Relaxed Time Away

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These photos were taken at Badlands National Park. The weather had not been perfect, but this day turned out to be beautiful day.

These are among my favorite photographs from our trip and drive through the park. No, these are not mountain goats. They are Bighorn sheep. The on in the first photo looks to be in a mindful meditative state. We all need a little more of this and less mindless time on social media. Have a good day.

~ Rick

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©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright

Driven By Curiosity

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More from Yellowstone:

We drove for hours, stopping every time we thought there was some wildlfie to photograph, or a beautiful landscape to capture. Why do we do that? Curiosity!! These shots are an example. We had pulled off to the side of road. Sadly, we saw nothing of interest.

It would have been easy to drive on. In the moment, curiosity does not allow us to stop. It drives us to look further. We continued up to hike around the area. The reward? This pair of [Common Mergansers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_merganser) was enjoying the sun and lunch. Their bills, known as ‘sawbills’ help them grip their prey. A very cool duck.

~ Rick

Rick’s latest technology muse:

Check out our vlog, which includes more pictures and video on YouTube at tales.photos. Remember to subscribe!

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©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright

Ruling The Road

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As I mentioned in a previous post, we have not been to Yellowstone for several years. I do not have any data to support this, but we saw so many more Bison than in our previous visit. I could not believe how many.

In the last two photos you see the traffic jam .. part cars, part bison. They kind of rule the road in the park.

I enjoyed this little clip from wikipedia:

Of the two surviving species, the American bison, B. bison, found only in North America, is the more numerous. Although commonly known as a buffalo in the United States and Canada, it is only distantly related to the true buffalo. The North American species is composed of two subspecies, the Plains bison, B. b. bison, and the wood bison, B. b. athabascae, which is the namesake of Wood Buffalo National Park in Canada. A third subspecies, the eastern bison (B. b. pennsylvanicus) is no longer considered a valid taxon, being a junior synonym of B. b. bison. References to "woods bison" or "wood bison" from the eastern United States confusingly refer to this subspecies, not B. b. athabascae, which was not found in the region. The European bison, B. bonasus, or wisent, is found in Europe and the Caucasus, reintroduced after being extinct in the wild. There you have it .. bison.

~ Rick

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©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright

Golden Eagle

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Teresa captured this one .. beautiful

Teresa captured this one .. beautiful

This was not the best setup for capturing a quality photograph. Here is how it when down: My son was driving. We were making our way through Yellowstone National Park. I was watching for wildife but we were not in a place where we could stop if I spot some cool wildlife. It was every bit as scenic as I remembered it. We were last here many years ago and returned with better gear and hungry for new photography opportunities.

We had not been driving far when I spotted this beautiful Golden Eagle. She perched in the top of nearby tree. I say nearby, but it was across the river from the road. It was a long shot, complicated by the motion of the car.

I always try to get the shot, even when the odds are not good. I put the window down, lifted the camera and started snapping photos. I was shooting at an odd angle. By this point, he was well behind us.

I think the photos came out great .. all things considered.

~ Rick

Rick’s latest technology muse:

Check out our vlog, which includes more pictures and video on YouTube at tales.photos. Remember to subscribe!

Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. Contact Rick for more information.

©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright

Nice Tux

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A couple days ago I posted a photo from our hike in the Badlands of South Dakota. When we begin that hike, I had resigned myself to the idea that I was not going to photograph many of my flying friends (birds). Well, I was SO wrong.

As we made our way though the park, I heard the most beautiful, unique and distinctive bird call. There was actually two of them. I could only see one, but he was dressed in cool looking yellow and black tux. He would lift his head toward the sky and offer this cool performance. No dancing, no special movements ... just beautiful music.

So, what was this bird? It was a Western Meadowlark. I am so grateful to have seen this. Wow.

~ Rick

Rick’s latest technology muse:

Check out our vlog, which includes more pictures and video on YouTube at tales.photos. Remember to subscribe!

Prints are available for many of the photos on this site on canvas, metal or glass. Contact Rick for more information.

©2019 ©2020 Rick Cartwright