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Some local critters!

These common MO locals demonstrate how one can find something pretty to photograph almost anywhere. 

1. Canada Goose. Common on most bodies of water almost year round. 

2. Mallard ducks photographed on the same lake as the Goose. Common, pretty and often quite approachable. 

3.Nuthatch. Photographed in my back yard visiting a feeder. It's not an upside down photo that is their common way of moving.. Head down tail up!

1.2. Tree frogs

1. Very young bison, not more than a few days old. Found at a local animal sanctuary.

2. Common opossum hiding in some rocks. Just happened to cross paths on a hike.

3. Juvenile elk. Found at the same animal sanctuary as the bison. Like the bison they were once found here in MO but are no longer found wild here.

1. Lake found in southern New Mexico.

2. Savannah National Wildlife Reserve. Found in  southeastern South Carolina. If you look real closely you can see the alligator swimming by.

Three common harmless snakes.

1. Two northern water snakes. This is a terrible picture but I used it anyway because one doesn't often see snakes this way. In a small area of water their was actually about five snakes. An abundance of minnows was also in this small area.

2. A juvenile prairie king snake. Took a real eye to find this guy he was way down in a rock crevice.

3. Another terrible picture thanks to a failed flash but again a good example of behavior. This is a very large black rat snake. This snake looks very aggressive and ready to bite me and in fact it was but ONLY AFTER I pestered it with my annoying camera. It would have been quite content to simply lay still and let me walk away.

1. Small garter snake.

2. Eastern Hognose snake.

3. The juvenile version of that big bad black rat snake.

4. Eastern yellow bellied racer.

My pride and joy on this page. Neither common nor harmless!

1-2. Timber rattle snake. Lighter phase.

3-4.. Timber rattle snake. Vibrantly colored and quite beautiful! 

1. Double crested  cormorant

2.Cattle Egret

3. Killdeer on nest.

1. Brown Anole

2. Eastern diamondback rattlesnake. A super lucky rare find! About six feet long. I was hoping for a coil pose but this snake just didn't cooperate.

3-4. American alligators.

1. Three toed box turtle.

2.Broadhead skink.

3. Western worm snake. An uncommon snake to see usually hides under rocks, limbs or moist soil.

1.Western Fox snake.

2. Juvenile black rat snake.

3.Water snake

1.Eastern Massasauga rattle snake

2.Toad

3.Eastern Massasauga rattle snake.

1,2,3. Wild Horses. 

1.Turkey Vulture.

2.Rocky Mountain elk

3.Great egret.

1.Egrets and Herons.

2.Unidentified hawk. 

3.Fungus.

1.Black tailed prairie dog.

2. Tiger lily.

3.Black tailed prairie dog.

1.Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

2.Tree, sunset. Squaw Creek NWR.

3.Tundra, Rocky Mountain National Park

1.Okalhoma tarantula.

2.Great blue heron in flight.

1. Canada Goose.

2. Shore bird from South Padre Island.

3. Missouri sky.