Michael Despines Photography

Jan

31

Ram Bam

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 1 comments

Shot of the Month – January 2021

Bighorn sheep are sheep. With big horns. And scientists refer to these creatures as, wait for it, Bighorn Sheep (BHS).

Lone, slow clap. Clap………………………………..Clap……………………………….Clap……………………….Clap.

How lazy are these scientists? Zero points for creativity.

The BHS males are called Rams. And they do, in fact, ram,

ram; verb: to strike with violence : CRASH

but we will get to that in a bit.

BHS live in the western mountainous regions of North America and can be found from the Rocky Mountains of southern Canada down to the deserts of the American Southwest. These mountain dwellers have split hooves and rough hoof bottoms giving them tremendous grip as they bound about along steep rocks and narrow ledges. Lambs are typically hunted by coyotes, bobcats, gray foxes, wolverines, jaguars, ocelots, lynxes and golden eagles. BHS of all ages are hunted by black bears, grizzly bears, wolves and especially mountain lions who are likewise quite agile even in the uneven, rocky habitat home to most BHS.

BHS live in social groups but the males live in bachelor groups while the females (Ewes) live with other females and their young. Males leave their mother’s group when they reach 2-4 years in age to join a bachelor group. Ahh, those were the days….(not really).

It is only when it is time to mate (the “rut”) when the two sexes come together. And this when the show kicks off. Just before the mating season, “pre-rut”, the males begin to battle for dominance. Only the most powerful ram will earn the right to mate with a group of ewes. And that’s where those glorious big horns come into play. Two competing males will walk away from each other and then turn to rear up on their hind legs and hurl themselves at each other ending in a mighty head bash.

In the image above you can see two rams in just this pose. Did you notice that the guy on the right actually has 3 feet off the ground to maximize his height and momentum? I photographed these two bruhs in the National Elk Refuge in Wyoming.

The resulting collision can often be heard up to a mile away. I can attest that that noise is startling and sounds like a rifle going off. Those horns can weigh up to 30 pounds and equal the entire weight of all the other bones in the male’s body. This Ram Bam session can last for hours until one male finally gives up and unceremoniously just walks away. “I’m out…”

Below, if you look closely you can see that the guy on the right is so chill that he still has a piece of grass in his mouth. Now that’s gangster. Full impact in about 0.2 seconds…

Dominance hierarchy is based on age, body size and horn size so usually the older males, typically those older than seven years old, tend to monopolize mating. Wait your turn, sonny boy…

Pre-match stare down….. “Bruh, you wanna go??!

After this glare they walked past each other and launched their attack.

There you have it, the Bighorn sheep….Bruh culture at its most sheepish. Bam!

Until next month…..m

Nikon D5, Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm (@230mm), f/8, 1/4000 sec, ISO 720, EV -0.333

Want more information (and similar bad jokes)? Check out some of my previous Posts on Bighorn Sheep:

Cliffhanger

Bam Bam

Sources:

Wikipedia

National Park Service

National Geographic

National Wildlife Federation

Jan

01

10 for 20

Today's Shot Posted by Michael / 20 comments

In 2020 I didn’t take a single photo until about 8 months into the year due to the pandemic and work commitments. In the last 4 months I did make a weekend trip to Mt. Rainier and a few weekend trips to the coast — one trip to Oregon and two trips to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington. Our trip to Kenya was cancelled so plan B was to visit the Grand Teton NP (Wyoming) in the fall and then again over Christmas. And that was pretty much it for photography in 2020. A few highlights from the year (in random order):

1. Grizzly Bear

We had a once-in-a-lifetime sighting of a grizzly bear in Yellowstone NP. You can read all about this adventure here. Wow!!

2. Golden Crab Spider

Here we have another ferocious predator, albeit, on the other end of the size spectrum. I shot this beauty in our garden.

3. Wildflower Marmot

While visiting Mt. Rainier I found this marmot along the side of the road. It is not the greatest image, but I love the cacophony of color. This rascal was dining on this beautiful buffet of wildflowers.

4. Shipwreck

The shipwreck of the Peter Iredale never fails to offer stunning photo opportunities.

5. Bighorn Sheep Battle

I have seen bighorn sheep before but never saw them crashing heads. It is quite the spectacle and the sound of that collision is shockingly loud.

6. Bighorn Motion

The big boys clash heads to claim rights to mate with the females. The ewes make the males pursue them endlessly to prove their worth and at times the hillside was a frenzy of chasing hither and tither. I slowed the shutter speed down with this image to try and give a sense of the chase.

7. Sunset Bison

A lovely sunset mood with a few bison in Grand Teton NP.

8. Dinner is Served

Otters are an absolute joy to see and we had a magical morning watching these river otters catch their breakfast in Grand Teton NP.

9. Rialto Beach

Hiking to the sea stacks at Rialto beach on the Olympic Peninsula (Washington) is bit of a workout with camera gear. And you have to carefully study the tides to avoid getting stuck out there. But the rewards can be stunning…

10. Backlit Moose

If you want to see moose get over to the Grand Teton NP. I shot thousands of images. After a while you want to try and get something a bit different…so here is a backlit moose.

11. Bonus Moose

And here I caught a moose crossing a stream at sunrise with the picturesque Teton mountain range in the background.

Wishing everyone a healthy and safe 2021!!

michael

Dec

31

River Wolf

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – December 2020

I am on record as being a big fan of otters. When I think of “otters” I think of a collection of rambunctious weasels with an endless appetite for fun and group cuddles. Otters are C-U-T-E. Surely you recall this epic video that was all the rage a few years ago (23 million views and counting…).

There are 13 species of otters around the world and many are about two to three feet in length. And generally adorable. Mother Nature decided to supersize one of the three species found in South America and the result was the aptly named, Giant Otter. The Giant Otter (GO) can reach six feet in length and can weigh up to 70 pounds. They are also rather terrifying.

Pop culture analogy: Most otters are to Mogwai (Gizmo) as the Giant Otter is to Gremlin (Stripe). A bit rusty on your Gremlin folklore? You can find a refresher here, and also here on the breakout 1984 film.

Most Otters Giant Otters

I realize that this may seem a bit harsh, but your honor, I would like to submit People’s exhibit ‘A’ into evidence.

Wow, that is a heck of a menacing glare. The Giant Otter is thrashing an eel that he just caught.

Like most otters, the Giant Otter lives and moves about the waterways in a family group as big as 20 strong though the average group size is four to eight. Below is an image I captured of a family resting on a river bank:

In the water giant otters are fearless and will attack ANY creature that poses a threat. In this video, a family attacks and kills a caiman (similar to a crocodile). I present Exhibit B for the court demonstrating the scariness of the GO.

Those shrieks, gurgles, and whines are the fodder for many a nightmare.

And for Exhibit C as to how gangster Giant Otters are, I submit my own testimony. One day while on a boat in the Pantanal, I saw a male jaguar wading through the water near the river’s bank. This is a common hunting technique as the jaguar looks for unsuspecting prey, whether it be caiman, capybara, or even fish in the river. In the other direction, we saw a lone giant otter swimming along the bank on a direct collision course with the jaguar. I got my camera ready as I imagined I was about to photograph a jaguar killing a giant otter. To my surprise, once the jaguar saw the otter he instantly jumped out of the river on the bank. He wanted NOTHING to do with that otter. I imagine if he realized that the otter was by himself he would have tried to stalk it, but he didn’t stick around long enough to find out. Even the mighty jaguar will not take on a group of giant otters in the water. Here you can see a family of giant otters scare off a young jaguar:

The jaguar holds the crown as the top apex predator in South America as a lone giant otter is no match for the 200-pound cat. However, once mobilized a family of giant otters has no rival. Locally the otter is known as “Water Wolf” or “River Wolf.” In Brazil, the giant otter is called ariranha which means “Water Jaguar” in the local Tupi language. Giant Otters primarily feed on fish, as shown in my original photo but they also dine on crabs, turtles, snakes, and small(ish) caiman.

And finally, with this image, Exhibit D. When these guys got supersized they became rather gargoyle-esque in their look. Try not to look at those googly eyes….and those webbed claws……eeek.

Despite their ferocious look and ruthless approach to outsiders, giant otters are affectionate with each other and the entire family is responsible for raising and protecting the pups. I recommend admiring the largest member of the otter family from a distance because if one happens to get too close, make no mistake, these river wolves will cut a b*&#h.

Until next month….michael

Sources:

Wikipedia (Giant Otter)

Wikipedia (Otter)

National Geographic

International Otter Survival Fund

The Smithsonian Magazine

Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO 180,

Nov

30

Chasing the Light

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 0 comments

Shot of the Month – November 2020

I initially titled this blog post “Cocoi Heron” as that is the name of the beautiful bird in the image. But even as I typed out the letters, C-o-c-o-i H-e-r-o-n I knew that that title did not capture the real essence of the shot. When I came upon this scene I gasped, not because of the bird, but because of the L-I-G-H-T. Many nature photographers talk about “chasing the light” to capture the occasional special image.

I am forever chasing light. Light turns the ordinary into the magical. (Trent Parke)

I found this bit of magic in 2019 as we visited the Pantanal in search of jaguars (video). Each morning, just before sunrise, we would load our gear into our small skiff and begin to cruise the rivers in search of wildlife. On this morning we came around a bend in the river and I gasped when I saw this scene. The light was stunning — I instantly reached for my camera as I signaled our “captain” to stop the boat immediately. The soft, delicate glow of the low-morning light perfectly lit the heron as he searched for a meal. I also loved how the heron was separated from the background giving the image a real sense of depth. These are the types of settings that nature photographers spend hundreds of hours searching for and they often only last a few moments each day.

Another axiom of nature photography is that good things often come to those who wait. A great technique to see wildlife is to simply stop in one place and let nature unfold before you. In this case, we stopped for a few minutes to allow me to shoot the scene with a variety of compositions. After shooting multiple shots in a landscape orientation I rotated my camera 90 degrees to shoot in portrait mode. At this point, I wanted to explore that wonderful reflection of the heron on the water. As I was shooting the heron suddenly plunged his head into the water and speared a fish. By pure luck, I had the entire scene already perfectly framed for this action (a very rare event indeed) and I only had to hold down the shutter button to capture the sequence. We witnessed this great behavior only because we stopped and spent some time with the bird.

On another day we found the same heron in some soft light that allowed us to really see his beautiful markings and colors and the wonderful detail of his feathers.

Those of you living in North America can be excused if you thought this was a Great Blue Heron – the two birds are almost identical and make up a superspecies. The Cocoi Heron however is only found across most of South America.

So in short, the improved title for this post pretty much sums up my lot in life — I’m just a dedicated “light chaser.” When I am not working you know where to find me — I’ll be out in some field, swamp, forest, or jungle chasing the light, looking to capture that fleeting magic that illuminates life at its most glorious. Let the chase begin!

Until next month….michael

Sources:

Wikipedia

Birds of the World

Things Guyana

Great Blue Heron (Wikipedia)

Nikon D4S, Nikon 600mm, f/4, 1/1000 sec, ISO 500

Oct

31

Beeware!

Shot of the Month Posted by Michael / 2 comments

Shot of the Month – October 2020

By 2020 I imagine that most people have heard about the bumble bee crisis — this vital insect has been declining rapidly in the last 30 years due to the use of pesticides, climate change, and loss of habitat. Bumble bees are essential pollinators and without them, many ecosystems may collapse not to mention the 15 billion dollar agricultural industry which needs them for pollinating crops.

If those challenges weren’t daunting enough the poor fuzzy bee must also take care to avoid the Goldenrod Crab Spider (GCS), shown above, as they are particularly fond of dining on bees and wasps.

The GCS can typically be found hiding on an assortment of yellow or white colored plants though they can be occasionally found on purple thistles and asters and plants of other hues. Preferred hunting perches include milkweed, trillium, white fleabane, ox-eye daisy, red clover, butter cups, and, of course, golden rod to name a few. I found the lovely female GCS above in our garden on a black-eyed Susan in late summer.

The body of the GCS is naturally white though if she is hunting on a yellow flower she can change her body color with an incredible level of accuracy to match the color hue of the plant. The color transformation is not automatic and going from white to yellow takes between 10-25 days while converting back to white only takes about 6 days.

I found this white GCS on a sunflower in a different part of the garden:

Crab spiders get their common name from their tendency to hold their front legs aloft like crabs (like in the image above), and their ability to run sideways as well as frontwards and backwards. These spiders do not spin a web to catch their prey but rather are ambush predators. The spider will sit patiently on the flower until an insect comes too close and then she will snap those legs around the body of the prey as she sinks her fangs into the victim and injects them with a paralyzing venom. Sometimes the spider will try and blend in while other times, if there is a color mismatch, she may sit in the middle of the flower imitating the blossom.

A honeybee in the grasp of a Goldenrod Crab Spider:

Female GCS range in size from 1/4” to a bit more than 1/3″ (body length only). Males are smaller and range from 1/10″ to 1/6″ in size. During the bounty of summer, these spiders will eat just about any insect including flies, bees, butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies, and hoverflies. However, by late summer and fall most species of bees have died off and many insects are gone. Except for bumble bees. They continue to thrive and they are the primary visitors to the now-blooming fields of goldenrod, thistle, and other late-blooming flowers. They also become the primary prey for the GCS. During the fall, goldenrod-filled meadows become killing fields and are littered with the bodies of common eastern bumble bees.

Pollinating is a dangerous business…