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Monday, January 18, 2010

Giraffe, eye-to-eye.



Seeing wildlife is an up close and personal thing at the Global Wildlife Center near Folsom, LA,  north of New Orleans.  The animals come up to the wagon train to eat from the visitors' food cups.
--steve buser


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Saturday, January 2, 2010

Crystal flowers from Yellowstone



I love these lovely crystalline structures that grow in the pools of geysers at Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.   Unless I am mistaken, that is a quarter that someone dropped (hopefully accidentally) on the "flower" -- it gives a sense of the dimension.
--steve buser




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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Cool journey home




In the cool of the evening and in frigid mountain waters, this gal was slowly making her way back home up in the mountains.  This is on the west side of Yellowstone National Park, shortly before you exit the park.
--steve buser


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Friday, November 27, 2009

Skipping Sanderling



Sanderling (Calidris alba) skips rapidly across the sandy beach at Perdido Key, Florida, finding a lot of good things to eat on the shore because of the high wave action in the Gulf of Mexico.
--steve buser


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Saturday, November 21, 2009

Chipmunk


This little chipmunk pounced out of the rocks in front of us on this trip to Colorado.  I don't think it was because he was not afraid of us -- more than he just wasn't paying attention to us.
--steve buser

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Duckling sitting -- Salt Lake City


Mama watches over her young ones (although they are getting pretty big) as the sun rises and the joggers come out.

The pond was near our hotel where we stayed on a recent trip to Salt Lake City.
--steve buser
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Sunset breath-stealer at the Grand Canyon



The Grand Canyon at sunset is one of the real treats at this national park.  There are good spots and better spots to do this.  We kept traveling along the rim of the Canyon looking for that perfect spot.  Finally as the hour grew late, we pulled into a parking area and found a "suck-the-breath-out-of-your-lungs" view.  The scenery, the colors, and the shadows made a constant play as the sinking sun skimmed its rays over anything it could still hit.
--steve buser


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Saturday, October 31, 2009

Egret -- just winging it.


A Great Egret takes a leap into the air and glides away from his perch.  The picture is from the Oil and Gas Park in Jennings, LA. His companion for the the morning, the Anhinga on the right side, doesn't give it much attention.
-steve buser>


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Thursday, October 29, 2009

Sniping Stripes --Zebras zerks


My biggest surprise at Global Wildlife Center where we visited this past weekend was the orneriness of the Zebras.  They would push their way to the front nearthe wagon train we were in and then chase away any animal that would push on them.  We were warned not to feed them from our hands because they will bite -- apparently an expression of affection. Apparently, from the way I see it,  the stripes are just to a make them look more friendly.

--steve buser
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Monday, October 26, 2009

Wildlife are happy to greet you



We had the grandkids and a bunch from Linda's family at the Global Wildlife Center in Folsom this weekend.  I don't think I have ever seen brighter kids' eyes thatn when they found out they got to feed giraffes, zebras and buffaloes and more.  It's a vast open range prairie that the animals roam freely.
--steve buser



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Friday, October 23, 2009

Elk eye contact



A young buck elk in full velvet in Yellowstone National Park stops eating leaves for a second to check me out. I guess he was wondering what that big eye was sticking out of my face.  This was on a recent vacation Linda and I took at the end of the summer.  There was a big buck looking over the herd of about 12, mostly females.  He was laying in the grass and barely looking around.


--steve buser

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Great Egret,


This lone Great Egret (Ardea Albus) was ranging around the pond at the Oil and Gas Park in Jennings today. I managed to get in a spot, just behind a tree, that allowed me some camoflauge and a place to steady my shot.  He quickly found me, though, and took a couple stares right at me to check for threats.

The fishing wasn't so good, so he soon decided to head to his (seemingly temporary) nesting place in some bushes near the bank. 

What surprised me on this shot, was how limber you have to be, to be a Great Egret and keep your feathers straightened.
--steve buser
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