Bison – IUCN Conservation Status: Near Threatened Visitors to Yellowstone are almost certainly going to see a bison Hours before I took this photograph it was snowing. It was one of those spring days with dramatic temperature swings. By afternoon, it was sunny and in the 50’s Fahrenheit. The bison were enjoying the warmth. Pronghorn Yellowstone This photograph […]
Shenandoah National Park There are countless trails that you can explore from Skyline Drive It’s hard to beat the Blue Ridge Mountains in the fall. This photo is from the iconic Skyline Drive, which is the main artery that runs through Shenandoah National Park. I should specify that Skyline Drive is the main artery if you are […]
Zion National Park The tunnel took roughly three years to build This photograph was taken off the scenic Mount Carmel Highway in Zion National Park. Zion National Park is located in southwest Utah. The geology here is beautiful. From the Zion Canyon Visitor Center, you climb 800 feet in about five miles on Mount Carmel Highway. This is one […]
Yellowstone National Park There are some people who believe the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was created through glaciation This is the Yellowstone River, the longest undammed river in the continental United States. This majestic river is responsible for the geologic formation we call the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Roughly 14,000-18,000 years ago, as the large glaciers in […]
Gray Triggerfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Vulnerable If you depress the second spine, this will release the first spine This unique looking fish is called a gray triggerfish. It is a medium sized fish which will grow to be around nine inches long. Their coloration and pattern are hard to appreciate in the water, especially if it […]
Black Coral Shrimp – IUCN Conservation Status: Insufficient Data This shrimp can be found all over the world I encountered this semi-transparent shrimp while diving in Little Cayman. Confusingly this black coral shrimp is not on black coral in this photo. Instead it is on a sea rod which is attached to a vertical wall. In diving, we […]
Trunkfish – IUCN Conservation Status: Varies They will hover above the sand and occasionally tilt their head down and blow water through their mouth This fish is only the size of a quarter, for now. It will eventually grow to be over a foot long and weigh up to seven pounds. It’s color and pattern will change. This […]
Common Merganser – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern The males will grow to be larger than the females These interesting looking birds are called common mergansers. I came across these ducks in Yellowstone National Park. They were drifting down a very cold stream, as you can tell by the snow in the photo. The duck on the left […]
House Sparrow – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern House sparrows, like some other birds, use “grit” in their diets This is one of the most widely distributed birds in the world. It is native to the Middle East. It can also be found in Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, and Australia. Some of this distribution is […]
Western Bluebird – IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern These birds have similar nesting habits to the house sparrow Only 30% of bluebirds make it past their first year of life. In the wild, they can live to be five years old. They do not have a very long life, but it is an interesting one. There are three […]