During the breeding season, male pronghorn establish and defend territories, while females carefully select mates and later raise their fawns in the open grasslands. A paired male and female offer a glimpse into the social dynamics of a species whose speed and endurance evolved to outrun predators long vanished from the American West. I took this photograph back in June of 2014 in Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1000th of a second.

Red foxes are among the most adaptable mammals on Earth, living everywhere from Arctic tundra to forests, farms, and even major cities. I met this one while photographing coastal brown bears in Lake Clark National Park in Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm (at 210mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.

Moose cows in places like Baxter State Park in Maine often wade deep into ponds to feed on nutrient-rich aquatic vegetation growing along the bottom. These underwater plants are packed with sodium and minerals that are difficult to find in the forest. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/5.6 at 1/160th of a second.

Dall sheep are native to the rugged peaks of Alaska and northwestern Canada, easily recognized by their bright white coats and impressive curled horns (although not this adolescent). Built for steep terrain, they can scale rocky cliffs with incredible agility, using specialized hooves that grip narrow ledges with ease. I spotted this one along the Seward Highway outside of Anchorage, Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/320th of a second.

As spring returns, so too does the bright yellow and black of the American goldfinch. Males transition from their subdued winter plumage into their breeding colors. We’ve seen quite a few in our yard already, which is always a welcome sight. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 560, f/5.6 at 1/3200th of a second.

Wild burros in Box Springs Mountain Park in Moreno Valley, California are descendants of domestic donkeys brought to the region during the mining era and later released or escaped. Highly adaptable, they thrive in the dry, rugged terrain, often traveling in small family groups and covering large distances in search of water and food. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 200mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.

In honor of a hard-fought, albeit not-quite-enough, effort last night by our local UConn Huskies in the national championship game, I figured I’d post the closest thing I have to a Siberian Husky. Note, this is a captive wolf photographed years ago in South Dakota. Back to all things wild tomorrow. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 300mm) ISO 800, f/5 at 1/800th of a second.

Not the greatest camera trap capture, but a rare one — a short-tailed weasel. This setup is aimed at bears and other larger animals, so it’s a heavy crop, but sure enough, this little hunter wandered through and tripped the shutter. In Connecticut, short-tailed weasels undergo a seasonal transformation — brown in summer, white in winter (then called ermine) for camouflage in the snow. By mid-March, though, they’ve returned to their summer coat. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17–35mm lens (at 24mm), ISO 500, f/14 at 1/200th, Cognisys camera box, trail monitor, and remote flash units.

A few winters ago, this Virginia opossum was crossing a fallen ash tree in my back woods on his/her daily rounds. Nikon D810 with 17-35mm lens (at 17mm), Cognisys camera box, trail monitor and remote flash units.

Even the extremely common and cooperative animals deserve a post now and again. When visiting my mother in southwest Florida, there’s never a lack of white ibises to put in front of the lens. This one greeted me on a boardwalk hike through Corkscrew Swamp. Interesting fact about the white ibis — they have a unique feeding style, using their long, curved bills to probe blindly in mud and shallow water, snapping shut the instant they touch prey. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 500mm PF lens, ISO 2800, f/6.3 at 1/500th of a second.