Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
WC590 The Miracle Mile
‹ PreviousWeekly Challenge GalleryNext ›

WC590 The Miracle Mile

by Scott Fricke

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted June 23, 2013901 views7 comments
This was taken along a road on the eastern edge of the National Elk Refuge outside of Jackson, WY. In a little over a mile stretch of road we first saw a large herd of elk, of course, then another herd with Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep mixed in. While watching them a ram all of a sudden looked higher up the cliff and we saw another ram being chased by two coyotes, until the ram decided to turn around and face them off. The coyotes gave him a wide berth and trotted by. Next we spotted a bald eagle, then this young ram trying to get these ewe's attention.They were having nothing of it, leaping up and down the cliff face to thwart his advances. The finale was a lone black wolf a few hundred feet off the road, sitting in the snow howling for about 20 minutes. This was the first time I had seen a wolf in the wild so it was a pretty special experience. A ranger told us later he is a young lone male probably calling out to entice a female from a nearby pack to join him.

Any critiques would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

7 comments
Comment posted by Sharon Hallowell on June 23, 2013 at 1:31 PM
Wow! What a sight you had! Sharon
Registered on November 1, 2003, 392 Posts, 4810 Comments
Comment posted by Rick Turner on June 24, 2013 at 7:40 AM
Great story and capture. :wink:
The lines of this comp are great.
Registered on February 18, 2012, 534 Posts, 2755 Comments
Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on June 24, 2013 at 1:54 PM
What a great story-telling image, Scott! Sounds like that would have been fantastic to witness. I am always astounded by the agility of these Bighorn Sheep and their ability to scale these steep cliffs. The view of the one caught in mid-leap really reinforces that thought. :eek: Wow. . .how do they survive in these conditions?! Great angled lines and texture in the cliff plus a nice placement of the sheep throughout the image.
Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments
Comment posted by Barbara Graham on June 24, 2013 at 2:22 PM
Very special image both from what's in the image as well as its execution. Really nice lines. I wish I could see it larger.
Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Seaver on June 25, 2013 at 4:32 PM
This is a nice environmental shot, showing off the sheep behavior. Personally, I would like a tighter look, but without any photo info, I can't tell if you might have had alternate lens choices.
Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
Comment posted by Scott Fricke on June 25, 2013 at 9:41 PM
Thank you everybody for your comments. Mark, sorry, I did forget the info this time. My longest lens is a 70-200 and this was at 200 mm, so I didn't have any more length. I had been debating a tighter crop and was torn between a tighter crop to more emphasize the sheep or leave it as is to show the cliff environment better. I would love to hear others' thoughts on that.
Registered on January 19, 2007, 133 Posts, 1448 Comments
Comment posted by Ed Williams on June 27, 2013 at 1:34 AM
Amazing there is so much life along one stretch of road. Thanks for the story and this is a nice part of it.
Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments