2), moose (2), bighorn sheep (2), American badger (2), sandhill cranes (4), whooping cranes (2), sarus cranes, red-tailed hawks (5), Northern caracara, ferruginous hawk, Swainson's hawk (2), American bald eagle, rough-tailed hawk, Northern harrier (3), great-horned owl (3), burrowing owl, snowy owl, sharp-tailed grouse (4), Eastern bluebird (2), mountain bluebirds (6), blue jay, black-headed grosbeak, red-headed woodpecker (2), great blue heron, scissor-tailed flycatcher, black-crowned night-heron (2), white-faced ibis, American bittern, American avocet, Northern shovelers, American  crow, black-tailed prairie dogs, porcupine, pronghorns, total eclipse of the sun, diamond ring eclipse, red foxes (4), barn swallows, Western kingbirds, Western grebes (2), white-throated kingfisher, common kingfisher, green bee-eater, bar-headed geese, Bengal tigers (2), greater one-horned rhinoceros, African elephants (5), wood ducks, marbled godwit, squirrel cuckoo, black-striped capuchin, hyacinth macaw (2), sunbittern (2), ringed kingfisher (2), rufous-tailed jacamar, green kingfisher, giant river otters (2) and jaguars (4).  Countries included in the book include: United States- Alaska, North Dakota, Texas, Montana and Wyoming; South America- Brazil; Asia- India and China.  Photographs included in the book were taken from 2016 to 2019.

Photo of the Month- August 2020

Sweetness!

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Mandan Agricultural Research Station, Morton County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- August 29, 2020

Photo of the Month- August 2020

Ruby-throated hummingbirds are amazing: wing beats 50 per second, heart beat 1260 beats per minute, breaths 250 per minute and they fly 20 hours straight as they cross the Gulf of Mexico during their migration.

Photo of the Month- July 2020

Mom is Feeding her Baby!

American Kestrels

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- July 3, 2020

Photo of the Month- July 2020

Photo of the Year- 2020

Hiding in plain sight!  I had been looking for an American Kestrel nest for Four Years and it turned out that it was very close to a road that I had driven many times.  I felt that there was one in the area that I had seen Kestrels but I had not been able to find it.  In June 2020, after delaying arrival to Theodore Roosevelt National Park to photograph a red fox, I witnessed and photographed a male Kestrel feeding his mate.  By watching the area for several hours, I saw this activity repeated and was able to follow mom to their nest!

Photo of the Month- June 2020

Food for our Babies!

American Kestrels

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

 June 10, 2020

Photo of the Month for June 2020

"This is for You, My Love!"

This photo is one of my favorites, all time. I sat in my car, dumbfounded, as a I watched and photographed the male American Kestrel on the left fly to a tree and then give his mouse to his mate, on the right, who flew to the tree for this gift. I have witnessed parent animals feed their babies but I have never seen one adult bird give its food to another adult bird. Males American Kestrels do this during courting, nesting and when feeding babies. What a devoted couple!

Photo of the Month May 2020

I've Got This!

Red Fox Kit with Bull Snake

Burleigh County, North Dakota

May 10, 2020

Photo of the Month for May 2020

Photo of the Month April 2020

Coming Back to her Babies!

Great Horned Owls

Oliver County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- April 26, 2020

Photo of the Month for April 2020

Photo of the Month March 2020

Mountain Bluebird in Flight with Food!

  Mountain bluebirds are my favorite badlands bird and to see and photograph one in flight with food was very fortunate.  Please see more photos at Dakota Region- Mountain Bluebirds 

Photo of the Day for March 28, 2020 and Month of March 2020

Photo of the Month January 2020

Little Cutie!

Actually not so little, this female calf is probably 1 1/2 years old when photographed in Yellowstone National Park.  Moose calves grow quickly from their birth weight of around 35 pounds.  They gain about 2 pounds a day and weigh 10 times their birth weight by 5 months of age.  By 1 1/2 years, they can weigh 500 to 700 pounds.

https://www.thealaskalife.com/outdoors/nursing-moose-calves/

https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/static/education/wns/moose.pdf

https://www.livescience.com/27408-moose.html

Photo of the Month October 2019

Photo of the Day for October 19, 2019

Northern Harriers are the most owl-like of hawks (though they’re not related to owls). They rely on hearing as well as vision to capture prey. The disk-shaped face looks and functions much like an owl’s, with stiff facial feathers helping to direct sound to the ears.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier/overview

Photo of the Month April 2019

Back from the Brink!

After being pushed to the brink of extinction by unregulated hunting and loss of habitat to just 21 wild and two captive whooping cranes by 1941, conservation efforts have led to a limited recovery. The total number of cranes in the surviving migratory population, plus three reintroduced flocks and in captivity, now exceeds 800 birds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whooping_crane

For additional photographs, please see the Cranes page in the Bird tab.

Photo of the Day for April 19, 2019

Photo of the Year 2019

#1 Photo of 2019 "Bond of Love!"

Well, this is my favorite photo of 2019. A baby Asian Elephant- walking trunk to trunk with its older sibling as they grazed on grasses in Kaziranga National Park in India in March. We watched this family group for nearly 1 hour and I was surprised that the baby preferred to hang out with its siblings as opposed to being attached to its mom. The adults, however carefully watched their children and maintained a protective perimeter. This multi-generational family loves and cares for each other!!

Photo of the Year 2018

That's My Mom!

This grizzly bear cub looked back as me as to say "no worries, I am with my mom."  The photograph was taken in September 2018 in Denali National Park.

This was my favorite photograph from 2018!

Photo of the Year 2017

“Is it My Turn?”

A Red Fox Mom can nurse up to 8 babies at one time.  These two were asking her if they could join their siblings for breakfast.  She said “Yes!” 

Photo of the Year 2016

Clash of Yellow and Purple!

I was sitting in a blind at Long Lake National Wildlife Refuge watching sharp-tailed grouse dance at a lek when a feisty western meadowlark decided the crash the party.  Although much smaller than the sharp-tailed grouse, the western meadowlark had no trouble saying “stay out of my territory!”

Photo of the Year 2015

Fighting Incas!

These collared inca hummingbirds were photographed fighting over access to a feeder in Ecuador.  The hummingbirds are shown in different body planes with open beaks.

Photo of the Year 2014

Best Friends!

These Southern elephant seal calves were photographed in South Georgia.  They were 3 weeks old and weighed nearly 150 pounds.  Their moms had returned to the sea briefly to replenish their energy stores.  The babies were very curious and friendly and affectionate to each other.

Photo of the Year 2013

As were were leaving Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, we were very lucky to find these Guanocos standing in front of the famous three towers, Los Torres.  The Guanocos stood there for a few minutes and then moved on.  Timing is everything!

October 25, 2013

Photo of the Year 2012

Hope for the Future!

Andatu

Sumatran Rhino Calf

Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary, Sumatra, Indonesia

July 26, 2012

In 2012, Andatu made history, by becoming the first Sumatran rhino ever born in captivity in Indonesia, in the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary. Sumatran rhinos are a critically endangered species; fewer than 100 individuals are thought to exist worldwide, with just a few remaining in captivity.

Andatu’s birth provided an important milestone for Sumatran rhino captive breeding efforts. It was hoped that the Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary will continue its breeding success, while also developing our understanding of the species. Along with intensive conservation efforts on the ground to protect wild Sumatran rhinos, The Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary is critical for the recovery of this incredible species.

https://www.savetherhino.org/rhino-species/sumatran-rhino/happy-birthday-andatu/

Andatu made history again by becoming the second Sumatran rhino in the breeding program to sire a calf (he was the father of Rosa’s calf born on March 24, 2022).

Andatu was named after his parents- Andalas and Ratu.

https://rhinos.org/blog/happy-10th-birthday-andatu/

Photo of the Year 2011

Afternoon Nap!

Polar Bear

Seal River, Manitoba, Canada

November 8, 2011

Photo of the Year 2010

Milkshake (Bear 236) with her Four Cubs

Katmai National Park, Alaska

July 22, 2010

236 Milkshake Adult Female
Year First Identified: Adult in 1997
Year Last Identified: 2011
Number of Known Litters: 5

Identification

#236 was a large adult female with a relatively large shoulder hump and a round, filled in body. Her coat was medium-brown in July and in the fall. She had the classic grizzly/brown bear dishshaped face, a rectangular muzzle, and lighter, wide-set ears.

Life History

When last seen in 2011, #236 was one of the older adult females to frequent the Brooks River. She fished the lower river and the lip of the falls. She was first identified in 1997 caring for two spring cubs. She had at least four more litters. Records from the past 20 years indicated that she was one of the most fertile and
successful female bears to use the Brooks River. DNA analysis has confirmed that she is the mother of #604 and #608.

In 2003, #236 was seen with four spring cubs, which is unusual for any sow. Remarkably, she returned in 2010 with four spring cubs, her fifth known litter, but by the end of August 2011, she has lost the entire 2010 litter. The specific causes of her cubs’ deaths remains unknown.

Older females who are raising a litter of cubs may have higher mortality rates than younger, single females. As one of the older sows with cubs in the Brooks River area, a lean salmon run in 2011 may have taxed #236 beyond her physical limits and left her unable to support and defend cubs.

https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/photosmultimedia/upload/BearsNoLongerSeen2022-Final-508-Copy.pdf

Photo of the Year 2009

Tallest Mountain in North American between Aspen Trees!

Denali

Denali National Park, Alaska

September 6, 2009

Photo of the Year 2008

Dust to Dust!

American Bison

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

July 17, 2008

I had just begun to explore Theodore Roosevelt National Park in 2008 when I walked around a small butte and came across this American Bison scattered skeleton, picked clean of flesh and muscle.  The bones remained in a partial fashion for years after.

Photo of the Year 2007

Glacier above the Clouds in Africa!

Uhuru Peak

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania

November 8, 2007

This was not an easy photograph to take.  Five days were spent climbing up Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,340 feet)

How is Your Math?

For Children Ages 4-6 Years

Have Fun with Preschool Math!

Count the Baby Foxes!

Found in Dakota Region- Red Fox Page

Do you know?

Northern Lights in strong geomagnetic storms have more colors (8) than rainbows (7-red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue and violet).

Green: The most common color, caused by oxygen at lower altitudes; Red: Caused by oxygen at higher altitudes, and is associated with intense solar activity; Blue: Caused by nitrogen particles, and is the rarest color; Pink: Caused by nitrogen molecules in the upper bands of the aurora, usually at least 150 miles above the ground; Purple: Caused by a mix of nitrogen and oxygen; Yellow: Caused by a mix of nitrogen and oxygen; Orange: Can sometimes be seen, but is very rare and White: Can sometimes be seen

"May’s northern lights were the space spectacle of a lifetime, scientists say.

Space scientists are saying the solar storm was the most impressive in decades and, by some measures, even centuries."

Washington Post May 25, 2024

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/05/25/northern-lights-auroras-best-500-years/

"During the first full week of May, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, creating the strongest solar storm to reach Earth in two decades — and possibly one of the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 years."

NASA May 16, 2024

https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/how-nasa-tracked-the-most-intense-solar-storm-in-decades/

Do you know?

Female polar bears in the Hudson Bay area spend remarkable periods of time fasting, the longest known of any mammal species. This fasting period before denning and in dens averages about 180 to 186 days. In Hudson Bay, pregnant females can successfully fast for as long as 240 days.

Mom and Babe in Front of Home (Snow Den)!

Polar Bears

Wapusk National Park, Manitoba, Canada

Photo of the Day- March 2, 2022

Photo of the Month- March 2022

Photo of the Year- 2022

Conservation Status- Vulnerable

Do you know?

Polar bears can smell seals from 20 miles away and can smell seal dens 3 feet or 1 meter beneath ice.  Polar bear diets are changing with global warming and shifting from reliance on seals to adding other sources of food to their diets.

Polar Bear attack on a Seal Den!

Polar Bear

Frozen Arctic Ocean, near Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada

Photo of the Day- April 9, 2022

Conservation Status- Vulnerable

https://www.polarbear-world.com/how-far-can-polar-bears-smell/

https://wildlife.org/polar-bear-diets-reveal-a-changing-arctic/#:~:text=That%27s%20particularly%20important%20for%20polar,harp%20seals%20(Pagophilus%20groenlandicus).

Do you know?

The cheetah feeds on small- to medium-sized prey, mostly weighing under 40 kg (88 lb), and prefers medium-sized ungulates such as impala, springbok and Thomson's gazelles. The cheetah typically stalks its prey to within 60–70 m (200–230 ft), charges towards it.  After a gestation of nearly three months, a litter of typically three or four cubs is born. Cheetah cubs are highly vulnerable to predation by other large carnivores such as hyenas and lions. They are weaned at around four months and are independent by around 20 months of age.

Conservation Status- Vulnerable

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheetah

Do you know?

The Thomson's Gazelle is the fourth fastest land animal after the Cheetah, Pronghorn and Springbok.  Thomson's Gazelles are sometimes called Tommies and can run as fast as 50 mph. 

In the wild, Thomson's gazelles can live 10–15 years. Their major predators are cheetahs, which are able to attain higher speeds, but gazelles can outlast them in long chases and are able to make turns more quickly.

Conservation Status- Least Concern

Do you know that Jaguars are the Third Largest Cat?

How Big are the Big Cats?  

• Tiger- male and female tigers weigh 100–306 kg (220–675 pounds) and 75–167 kg (165–368 lb) respectively
• Lion- male and female lions typically weigh 150–249.5 kg (331–550 lb) and 110–182 kg (243–401 lb) respectively
• Jaguar- weighs normally in the range of 56–96 kg (123–212 lb). Exceptionally big males have been recorded to weigh as much as 158 kg (348 lb). The smallest females weigh about 36 kg (79 lb). Females are typically 10–20 percent smaller than males.
• Leopard- males weigh 37–90 kg (82–198 lb), females may weigh 28–60 kg (62–132 lb)
• Snow Leopard- usually weigh 22 to 55 kg (49 to 121 lb), with an exceptional specimen reaching 75 kg (165 lb)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_cat

Jaguar conservation status- Near Threatened 15,000 in the wild

Why is the Giant River Otter called the "River Wolf" (Lobo del Rio in Spanish)

1. The Giant River Otter is a fierce hunter and apex predator like the Wolf
2. Giant River Otters live in groups (called Holts) while Wolves live in Packs
3. Both Giant River Otters and Wolves hunt together in groups
4. Both Giant River Otters and Wolves have sharp teeth and claws
5. Giant River Otter Holts consist on a monogamous pair and their offspring as does a Wolf Pack
6. Baby Otters are called pups as are Baby Wolves
7. Both Giant River Otters and Wolves dig dens where they have their babies
8. Both Giant River Otters and Wolves establish and defend their territories

Giant River Otter conservation status- Endangered 5,000 in the wild

Do you know?

Red auroras are comparatively less frequent and are usually associated with intense solar activity. They occur when solar particles react with oxygen at higher altitudes, generally around 180 to 250 mile. At this height, oxygen is less concentrated and is excited at a higher frequency or wavelength, making reds visible.

Red Oval!

Intense Northern Lights and Oxygen Molecules at High Altitudes

Northern Lights

Burleigh County, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- December 1, 2023

Photos of the Month

Love!

Brown Bear #402 Mom and Cubs

Katmai National Park

Photo of the Day- July 25, 2015

Photo of the Month- July 2015

402, a well known adult female, returned to Brooks River yesterday with a litter of not one, not two, not three, but FOUR spring cubs. Litter size for female brown bears in the Katmai region averages 2-3, so a litter of four cubs is large. It isn’t unprecedented, however. Over the past ten years, we know of four bears, including 402, at Brooks River have had litters of four spring cubs.

• 236 Milkshake in 2003
• 216 Marilyn in 2005
• 236 Milkshake in 2010
• 875 in 2010
• 402 in 2015

https://www.nps.gov/katm/blogs/402-returns-with-four-cubs.htm

Best Friends!

Mule Deer

Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Photo of the Day- September 20, 2016

Photo of the Month- September 2016