Animal – Page 2 – A Photo A Day (Squarespace)

11-15-13 Cat’s Eyes

2013 11-15 Cat's Eyes by Watertown, South Dakota, photographer Scott Shephard
I’ll bet you didn’t know that a common characteristic of the four species of venemous snakes* in the US is that they all have “elliptical eye slits, aka “cat’s eyes.” The important thing, then, is that if you encounter a snake, you need to look it in the eyes to determine if it is deadly or not. If you stare in to a snake’s eyes and see that they look more like a human’s eyes, then he/she** is your friend.

Mac is no snake, of course. And he’s not venomous. He has been known to kill mice and small birds from time to time but he does that primarily because that’s what cats do in their spare time. Mac has been part of our family for 13 years now, though he is a sprightly 7 in this photo, taken in 2006.

Canon 5D 1/400s f/3.5 ISO400 135mm

*rattlesnake, cottonmouth, coral snake, copperhead
**Only trained herpetologists can determine a snake’s gender.

10-02-13 Fun & Games?

I don’t normally take requests for this blog – largely because I don’t get them. But yesterday, Brad H, one of the instructors at Lake Area Technical Institute in Watertown, South Dakota, saw me and told me I needed to post more Alaska photos. He said, “You must have more than we’ve seen on your blog!”

The fact is that I do have more but I’m trying to show my versatility by posting other photos. 🙂 But, because Brad asked for one, here’s a whale for you.

We saw many whales on our cruise to southeast Alaska in August but only once did we see one frolicking as this one was. Though “frolic” may not be the right word since experts don’t necessarily agree on why they jump out of the water. Whatever the reason, this young whale put on a heck of a show for us on a day that would have been perfect even if he/she hadn’t shown up.

Canon 5DIII 1/640s f/8.0 ISO250 170mm

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09-28-13 Cooling Off

I am calling this “Cooling Off,” though it could be that they are warming up. “They” are harbor seals that we encountered resting on ice bergs as we left the area of the Dawes Glacier. They are staring at us with suspicion while we were staring at them with wonder.

Canon 5DIII 1/800s f/7.1 ISO400 280mm

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09-14-13 Morning Procession

2013 09-14-13 Morning Procession by Scott Shephard
I was anchored near the mouth of Mission Creek at Lake Oahe (Missouri River) a couple weeks ago when I noticed movement on the point of the far shore. Using my binoculars, I noticed that it was a group of deer walking slowly along the beach. A few minutes later, I saw them walk into the water and then start to swim to the south point of the bay I was in. I estimated that the swim was about 1/4 mile and was more than a little surprised since I didn’t know deer could swim.

Eventually, they arrived on the near shore and, having checked me out, hurried up the hill and out of sight. Below you will find two other photos I took in the sequence, including one where the buck (who was last in the line) has stopped and is checking me out. Given that he didn’t have his Speedos on, do I dare say that he was “buck naked?” (Sorry.)

Swimming Deer

Buck

Canon 5DIII 1/1600s f/8.0 ISO400 200mm