A great blue heron bearing a gift — a stick to reinforce the nest. Photographed in Venice, Florida. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 210mm) ISO 400, f/6.3 at 1/2500th of a second.

As I post this, there’s still twenty or so minutes left of Easter Sunday. So naturally, here’s the annual rabbit post. This time a desert cottontail from the Badlands of South Dakota. Hope everyone had a great day. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/800th of a second.

It is said that prairie dogs get their name from the habitat they live in and the fact that they sound like dogs when alerting others of danger. I get the habitat part, but not the dog part. Their call is certainly more of a high pitched yip than a bark. Regardless, they are fun animals to watch and photograph. These two youngsters were showing each other a bit of affection outside of their burrow in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 340mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/4000th of a second.

It’s getting to be that time of year again for baby bison to be born. I photographed this calf a few years ago in Yellowstone. I like those little nubs, which will grow into mighty horns. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/250th of a second.

Low tide allowed this mother brown bear and her cubs to venture far from shore in search of breakfast. The area in which they are standing is at the confluence of a creek that feeds into the sea, bringing with it plenty of fish. Still, it’s a challenge for the mom, as the number of fish isn’t quite that of a full scale river spawn. Photographed at Silver Salmon Creek in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska. Nikon D500 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/2000th of a second.

Ground squirrels can sometimes be hard to distinguish from prairie dogs. One way to tell them apart is their stance. Prairie dogs tend to lean forward (and are more rounded of body) while ground squirrels stand more upright. There are many different kinds of ground squirrel. This is the Wyoming ground squirrel, photographed in Arapaho National Wildlife Refuge in north central Colorado. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 400mm) ISO 400, f/5 at 1/800th of a second.

I caught this female pronghorn at the salad bar. She seemed to really enjoy the variety of options at her disposal in this particular little corner of Yellowstone National Park. Nikon D810 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 260mm) ISO 800, f/4 at 1/500th of a second.

When an eastern newt is in its juvenile phase, it turns a bright orangish red, puts on a nice spotted coat, and spends its time on land. As it grows into the newt it will eventually become, it moves to a more permanent water source in the form of a river, pond or lake. It’s when it’s in this red phase that it is commonly called a red eft. Nikon D300 with Nikkor 70-200mm lens (at 120mm) ISO 800, f/5.6 at 1/20th of a second.

The desert can be a beautiful place when in full bloom (or anytime for that matter). But blooms can be quick and unpredictable, and certain cactus may not bloom at all for years before opening up. I was lucky on this occasion in Joshua Tree in California and hit it just right. Nikon D700 with Nikkor 17-35mm lens (at 17mm) ISO 200, f/18 at 1/3rd of a second.

The upland sandpiper may not have the most spectacular coloring, but makes up for it by cutting a fine looking profile. You’d expect a bird like this to be found in coastal areas, but this species of sandpiper favors the open fields of the central part of the country. This one was photographed in South Dakota in Badlands National Park. As for diet, upland sandpipers will eat just about anything, including grasshoppers, crickets, weevils, beetles, moths, ants, flies, bugs, caterpillars, millipedes, spiders, snails and earthworms. All the good stuff. Nikon D800 with Nikkor 200-400mm lens (at 330mm) ISO 400, f/4 at 1/1600th of a second.