elk | kritterspix

Snow Critters

Posted on December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 by kritterspaw

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This last storm met the predictions of the weathermen who projected 2′ of snow.

With it, brought animals looking for food.

It was great fun to see this little baby deer enjoying it’s first snow. It reminded me of Journey when we get snow, as she runs around and loves to ‘snorkel’ in it.

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There is something so pristine and beautiful about the new fallen snow… apparently the animals think so too.

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I suppose the cold white stuff is a novelty for them, something they don’t see often… so it’s new, fun, and refreshing as they walk through the cool stuff. Like a new toy, it’s invigorating and exciting. Whatever it is… it’s a pleasure to see happiness at any time or place. Bring it on.

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Morman Lake Elk

Posted on June 27, 2019 by kritterspaw

morman lake elk pool_IR.jpg The herds of elk come mingle about in Morman Lake every year. One can see them from Forest Road 3 on the way to Flagstaff. The new borns play in the grass, and the moms laze around in the soggy dirt.

I watched this one little guy very quizzically stalk a blue heron.

The young elk was very amused by this strange looking long necked ‘thing’ strutting around in the weeds.

The blue heron, on the other hand, didn’t think the curiosity or affection was quite as amusing. I watched the elk follow that blue heron around the pools at Mormon Lake, and the other elk soaking up the water. Nature at it’s finest!

Snow Elk

Posted on February 23, 2019February 23, 2019 by kritterspaw

We got quite the winter storm this week…. and I don’t know what it is, but storms always seem to bring the animals.

Of course, we are always delighted to see them. I always tell them… ‘I’ll make you famous’… if only they knew!

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These poor little guys were hunkered down looking for warmth and food.

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Even the dry twigs seemed like tasty food for these guys who were rummaging through the snow looking for something to eat.

Of course, kids will be kids, and all they cared about was playing in the snow! Typical! : )

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You can check out more snow pix here… https://kritterspaw.com/2019/02/23/snow/

Best of Animals, 2018

Posted on December 27, 2018January 7, 2019 by kritterspaw

A year wouldn’t be complete without my wildlife photos that I strive so hard to capture. This year has been especially unique with some terrific ‘up-close-and-personal’ shots of a wide variety of wildlife, including bison, antelope, and big horn sheep. Picking the top shots is the hard part… what an awesome problem to have. : )

1. Antelope Greens Peak Loop near Show Low

2. Blue Heron Carneros Lake

3. Big Horn Sheep Greer, AZ

4. Mule Deer Grand Canyon South Rim

5. Mule Deer Grand Canyon North Rim

bison fight_IR.jpg 6. Bison Raymond Wilderness Area

7. Great White Egrets Happy Jack, AZ

8. Baby White Tail Deer Fawn Happy Jack, AZ

9. Bull Elk Happy Jack, AZ

pygmy on_IR.jpg 10. Pygmy Owl Happy Jack, AZ

Elk Profile

Posted on December 6, 2018December 6, 2018 by kritterspaw

I remember when I used to visit my husband’s folks in Morman Lake, AZ. They would be all excited to share ‘their’ elk with us. With a binoculars in hand, if you squinted real hard, you could see the little dots of elk crossing in front of the fire house, about 1/4 mile away.

John’s mom still remembers fondly how close they got to see the elk. I laugh.

If she had any idea of how close we see the elk today!

Big Bull

Posted on September 18, 2018September 18, 2018 by kritterspaw

I keep hearing the elk bugle… a magical, majestic sound… but I had yet to see the big bull that bellowed. That is, until this morning. It was just after 5am… a little dark still, when he came in.

I think I may have been a little late to the party, as he didn’t stay long. He seemed merely to have come in to collect the last of his harem, and then he was off again.

To watch the grace and ease at which he slinked off into the forest was a beautiful thing. He was so quiet and confident in his graceful movements as he jumped over a ledge like it was a pebble and quietly disappeared. Awesome.

Elusive Elk

Posted on April 20, 2018April 21, 2018 by kritterspaw

We go to the Mogollon Rim often just to look for animals. Our elk have been very elusive lately. On our most recent trip we saw a large herd of probably 100 elk.

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But with all our multiple sightings, they were very camera shy and spooky… and by spooky I don’t mean scary, I mean scared. They ran at the mere sound of us, and just wouldn’t stay still for a shutter release.

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I keep telling ’em… I’ll make you famous :). But they don’t listen.

No worries… I’m persistent. I’ll be back!

Happy Snow

Posted on January 22, 2018January 22, 2018 by kritterspaw

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While the East coast is getting hit with repeated snow storms, Arizona is getting left out of the action. Now I know most people don’t think of AZ as getting snow… but for Northern Arizona it is part of our seasons, and one we count on to get precipitation to keep our trees healthy and our forests free from wildfires. For a normal winter (October – March, or so) we would expect to see maybe 6′ – 10′ of snow. While that may not be a lot for some Eastern states, it’s about right for us. Thus far this winter, we have seen none.

That is until this past weekend. I’m happy to report we finally got some snow! Woohoo. We probably got about 8″ at our home. Having been house bound, we opted to go to the rim to check out their snow and maybe get some pix.

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The rim probably got around a foot of snow. It was beautiful.

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There is something special about new fallen fresh snow, clinging to the trees and their trunks. It is a magical sight. I never used to like snow – too cold. But I have developed an appreciation for it’s beauty.

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… and it always tends to bring out the animals. We were lucky to see a number of elk – all of whom where quite surprised to see our Jeep slogging through the deep snow.

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Elklings

Posted on October 25, 2017 by kritterspaw

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First it was the deer, now the elk. We love the return of the animals. It has been so dry. No rain in the past or foreseeable future. The weather is unpredictably warm. Our plants and animals are confused beyond measure. Bees are swarming late… baby animals are appearing late… and wild birds, normally migrated, are looking for food.

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Winter must be near… but the weather gods aren’t cooperating. Maybe next week. In the meantime, the animals are trying to fill up on whatever food and water they can get their mouths on…. including having elk and deer in the same space.

We’ll enjoy what we get… when we get it.

Picture in Picture

Posted on May 5, 2017 by kritterspaw

I learned this cool technique. I learned it as ‘Picture in Picture’ which reminds me of that feature I never use on my tv. Apparently it’s all the rage with Snapchat and such. Being behind the times (where I pretty much live), I had never heard of or seen it.

The idea is you take a photograph of your hands holding your phone, and put them on a blank layer (transparency) in Photoshop. Then you take a photograph and fit it to the background. Cut and paste the same photography INTO (Paste Special) your picture of your phone. (Use the polygonal lasso tool to make the selection of your phone screen.) Don’t forget to blur background layer for best effect.

And wa-la…

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Cool, hunh?!