Today's photographs were taken this past weekend, I was out hoping to photograph whitetail deer and I did see numerous ones but they were camera shy. While out along the creek shooting ducks I spotted numerous grey squirrels, with the back lighting it almost seemed as if they were posing for me so I fired off a few photos. Maybe I will be lucky enough to catch the deer in the snow this weekend.
Today's sky watch Friday post comes from just North of Jackson Hole. I would like to tell you just where I was but since this was the first time I had ever been back this road I really don't know. We were in the Tetons for the rut last year and this prescribed burn had been going on for a couple of days, like all firemen it got the best of us and we had to take a drive to the area to check it out. 
I don't know what else to say today except what a magnificent animal these Elks are. I took this photo last year in Yellowstone, this year I plan to shoot the rut right here in Pennsylvania. I am in no hurry for that time of year to get here but I am looking forward to the adventure.
These two wolves are from the Yellowstone Canyon Pack. I had the pleasure of watching this small pack feed on an Elk in the park last September. At the time they were referred to as a group but before the week was out they were renamed a pack. This is the closest I have ever been to the wolves in Yellowstone and it was a very exciting time. If memory serves me correct the first wolf is the female of the group.
I don't work like a normal person so my Monday's are not always Monday. Of course I have often been told that I am not a normal person. Working as a firefighter my work week changes every week, my Monday could be a Friday when everyone else is completing their week. The one thing I have noticed is that most people act and especially drive like they are in a fog on Mondays, anyone else ever notice that? I can't compare that to my fellow employees because it make no difference what day of the week it is many of them never leave the fog.
I started the week with some new photographs so I thought I would finish the week with a few new shots. The whitetail deer was taken on Saturday January 17 when Linda took me to the area she observed the herd in. I feel pretty good about this place and hope to scout it out enough to be able to get photos in the spring with the young as well as the bucks in velvet this year. I shot the duck this past Sunday shortly after photographing the two deer laying down. Someone else help me out here on the type of duck it is, there was an American Black duck close by and Mallard, but this birds head just didn't fit in. 
It is that time of the week again, Sky Watch Friday. Please take the time to click the link to the left to enjoy sky watch photographs from all over the world, the staff of sky watch are to be commended for the fantastic job they do each and every week.
Don't worry folks I still have a few newer photographs from the east that I will post, this photograph just happened to be ready and scheduled for Monday until I got out and released the shutter a few times this past weekend. This bull was captured in Yellowstone during the rut of 2006, maybe I should dig into my 2008 rut photos for something new soon from the west. 
As with yesterdays whitetail photograph today's photos were taken just last week also. We feed the birds and have for many years. At out present house we have five feeder's out right now not including all the seed we put on the ground for the doves and other birds. This particular spot is in our front yard right up against our porch. Next to these birds is about a 20 foot hemlock tree, they love this tree as it gives them the security and safety they need to survive. With the hawks in our area I try to provide the birds a safe place to eat and not set them up as a hawk feeder. 
For the last few weeks I have been posting photographs taken over the last three plus years, the problem is none were just taken. There is three blogs I follow every day, Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer (Willard Hill), Country Captures (Salty Hill) and Ken Conger Photography all are wildlife blogs and more often than not they are newly recorded photographs. Now I am sure they all have had problems coming up with photos or something to say from time to time, but for the most part they are new images.
Hey it is moose Friday, not really I just didn't know what to say so I called it that. But it is Friday and that is a great thing. This bull was captured along with a few cows during the rut in the Tetons in 2006. Lets see if I can spell this correct, they were found on the Gross Ventre Highway in the camp grounds. If you have never been to the Tetons and you go this is one of the better places to find moose. That's all for know see you on Monday.
Hello and welcome to another week of Sky Watch Friday, this is two weeks in a row for me so maybe I am getting back into the swing of things. This sunset photo was taken in the Grand Tetons in the fall of 2006. Every time I have been there I have had little to no luck with morning and evening colors. The cloud gods just never want to cooperate with me. Be sure and click the link for sky watch to view great photos from all over the world.
Since I am posting wildlife in a different setting today I wanted to give you all a little history on me and photographing wildlife. I do not photograph caged animals, I do not like caged animals, I only photograph animals in the wild in their natural surroundings. Normally I try and take photographs without roads, street signs or anything else that is not natural. Sometimes I do not have a choice or choose to take the photo for a different reason.
Many times I have noticed that people only want to photograph the large bulls or the whitetail bucks with large racks. Just last week Willard the Pennsylvania Wildlife Photographer posted a photograph of a young spike buck, even with his broken antler I enjoyed looking at that deer as much as I do a large buck. This first year bull, yes he is a bull look closely and you will see the buttons in front of his ears, was with larger bulls and cows but he went off on his own and gave me what I felt was a nice back drop to photograph him. I also do not hesitate to photograph the cows and does, they to make good photographs. By the way this was a very cold morning much like we are about to have here in Pa.
I am glad many of the people that look at my site like Elk photographs because I have plenty more and I plan to get many more this year. This big guy was photographed in Yellowstone during the rut in 2006. He had a large herd of cows but no competition during the times we viewed him. There was one other bull hanging close by but he was a one or two year old and knew he could not compete so he kept his distance and didn't have much to say.
This morning starts my weekend and like this Coyote jumping onto his dinner I am jumping for joy. It is a weekend with not allot planned, the Hershey Bears are home Friday and Saturday night, I will listen to them on Sunday when they face the baby Pens and I hope to watch some football. Of course I need to do some type of work to keep the boss lady happy, that will be determined later. Have a good weekend everyone.
Send up the fireworks it time for Sky Watch Friday. It has been over a month since I last participated in Sky Watch Friday, between work and the holidays I just didn't have time to look at other sites like I wanted to so I made other post on those days. Don't forget to click on the sky watch link to the left to enjoy many great sky watch sites from around the world, the staff does a great job bringing us all together. I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday.
This big six by six was taking a break until I disturbed him from his nap. I didn't pester him any more, a few quick shots and I was on my way to leave him alone. I hope you all like Yellowstone, until I get out to shoot more photos you will be seeing many more from there.
I am still having that writers blank, so I will just leave you with this photograph of Bison grazing in Yellowstone. Keep your fingers crossed that we don't have the bad weather today making my commute home from work longer.
I don't know about anyone else but my family is experiencing the Monday morning blues, Shane went back to school and Linda went back to work today after being off since before Christmas. For a change it is even a Monday for me starting my four day tour today. 
With every new year brings new things in a persons life, for me I don't really know what new things the coming year has in store for me. I do not make new years resolutions because I have never kept them in the past, so why try and fool myself now. I know I will be getting a new fire chief at work after working for the same chief my whole career, new apparatus will be placed into service this year and I may even leave the truck for a different job. Outside of work we hope to vacation in Hawaii this year and my son will become a teenager. I would like to work out more and change my eating habits and I would really like to quit saying I want to get out and shoot more and just do it. I hope to meet fellow wildlife bloggers and cyber mentors Ken, Willard and Salty this year. Whatever happens new this year I am sure it will fly past in a blur. 
I had nothing ready for today so I sat in front of the computer the last day of the year to go through files and find a photo to post. One of the files I opened had photographs I had taken of my nephew Logan Robinson for his senior pictures. Some of them had been re sized for sending my sister for her approval. This particular photographed I used a number of blending options and layers mask on to get the end result. Now you can tell me what you think of it good or BAD. I can not get any better or learn that I stink at this and should quit without positive or negative feedback. With the new year I plan to make some changes in my photography, less procrastinating and more getting out and shooting. I also plan on trying more on photoshop and getting some classes in.
