The sky was starting to take on a bit of late-day color as I caught this bison trudging through the snow in Yellowstone. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 70mm) ISO 800, f/2.8 at 1/250th of a second.

I may not be able to get on a plane and go back to Africa or Asia or anywhere else on the planet anytime soon, but there’s plenty of wildlife worth appreciating a bit closer to home. Chipmunks dig up our yards, destroy mortar in our stone walls and cause all other manner of havoc around the yard. But we still love having them around. These three babies have been making a daily appearance in our backyard. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 500mm f/5.6 PF lens, ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/500th of a second.

Looks like a perfectly fine place to relax to me. This black bear cub was one of several siblings perched safely in the trees while Mom foraged below. Photographed in northern Minnesota. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/160th of a second.

Here’s another one from the Rocky Mountain region, a bighorn ram. Winter tends to be the best time to see the rams as they leave their bachelor herds and come down from higher elevations to vie for females. They also come down seeking easier grass to uncover beneath the heavy snow. This headshot was taken in Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 500, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.

Although pikas look like furry little rodents, they are actually lagomorphs, which include rabbits and hares. They live in high, rocky settings. This one was photographed up in the alpine tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. Nikon D200 with Nikkor 600mm f/5.6 manual focus lens, ISO 400, f/8 at 1/250th of a second.

Throughout spring and early summer, mountain goats shed the thick coat that they develop in the winter. This image was actually taken later in the summer, but the mountain goat was still holding onto that last bit of winter fur. Photographed up on Mount Evans in Colorado. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/1250th of a second.

There are two species of roadrunner in the world, the greater and the lesser roadrunner. This is the former. I photographed this guy in Anza-Borrego State Park in southern California. True to his name, he was running across the desert floor, presumably looking for something to eat. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.

I can’t be certain if this was a fight or foreplay, but these two marmots were really going at each other. Photographed up on Mount Rainier in Washington state. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 200, f/5.6 at 1/250th of a second.

A bull elk makes his way through the sagebrush, looking for willing females during the fall rut in Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 1600, f/4 at 1/400th of a second.