Feb

28

Mousing

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 1 comments

Shot of the Month – February 2026

Coyote, Yellowstone NP (1809)

Life as a predator seems all glamorous and cool but catching other critters is hard work.  I know we feel sad for that cute, fluffy thing with big eyes being chased by the thing with sharp teeth, but Fluffy actually wins most of those encounters.  Predator success rate varies widely by species, but broadly speaking, ol’ Sharp Teeth is only successful about 10% – 30% of the time (for many large mammal carnivores).

Animals that have small rodents on the menu sometimes use “mousing” as a technique to catch said rodents.  How does that work?  The coyote in the image above is demonstrating the maneuver. It usually goes something like:

  1. Listen for prey hiding under snow or other cover;
  2. Stalk quietly
  3. Listen.  Triangulate.  Leap!!
  4. Drive front paws and muzzle downward to grab the unsuspecting prey.

During the winter, mousing is a vital survival skill for coyotes in Yellowstone National Park when large prey is scarce. Because wolves often dominate kills of larger animals, coyotes avoid direct competition by focusing on smaller prey, such as mice and voles, that wolf packs typically ignore.

In the image above, I caught this Yellowstone coyote at peak leap while mousing.

No luck on that last leap, let’s try again:

Coyote, Yellowstone NP (5366)

Drat.  Missed.  Let’s keep looking…

Coyote, Yellowstone NP (2308)

Hmmn.  He can hear faint rustling noises as the mice run through their tunnels under the snow.

Launch:

Coyote, Yellowstone NP (2148)

Foxes are famous for their mousing.  I photographed this fellow also in Yellowstone one fall:

Red Fox, Yellowstone NP (1354)

Here the BBC captured mousing at its finest…the music, the setting…glorious:

And many owls use a similar approach.  Here is a Great Gray Owl with a catch:

Great Gray Owl, Canada (5875)

You can read about this adventure here.

Using an aerial approach to mousing, short-eared owls often glide silently above the grass, listening below.  Here is a successful catch:

Short-eared Owl, Washington State (2194)

Other predators that use the mousing technique include weasels, lynx, jackals, some bears, other raptors, servals, and other small felines.  Mousing is so popular because small rodents (mice, voles, pocket gophers, etc.) are:

  1. Abundant
  2. Energy-rich
  3. Relatively easy to catch compared to large prey
  4. Are available year-round

And for many predators, mousing is:

  1. An efficient “daily calories” strategy
  2. A way for younger animals to practice hunting skills
  3. An important survival behavior during the lean seasons

 

Who knew that “mousing around” was such a vital skill?

 

Until next month…..michael

 

 

Nikon Z9, Nikon 600mm, f/7, 1/2000 sec, ISO 800, EV +0.2/3

 

 

Jan

31

Morning Calm

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 4 comments

Shot of the Month – January 2026

Great Egret, Caddo Lake (9260)

Up long before dawn, I paddled slowly as my kayak cut across the blackened water.  Caddo Lake was eerily quiet, and the air was crisp and still.  The water’s surface became an ebony mirror.  As I glided across the water, I scanned the scene drifting by — this was a landscape photographer’s paradise if you could sharpen your eye and cut through all the visual clutter.

As I came around a corner, I found a Great Egret sitting along the shore waiting for the sun to breach the horizon to begin fishing for a meal.  Yes!!  I am first a wildlife photographer, so I always feel more comfortable photographing critters.  I knew the key here was to compose an image that celebrated both the lovely egret and this magical setting.

For such a complex scene, I wanted to keep both the bird, the foreground, and the background in sharp focus – similar to a classic landscape image.  However, shooting from a kayak made this task quite difficult.  To have a deep depth of field I needed to use a small aperture.  But smaller apertures allow less light to reach the camera so to properly expose the image I would have to leave the shutter open longer (slower shutter speed).   On a tripod, this is no problem.  But now I was in a kayak that was always moving, even if only a little.  To overcome this challenge, I would start each sequence with “faster” shutter speeds, with a corresponding wider aperture (with less depth of field),  and then quickly shift to slower and slower shutter speeds, allowing for smaller and smaller apertures (and greater depth of field) until I could no longer hand-hold the camera and get a sharp image.   I also experimented with ISO levels – the higher the level, the more sensitive the image sensor, allowing for faster shutter speeds, but at the risk of adding more noise into the image.

As the egret sat near the shore, I paddled along the entire bank, looking for the best composition and lighting.  Once spotted, I circled back and found my spot.  Ooops, drifted too far.  Paddle back.  No, too far again.  Now I am drifting in the other direction.  Ok, quick, put the paddle down!  Compose and fire off as many shots as possible while shifting aperture and shutter speeds.  Ok, now we have drifted too far.  Camera down and paddle back to the best shooting location.  I repeated this over and over and over…it was exhausting.

Over time, the egret would fly a bit further down along the shoreline.  The good news was that I now had a fresh composition to work with.  The bad news was that I had to repeat the entire composition process again…oy vey.

I easily spent more than 45 minutes observing and photographing this egret until he moved into the lovely scene you see above.  I had been starting to feel guilty about spending so much time doing “wildlife photography” when I was here to do landscape photography.  But then it all came together.

I love this composition.  The white egret is perfectly highlighted as he stands in front of the colorful bush.  We see the fall colors bursting in sharp contrast to the otherwise dark and somber mood of this pre-dawn scene.  The colorless bald cypress trees in the background, draped in Spanish moss, add a mysterious gothic overlay and perfectly capture the unique feel and atmosphere of Caddo Lake.  The somber water mirrors the shoreline and subtly conveys the tranquility of the scene.  The lily pads in the front, right corner lead the eye into the frame and add visual balance to the composition.

In short, it is a nice picture.  Feeling exhilarated, I paddled off deeper into the bayou in search of more traditional landscape scenes…

Caddo Lake?  See last month’s post for the deets on this wondrous locale.

 

Until next month….michael

 

 

Nikon Z9, Nikon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 (@105mm), f/5, 1/320 sec, ISO 1000

 

Jan

04

2025 Favorites

Annual Summary  Posted by / 4 comments

Favorite Images – 2025 Edition

One final look back at 2025 before we go barreling ahead into 2026 with hope and vigor.  Let’s visit with some of my favorite images that I captured over the last 12 months.  The list is in chronological order.

In March, I visited Silver Falls State Park in Oregon to wander among the 10 waterfalls found there.  I had particularly good luck with Lower South Falls.  There are two good vantage points to admire this waterfall:

1. Lower South Falls (v1)

Lower South Falls(6653), Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

2.  Lower South Falls (v2)

Lower South Falls(6694), Silver Falls State Park, Oregon

Click here to read more about those adventures.

Just a month later (April), I spent several days exploring waterfalls in Southern Washington and a few more located just over the border in Oregon (Columbia River Gorge).  On this trip, I discovered the stunningly beautiful Panther Creek Falls in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, as shown below.

3.  Panther Creek Falls

Panther Creek Falls, Washington (7556)

Later in April, I visited tulip fields in Skagit County (Washington) for a completely different color palette:

4. Savannah Sparrow in Red

Savannah Sparrow (9529) - Washington

5.  At the Border

Savannah Sparrow (8195)) - Washington

While exploring the tulip fields, I also experimented with some abstract takes on the flower scene:

6.  Flower Swirl

Tulip Zoon (8386) - Washington

You can see more flower abstracts here.

In June, I visited a field of lupines and captured this dreamy meadow scene.

7.  Meadow Dream

Meadow Dream (9354) - Washington

Did you notice that the bird was yet again a Savannah Sparrow?!  I seem to find them everywhere i go!

In September, I visited Katmai National Park in Alaska to photograph Brown Bears.  The weather was awful on this trip and our photo opportunities were quite limited, but I was pleased with these images:

8.  Brown Bear Splash

Brown Bear (4631) - Alaska

In the image above, I experimented with a slow shutter speed to give a sense of the chaos as the bear barreled through the water in pursuit of a fish.  I really dig how his fur seems to swirl…

9.  Salmon Paw

Brown Bear (1065) - Alaska

Above, a dramatic action shot as a brown bear lunges for a salmon.

10.  Mood

Brown Bear (3690) - Alaska

Could this image capture the post-holiday mood any better?  He has obviously overindulged on the salmon buffet.

And speaking of bears, here is a video I captured of a bear in hot pursuit of a salmon:

11.  Caddo Lake

My last photo foray of the year was in November when I visited Caddo Lake for the first time.  I spent a glorious week paddling in a kayak through a surreal landscape that combined Texan swamps with autumn colors, creating an environment unlike anything I had seen before.

Caddo Lake (8791) - Texas

12.  Great Egret

Great Egret-Caddo Lake (9260) - Texas

This is probably my best and favorite image of the year.  I captured this from my kayak before sunrise, and the setting was sublimely serene.   The scene oozes tranquility – “ommmmm.”  The image wonderfully highlights the unique mix of swamp life and autumn colors found here.  I love it.  It will be on my wall soon.

So that was the top 12 images of the year.  A few bonus images for sticking around:

Latecomers:

These two sunset images were taken at Second Beach in the Olympic National Park in 2024, but I didn’t process them until 2025:

13. Beach Blues

Second Beach Sunset (7491) - Washington

14.  Second Beach #2

Second Beach Sunset (7468) - Washington

Favorite Iphone Shots

The cameras on smartphones keep improving, and when in a pinch (or too lazy), I will use mine instead of my “real camera.”

Iphone #1

Cannon Beach (3027)I visited Cannon Beach in Oregon a couple of times to try and get a great sunset image, but no luck so far.  But one morning, I took this groovy shot with my iPhone.  Where does the sky stop and the beach begin??

Iphone #2

Cannon Beach (3113)

The same morning on Cannon Beach with a dramatic sky by the Sea Stacks.

And finally, a couple of sunrise images from the tulip fields

Iphone #3

Tulip Sunrise (1430) - WashingtonThe image above is cropped to fit nicely on my phone as a background image.

Iphone #4

Tulip Sunrise (1455) - Washington

Got any favorites from this year’s roundup?

And what didn’t make the list?

  1. Bald Eagles:  I made 18 day-trips to photograph bald eagles….Sadly/oddly, I didn’t capture anything worthy of this list (the good news is that I have a pretty good portfolio of Bald Eagle images already, so the bar is pretty high)
  2. Tufted Puffin: I went out on two day-trips (on a boat) to see tufted puffins.  I saw those adorable birds for the first time, but no photos were worthy of showing.  I am working on a plan…
  3. Cannon Beach Sunset:  As mentioned, I made a couple of trips to Cannon Beach in Oregon to capture an epic sunset scene — so far, no luck in getting the right mix of clouds, weather, and sun.  The quest continues.
  4. Pika:  I photographed pika at two different locations but….meh.  But I still need to really go through the images in greater detail.  Perhaps one shot will make next year’s “Latecomer” list.
  5. Mt. Rainier:  The fall colors were a bit late, and when we visited, it poured incessantly, and there was no color to be seen.  Complete wash.

Ok, that’s a wrap on 2025.  Thanks for sharing in my adventures and “listening” patiently to my ramblings.

Wishing you a wonderful 2026!!

 

…..michael

 

 

Dec

31

Caddo Lake

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 3 comments

Shot of the Month – December 2025

On the map, Caddo Lake is on the border between Texas and Louisiana as shown here:

But from behind a camera, Caddo Lake feels like a place only found in dreams and fairy tales.  The bayou is dominated by the bald cypress tree and in the fall, these trees are covered in Spanish moss while the leaves transform into hues of copper, rust, orange, and cinnamon brown.  In the early morning, fog can hover just above the water, adding to the mystery.  One is teleported into a unique, magical landscape of color, textures, and abstract shapes and reflections.

Caddo Lake, Texas (3460)

Drifting on a kayak across the still water at sunrise is a balm for the soul unless you are trying to photograph it.  Around every corner is an explosion of shapes and colors and contrasting textures – the fatal error is to try and capture it all in one photo.  You must really study a scene to find the right mix of elements and avoid a cacophony of sights that create a visual mess.

In the image above, the long curtains of Spanish moss offer a delicious color and textural contrast to the orange and yellow leaves.  The dark water provides a nice canvas for reflections of the color above.

The massive flaired trunks of the bald cypress descend directly into the water, creating wonderful symmetrical patterns when the water is calm, as shown below.

Caddo Lake, Texas (3840)The orange leaves, Spanish moss, and seed pods create a richly textured “oil painting” effect in the image above.

As the sun rises, the race is on to find delicate side lighting that brings color, texture, and contrast to life:

Caddo Lake, Texas (9009)

In the next image, I liked how the reflection of the tree leads the eye down the solemn tunnel past the striking caonopy of color:

Caddo Lake, Texas (3426)

My eye was instantly drawn to the colorful bouquet lurking in the distance:

Caddo Lake, Texas (8791)

Here is the same image, but with less water visible to celebrate the rich texture and delicate hues of the canopy above:

Caddo Lake, Texas (8791v2)

 

Caddo Lake offers a gothic, moody, atmospheric take on fall photography that will leave you filled with awe and tranquility – just don’t tip the kayak.

Prefer “classic” fall, a la New England? Click here.  Or here.

Prefer a Pacific Northwest take on autumn color?  Click here.

Mother Nature has something for everyone.

 

Until next month….michael

 

 

Nikon Z9, Nikon 100-400 (@185mm), f/11, 1/80s, ISO 900

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nov

30

Falling for Rainier

Shot of the Month  Posted by / 3 comments

Shot of the Month – November 2025

If you visit Mt. Rainier in late summer, the nearby fields and hillsides can be awash in color as mountain flowers rapidly bloom to celebrate the brief respite from the cold and snow.  Below we see a Hoary Marmot up to his eyeballs in a cacophony of assorted wildflowers at peak bloom (that he is about to eat!).

Hoary Marmot in Wildflowers (4054), Mt. Rainier

Visit in the fall, and you will find the mountain yet again awash in color of a different sort:

Mt. Rainier Fall Meadow (5610)

As you may have noted, the fall colors here are quite different than those found in the Northeastern USA.  To enjoy the autumn colors there, one must look upward toward the sky as the color is found (mostly) in the trees.

A scene from Vermont:

Fall Foliage (3934) - Vermont

In the Northeast, the stunning fall colors come from a mix of trees:

  1. Sugar Maples (can turn brilliant yellows, oranges, and reds)
  2. Red Maples (produce intense reds)
  3. Beech Trees (golden-yellow)
  4. Oaks (deep reds and russets)
  5. Yellow Birch (bright yellows)

These trees can dominate the landscape, creating a wondrous, colorful canopy:

Fall Foliage (7239) - Vermont

But on Mt. Rainier, you tend to look down, as it is the shrubs, bushes, and subalpine plants closer to terra firma that allow the meadows to burst with color.   At some elevations, trees like the Western Larch, Cottonwoods, Willows, and Aspen can add another vertical layer of color.  In the meadows, like in my Mt. Rainier photo above, the colors come from:

  1. Vine Maple (vibrant red and orange, often found along roadsides and under firs)
  2. Huckleberry (these bushes create deep red carpets in the meadows)
  3. Fleeceflower (bright red)
  4. Arrowleaf Groundsel (bright yellow)
  5. Broadleaf Arnica (subalpine plant with yellow daisy-like flowers)
  6. Oregon Sunshine (yellow blooms
  7. Goldenrods (small yellow flowers)
  8. Sitka Mountain Ash and Wild Rhododendron (can add splashes of yellow and orange)

The hills are alive (with color)!!  Another view near Mt. Rainier:

Fall Foliage (6550) - Mt. Rainier

Another view of Mt. Rainier, with the meadow aglow in the morning light:

Fall Foliage (6446) - Mt. Rainier

A more subtle palette I found at this spot near Mt. Rainier:

Fall Foliage (3331) - Mt. Rainier

East or West.  Up or down.  Either way, Mother Nature’s fall colors always astound.

 

Until next month…….m

 

 

Nikon Z9, Nikon 14-30mm (@30mm), f/11/ 1/15 sec, ISO 64