Interlopers

Visiting pronghorn enjoy a tasty dinner of freshly-mown hay near Billings, Montana:

Interlopers

If there’s one thing I’ve learned while driving around in the Rockies, it’s to keep my camera with a long lens handy. I took this from the side of the highway on our way home from a long road trip last summer — could have used a bit more “reach,” but 200mm was just about enough for these guys.

Assigned

A Red Postman Mimic takes a break on a sign at the Houston Museum of Natural Science’s Cockrell Butterfly Center:

Assigned

As natural history museums go, Houstons’ one is pretty pricey for what you get. But pricing there is a la carte, so if you’d like, you can get a ticket to just the butterfly center.

Got my eye on you…

On a hike to see waterfalls along the Johnston Canyon trail in Banff National Park, this little guy was making sure we knew he was around:

Got my eye on you

Normally I’m used to squirrels trying to look cute for a hand-out; this was definitely a territorial display, though. Lots of barking accompanied the serious looks from this little guy. I had to laugh, but felt a bit sorry that I did — he was doing his best to look tough, after all…

The Sentinel

Seen (and heard) in the parking lot of the Many Glaciers Hotel in Glacier National Park, Montana:

The Sentinel

This little guy was putting on quite the territorial display for us — making all sorts of noise to let us know that this was *HIS* parking lot. Of course, he chickened out when I got within about 20 feet of him, so I had to use a little focal length to get a decent shot of him.