May 2012 Competition Winners

Subject
Royal Terns Courting

Location
West Coast, FL

Description
Royal terns courting. Notice his raised left foot. In the next frame, he is on top of her.

Subject
Bald Eagle on rock wall

Location
China Poot Bay, Alaska

Subject
Wandering Albatross

Location
Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand

Subject
Great Blue Heron

Location
Florida

Description
A great blue heron in flight in the early morning, in Florida.

Location
Douglas County, CO

Description
Common House Finch in Crabapple Blossoms

Subject
Baby gorilla

Location
Rwanda

Subject
Coyote

Location
Yellowstone NP

Subject
Night sky and arch

Location
Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Description
Mesa Arch in Canyonlands National Park is a very popular site for sunrise. This image was made well before sunrise in deep twilight. The Milky Way galaxy parallels the arch and at lower left above the arch is the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), also elongated horizontally. Just above the Milky Way is the constellation Lyra. This is an 11 frame mosaic.

Subject
Braided river flow from glaciers in Mt. Cook NP

Location
New Zealand

Subject
Pawnee Buttes

Location
Near New Raymer, CO

Description
These two buttes rise up in the middle of the wide open prairie.

Subject
Waterfall

Location
Near Punakaiki, South Island, New Zealand

Subject
Clouds at sunset

Location
Parker, CO

Subject
Great Horned Owl

Location
Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson, Arizona

Description
The Arizona Sonora Desert Museum conducts predator free flights. In these sessions trained predators respond to the commands of their handlers. No teathers are used. This beautiful great horned owl swooped in silence just a few feet over my head and landed on a cactus stalk 12 meters from where I was standing. In between heart palpitations and rapid breathing, I was able to remember to take this picture.

Location
Ranch near Lakewood, CO

Subject
Yellow-bellied Marmot

Location
Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Subject
Dragon fly

Location
Hudson Gardens

Description
70-200 at f16 to get the depth of field I wanted in the wings and body. The background was far enough away to still be thrown out of focus.

Subject
Young bear with salmon

Location
Lake Clark NP, Alaska

Subject
Chapman's Zebra (Equus burchelli antiquorum)

Location
Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa

Description
These two zebra were aligned perfectly on the horizon. Who says you should avoid mergers?

Subject
Black-backed Jackal

Location
Tarangire National Park, Tanzania

Description
Black-backed Jackal prepares to drink from a rainwater puddle.

Location
Glacier National Park, Montana, USA

Description
Triple Falls, which spills into Reynolds Creek. That is snow up above the falls, still there in August. The previous winter had been a particularly snowy one.

Subject
Yuccas at dawn in White Sands

Location
White Sands National Monument

Description
We arrived in White Sands the morning of a fresh snow so there were no tracks and were bestowed a gorgeous morning alpen glow.

Subject
Wood lily (Lilium philadelphicum)

Location
Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada

Description
Just the inner portion of the wildflower, using extension tubes on a macro lens to get very close.

Subject
Pair of African Moon Moth

Location
Butterfly Pavilion Westminster Colorado

Subject
Artic Fox

Location
Denver Zoo