Best of 2017

 

A sleepy manatee rises to the surface to take a breath in Homosassa Springs. This was my favorite photo of 2017. As soon as I took the pic, I knew it would be hard to beat, even during a year that featured bears and two weeks in Yellowstone National Park. I'm resharing some of my favorite photos here after Shutterfly disbanded all of its photo websites including mine. Please enjoy the Best of 2017.

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Sunrise is reflected in the eye of an American alligator at Merritt Island.

I found a couple nine-banded armadillos while exploring Crystal River, Florida. These little armored animals use their flat forhead to clear the leaf litter off the dirt so they can dig up tasty worms and larvae. Yum! They also are known to carry leprosy, so look but don't touch!

A sleepy manatee kicks up silt while rising to the surface to breathe. Manatees can rest different halves of their brains while sleeping, which allows them to get enough rest while still being alert enough to not drown. Crystal River was too silty to see much of anything on my first attempt, but Homosassa Springs was clear and blue. I just had to wait patiently for 20 minutes for the sleepy manatee to come to the surface. It's always one of the most peaceful photo shoots you'll find! Their serenity is contagious.

A black bear follows its nose up a tree to find budding flowers and leaves in the springtime in the Smoky Mountains.

A waterfall is a highlight of visiting Tuckaleechee Caverns outside Cades Cove.

A pretty blue jay eats some corn at the Cincinnati Nature Center. If blue jays were less common, people would not shut up about them. Que bella!

A Sumatran rhino carries his lunch around his enclosure at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. I don't ordinarily share pics of captive wildlife, but I made a special trip to the zoo in 2017 to photograph Harapan before he was shipped back to Indonesia in a last-bid attempt to save these critically endangered rhinos. This is the last Sumatran rhino I will ever see and it made me very sad.

Old Faithful erupts in a spectacular cascade of steam and water in Yellowstone's geyser basin. I spent a summer scooping ice-cream at the Old Faithful Lodge where I got to see the geyser erupt several times a day. After each, the lines at the ice-cream shop would stretch out the door.

Bighorn sheep are a good reason to climb Mount Washburn, my favorite trail in the park. I loved seeing them with the valley below. Mount Washburn is still recovering from devastating fires in the 1990s that destroyed much of its forest. 

I love how this little bighorn lamb leans into her mom while foraging.

When you reach the ranger station, keep a close eye on your backpack. The little ground squirrels will beg for food and if that does not work, they will unzip your bags and help themselves! Mmm, the peanuts are especially good.

A coyote hunts for mice and voles in the Lamar Valley. To get this shot, I found a place to park and hiked a half-mile back to an elevated berm on the road overlooking the meadows. And then I patiently waited almost an hour for the wandering coyote to get within range of my long lens. And then just as I was training my autofocus, from behind me on the road I heard a random motorist scream, "YOU'RE TOO CLOSE TO THE COYOTE!" Obviously, I punched that guy in the throat and buried him deep.

Two pronghorn antelope bucks are constant friends in the Lamar Valley. They form small bachelor herds during the summer when they don't have to compete for does.

A little rock rabbit called a pika stands watch on a lichen-covered rock. These little guys love high-elevation rock scree. But photographing them takes time and patience. They look and sound like a squeak toy! They're one of my favorite animals.

Unlike many other small animals in Yellowstone, pikas don't hibernate. So they must stockpile enough grass and seeds to last the long, long Yellowstone winter. 

 A bison chews his cud while resting atop a mountain road. Behind him is a burned-out forest. Bison often use the park roads to navigate the mountain passes to get to better grazing, so it pays to drive carefully.

The bison's pitstop gave me a chance to take a selfie from my Dodge Charger in the reflection of the bison's eye. I love the sprig of bush in his fur. Bison often take their frustrations out on the foliage, but this one was relaxed and I kept a respectful distance. 

Prairie dogs keep watch for danger in Montana's Greycliff Prairie Dog Town State Park. This little patch of weeds off the interstate is dedicated to a colony of black-tailed prairie dogs. And it's fantastic! Definitely worth the drive an hour north of Yellowstone.

A bull elk is silhouetted in the pre-dawn gloom at Mammoth Hot Springs.