Parker Jackson Wilderness Photography — Intimate encounters with nature

I've been on the lookout for a this particular group for nearly a month and finally I'm sure that the same herd is back for the winter. At least fifteen went down to the river and grazed right by me before heading back up the cliffs. In one of their closest approaches yet, they again offered a spectacularly intimate view of their world. A few weeks ago, I started seeing more and more bighorn sheep activity in the winter habitat where the Atlas herd typically grazes, but I wasn't seeing Atlas or several of the other identifiable members of that particular group. "Atlas" is just my own personal name for the lead ram that has dominated this canyon habitat for the last few winters. Last year there were 22 in his group, and in this encounter there are at least 15. Several others could have been up the cliffs, but perhaps this is the new shape of the herd for the season. Adonis, a name I use for the second largest ram, was also present, but I didn't see the youngest ram Anthony. Two ~9 month old female lambs were with the group, so that's exciting to see the new members. The morning was cold and rather dark, so nearly all the photos are cast in the shadows of the deep canyon and thick clouds. Surprisingly, the group passed by me several times and I'm really happy with a handful of the images. I've been hoping to get some good shots of them while they are at the river, but I'll have to keep trying. The river shots from today were ok, but I was out of position and the light could be much better. All-in-all, a great encounter. The same ewe that sat with me for two hours on Oct 30th was with the group. She and Adonis led a slow graze directly to me. I would estimate that they were within 10 feet at their closest. One of the most striking details in this group of photos is the reflection in Adonis' eye when he's so very close. In the full-resolution image, the reflection in his eye reveals the canyon, sky, clouds, roadway, and even my SUV. I have mixed-feelings about photographing them by the roadway, but this was one of those occasions when they had to cross for water... and they remained on/near the road side for quite a while. The salts used for plowing the winter roads means that they can lick the gravel and enjoy saltier vegetation for the essential mineral. It always makes me nervous, but I try to help alert oncoming motorists before they whiz by them. Great encounter and great to see Atlas and Adonis and the others officially return.

It's so interesting to me when groups of wild horses quickly shift from being calm/quiet to fired up and ready to fight ... and then right back to calmly grazing together again. I'm so curious about the subtleties of their emotions and how they resolve things in the ways that they do. Sometimes it's clearly very serious and they are furious. Those disputes seem to revolve around mating rights, herd protection from outsiders or sometimes authoritative leadership. Other times it's just posturing, pent-up energy and even playfulness between each other. But even in the most serious of battles, the two adversaries can sometimes go right back to peacefully grazing nearby one another. This particular group of bachelors was fired up on this bright and beautiful Friday morning when I arrived on the scene. Thankfully nobody got hurt and it wasn't the most serious of fights. The main antagonist on this day was the mahogany-colored mustang. I'm not entirely sure of the proper name of his color, though. His coat is very dark, almost black with shades of purple/dark brown. There's a horse color chart with a wide range of variations that I should have memorized at this point, but alas I'll have to get to that another day. I'll refer to him as Mr. Mahogany for the purposes of this short story. Mr. Mahogany was spoiling for a fight and getting nose-to-nose with several others in his band. I love his reaction to the the much larger painted horse in the first two images here (second image is just a crop of the first). The painted horse really wasn't in the mood to fight, but he wasn't going get pushed around by someone smaller than him either. At that moment, the white horse comes running into the scene. But, was the white horse just jousting with Mr. Mahogany so that he didn't get beaten up by the bigger horse? I ask that question because the white horse tried to dodge nearly everything and seemed like he was only half-trying... and so I'll call him Dodger. Only once did Dodger really flex his muscle somewhat, but he definitely held back in the moment. Towards the end of the brief sparring match, Dodger could have absolutely leveled Mr. Mahogany and sent him down to the ground on his back. Mahogany was completely vertical and about to tip over when he regained his footing. The last thing I want to see is a horse fall and get seriously injured. It was an anxious microsecond when I saw him almost fall, but in an instant the danger was over. I almost think that Dodger was gently holding Mahogany from falling at the same time. In that moment, Dodger has Mahogany by the scruff of his neck, but Dodger doesn't rip away any skin or push Mahogany back.. he was just poking at Mahogany enough to put him on his heels a bit. Mr. Mahogany immediately pressed his luck again as Dodger bob-and-weaved his away from the advances. A minute or two later they all ran north and began peacefully grazing for hours with several other small groups.

In Part 1, I used the 500mm lens exclusively for a couple hours as a steady stream of action passed through camp and around me. My 100-300mm lens was never far away, but it often takes a back seat to the longer lens in these situations. Now that all the action calmed down, I walked the hundred or so feet back to the car. I had arrived at that particular spot around 4pm the prior day, and it was now 9am. I couldn't believe all the action that had just unfolded. After nearly 2,000 images I was ready to wrap up for a while. But, the sun and the clouds just kept getting better. Two of the horses remained close by, stopping just a few hundred feet away. About six others grazed further away in the distance. With the emerging brilliance of light and backgrounds, I decided to grab the backup lens meant for wider angles and closer subjects. If the top mustang out of that whole group was just going to bask in the sun right next to my camp then I'd be foolish not to at least get a handful of additional shots. This 30-minute effort on my part was interesting in that the horse doesn't move one inch. Usually I'm the one that likes to remain stationary, but it was clear that he felt like standing and resting for a while. He didn't graze, and only occasionally looked at me. I did a slow pass west to east and then back to his west. The light was glorious. It was tempting to try and do more with the moment, but I kept it short and simple. I love the bright foreground, the dark clouds, the blue sky and the colorful hills that frame the moment. The textures and colors in his coat are such a nice combination. At the end of this session, many of the other horses were steadily drifting back. I was officially ready to wrap for a while, even if that spot and those horses had more to offer. Fun morning!

The morning of the 20th turned out to be the most convenient beginning to a day of photographing wild horses that I've ever had. Upon waking up and starting coffee at 6:30am, I noticed five horses nearly a mile away. I took a look through the binoculars and could see that their posture and slow movement had them directly on a line towards me. Their pace, however, might mean waiting for quite a while. I was in no rush. Thick clouds filled the eastern sky and it made for a cold and dark daybreak. But this was too good to pass up when you don't even have to start the car and go anywhere. I could just kick back, drink coffee, eat a snack and let things develop. The group steadily drifted my way and I could tell that these same five had approached me on Oct 25. They noticed my camp and continued walking towards me. Everything was looking perfect for a close encounter with them. Eventually they were within ~150 yards. At that point, the unmistakable sounds from a fight could be heard far away. Loud hooves thundered and raced in the distance. The group of five was captivated. I turned my lens to see if I could spot the commotion. Almost two miles away a few mustangs were chasing each other around. It was incredible how well you could hear the battle. It was an otherwise perfectly calm and silent morning, but the mood had suddenly changed. The leader of the group of five near me didn't hesitate -- he gave the subtle signal and the horses ran north at full gallop. They had no interest in being anywhere near the fighting. I was shocked that they were unafraid of me a few hundred feet away, but the scuffle miles away wasn't worth the risk. Perhaps they understood where those horses were going. I felt like a great opportunity had just slipped away, but the photo shoot would continue and I didn't need to move an inch. I was at a crossroads apparently and I had no idea. Several other groups of horses to the south fled the drama and their paths crossed right through my camp. Eventually the rival males causing all the drama followed up behind all the others. The rivals ran past me and then circled each other. The cold air around them briefly became foggy from their heavy breath. They were winded and had been running for miles, stopping just a couple hundred feet away. To my surprise, the drama almost immediately ceased. Without any bucking or biting, the rival groups calmed down. Three of the bachelors slowly drifted away, while the boldest, loudest and most energetic of them all remained with his partner. About 90 minutes had passed from the slow drift of the original five, to the semi-dramatic but anti-climactic finale. It seemed like a good stopping point, so I walked a hundred or so feet back to the car for a bit more breakfast. Then the sun and the clouds all began to develop really nicely. Seeing that the main provocateur was just a stone's throw away, I couldn't resist a few more shots with a different lens. See the next post, Crossroads Camp Part 2, for the conclusion of this photo shoot.

The light was fading fast, but in the last few minutes of the day a glorious beam of sun perfectly lit the eastern sage brush. Dark clouds punctuated the sky and the air was almost perfectly still. A small family of three wild horses poked their heads up in the distance. A mare, a stallion and their young colt. The adults seemed indifferent to my presence, but the colt couldn't stop looking at me with inquisitiveness. Soon, the colt started running over to me, only to pause about a hundred yards away when mom, dad and his uncertainty caught up with him. Three hundred feet between us must not have been satisfactory to the young one, and he quickly decided to come much, much closer. I parked myself in the dirt and effectively invited him to explore. The father was happy to stay put, but mother reluctantly followed behind the colt almost as if to watch after her rebellious son. At around 30 feet away, even she wasn't comfortable coming any closer. She stopped in her tracks as the young horse cautiously continued ahead. He was bold, curious and mostly fearless. I stayed seated on the ground alternating shots and setting the camera down for some reassuring eye contact.Mother mare turned around a bit and gave herself some space as she watched on. The little colt was soon only five feet away, after being at least a thousand feet away less than ten minutes earlier. He looked at me closely and gently smelled the air. His curiosity satisfied and perhaps realizing that I wasn't another horse that he could play with, he decided to drift back towards his parents. The sun set behind the mountains and the day concluded. His spiky mane and distinctive single white mark on the forehead make me inclined to refer to him as "Spike". Looking back at the photos, the contrast in attitude between the mother, father and son seems so clear. Supportive, concerned, but not nearly as much of a risk-taker - the mare watches on with a caring curiosity. The dad wants none of it mostly, and he stands by in the background. The young colt was full of confidence and an eagerness to explore his world. The next day I spotted him running up to other young horses with a playful and feisty attitude. Perfect little encounter to start this latest trip to Sand Wash Basin. The long shadows, spectacular light and extremely close proximity made for a fantastic combination.

I didn't quite realize just how strong the herds are in Waterton Canyon until my first day trip there recently. Bighorn are so prominent in fact, that dogs are prohibited for that specific reason. When I saw all the signs posted at the entrance, then I knew that I was in the right place for some potentially great shots. Thick clouds made for really low light conditions, and it was a surprisingly cold 24F when I began the hike at daybreak. Very quickly I started seeing bighorn here and there, but I was on the lookout for big rams so I kept on hiking. The wind and cold were not cooperating, so after 5ish miles I headed back after only a couple decent opportunities. On the way back though, the light steadily improved and eventually I stumbled upon a really nice group of bachelors on the trail. The canyon "trail" is really just a big dirt road that's closed off to cars, and it's a very popular spot for hikers, bikers and runners. The bighorn are accustomed to the locals and the locals are used to the bighorn, so everyone pretty much just goes on about their business when the sheep join the people on the trail-road. There are so many shots from this trip that it's hard to boil it down to just a few, but here are a couple dozen that I liked from the day. I love the group as they're coming down the road and facing right into the light. Great looking herd. I'll have to get down there again soon to see if I can witness any battles. The rams were super keyed-up as the mating season intensifies. It's such an interesting thing to watch as they rub heads and kick each other in this brotherly/social way in the build up this time of year.

It's been a while since I had a proper bighorn encounter, not for lack of trying however. I've mostly been looking for new herds in unfamiliar territory while between other objectives, but I've also had a long string of unsuccessful local efforts, too. Although it's still early in the cooler season, I've been watching out at my favorite winter habitat spot just in case anyone shows up early. While driving in the canyon and scanning the ridges, I spotted a single bighorn high up on the cliffs. I watched for a bit and eventually counted 7 as they drifted through shadows and crevices. The group consisted of mostly ewes but definitely included some young rams that I've not seen before. Some light sparring was taking place, and they were drifting a direction that suggested that they were either heading down to the road for salt/water, or perhaps over to the favorite winter grazing area. Surprisingly, one of the ewes that was sparring in pic 2 would later walk right up to me and sit less than ten feet away for 2 full hours! I opted to drive about a mile west to try and get into position at the higher grazing grounds. I don't like photographing down near the road, and the deep canyon shadows often make for really tough light conditions anyway. I parked the car and hiked my way back towards the area where I had last seen the group. I expected it would be a while before I saw any of them, but only a quarter mile into the hike I could see a few heads pop up over the ridge. They were indeed coming my direction, but they were split between heading towards the road and heading higher. Most of them were lower, but one in particular looked at me in the distance. I stopped and sat down the moment that I saw them, and what happened next is truly incredible. From pic 3 in this post until she sits with me, I don't move an inch. I am using a zoom lens in this sequence, so the shots range from a wider angle of 100mm to zoomed-in shots up to 420mm. The mature ewe that was looking my direction didn't join her herd in heading to the road, and instead she walked nearly a quarter-mile and sat just a few feet away from me. Perhaps eight feet directly above me was her final resting place. After about an hour, I eventually moved slightly further away so that I could get a better image of her. I was astonished. She had taken about 10 minutes initially to watch me from a few hundred yards away, and then she just decided to come directly to me in two short minutes. It was insane. She wasn't threatened, she wasn't nervous. She was deliberate and calm. Looking at me throughout her traverse as if to make sure that I could be trusted, or perhaps making sure that I was the same person that she had seen in the past. I've had a lot of close bighorn encounters, and they've played out in a wide variety of ways. Never before has an individual moved so fast to come to me and never before did they stay with me for over two hours like this. I left at noon and she didn't even stand up or flinch when I got up and left. I wonder how it would have played out if I had stayed all day. I cannot explain why she chose to do what she did. Does she remember me from the prior two winters? Did she already know exactly what rock she wanted to sit on and I just happened to get there first (and she didn't care that I was there)?? It's so puzzling, and also astonishing to me at the same time. She absolutely knew that I was there. At one point, she even laid her head down on the rock, which is one of the ultimate signs of relaxation when it comes to bighorn sheep. In those and similar images you can see that she's bleeding slightly above the right eyebrow from the sparring in picture 2. Perhaps that's why she joined me instead of her herd? The rest of the herd eventually got their fill of salt and water, and they worked their way back up the steep terrain. They noticed her on the rock above me, and also noticed me right by her. They seemed reluctant to come join her, and instead they all sat down about 150 feet away eventually. After being out there for three hours, I desperately needed a meal so I decided to part ways. None of the bighorn moved an inch... although admittedly I am VERY careful about my movements so as not to spook them. Truly an amazing encounter, even if the animal was just a simple ewe. It's a great sign for the upcoming season with the herd. With any luck, the big boys will show up soon and show me some of the same love.

Driving out of Sand Wash Basin after what I thought was my final/best encounter of the trip, I intersected one of my favorite groups. The lead mustangs in this band have featured prominently in my prior posts, and they put on a parting show true to theirs and SWB's spirit.

On several levels, this was another incredible and exciting first for me with wild horses. From the mare that brought her foal right by me, to three horses rolling in the dirt directly next to me -- it's an encounter that will always rank highly as a personal favorite. Not long ago, I had my first wild horse approach me and also roll around right next to me, and on this day three would do the same -- one was less than ten feet away. The group started roughly a quarter-mile away, and this is another "no-step" sequence where I remain in a fixed position for every image. No image has been cropped, and all are a fixed length 500mm. I love it when these situations unfold and the horses come directly to greet me. Stunningly, they decided to roll around in the dirt directly behind me. I was focused on six other horses that had just followed the first four, and I could not believe my ears when I heard the closest horse lie down and begin to roll around right next to me. It all happened rather fast, and because I was seated and didn't want to spook any horses -- it was an awkward attempt to quickly turn around to try and catch a shot that was only ~15 ft away. My big lens isn't intended for such close range, hence the inability to widen the shot or depth of field in the closest shots. Despite the limitations of the big lens, I love the frame as the mustang begins to shake off the dust while rising to his feet. Perhaps I should have kept my attention on the first four the entire time, because two others started rolling in the dirt shortly after the first. But the little foal and other horses were impossible to ignore. Such an incredible encounter. There are far too many images to post, so these 44 will have to do for the time being.

After another a quick trip around the West, I had to swing by Sand Wash Basin on the return to home base. Heavy rains had fallen when I last attempted to visit, and I narrowly escaped without getting properly stuck in the unbelievably slick/deep/thick mud. On this occasion, I was treated to a rare circumstance for me at least. The afternoon light was glorious, but not overpowering. The sky was surprisingly dark, the foreground was bright and the background was a mix of long shadows and golden-hour tones. The air was cool and calm. It felt like I was on the set of a movie in Hollywood. The only remaining ingredient was for the horses to help frame the moment. I spotted one of my favorite groups, and I knew that the light wouldn't last long -- so I hopped out and walked out into the sage for, hopefully, a better vantage point. The small band of horses was in a very mellow mood. I could see that they were drifting west, so I planted myself even further west so that I could try and photograph them with the light/background lining up for the best possible outcome. The group noticed me, but was indifferent to my distant presence. I've photo'd them many times before, and I always wonder if they're able to recognize the same people even if they only appear several times a year. I'm always watching for which horse(s) display a certain kind of inquisitive body language. Today it would be a mostly white colored horse. He's a bit of an outsider to this herd that is dominated by two protective males. The brown freckles and subtle marks on this white mustang make him easy to remember. I could see him, more than any other horse, looking my direction regularly. He would glance then graze. At first he slowly drifted my way, but soon he just decided to come right over to me. After a brief moment checking me out at close range, he drifted back towards the larger group. An instant later, the light was gone for the day. The action isn't dramatic and the scene is fairly simple, but it's hard to top such perfect conditions. This group wasn't just my first of the trip, but they'd also turn out to be the very last two days later. The same white mustang would put on a much more dramatic show in the post called "Airborne" on the 25th. Always a pleasure to be out with them.

On a recent trip out West, I couldn't resist the temptation of revisiting the trio in Nevada from the "Full throttle" encounter almost exactly one year prior. I REALLY wanted another opportunity with the short-eared owls, but I had no idea if I would find them or the wild horses again. The owls were MIA unfortunately, but the horses were exactly where I had seen them last. The images in this post are from the second day of shooting them on this trip. They are a funny little group in several ways, but I can hardly believe how consistent they are in terms of location and attitude towards me. I wonder just how many humans visit their general area, and even more than that - I wonder if these horses run up to everyone like they always run to me. I've had six out of six occasions when this group demonstrated this behavior. The morning started out at a shockingly cold 5 degrees Fahrenheit after being in the mid 70s the prior day. This made for a really challenging start.. so I opted to wait until an unusually late hour to start photographing the group. The group was over a mile away from where I had camped, and just like before, I started hiking out their direction. The thick sage and undulating terrain make it easy to remain out of sight, but as I exited the sage and into the dry lake bed, then horses again noticed me. I've resisted naming these individuals for a few reasons, but on this trip three names seemed to stick for me: Rusty, Black-mane and Indy. Rusty is the only male in the group, and I believe he may be the son of Indy who I've named for her independence. Rusty, as is probably obvious, is named for his rust-colored mane and tail. He has grown a lot in the last year and so has his confidence. On this day, he led the charge. Black-mane followed right along and Indy didn't seemed interested enough (at first) to make the short trip over to say hi. They're a tight-knit group and hardly seem to have any disagreements .. and so there's not a lot of drama for better or worse. Rusty and Black-mane trotted over from over a quarter-mile away to just a few feet from me as often happens. They always seem to be curious, but slightly skittish. They really seem to want to smell me and see me in close proximity. I'm happy to oblige and remain predictably still so that they are as comfortable as possible. It's so amusing to watch them show such intense inquisitiveness. After a solid hour or so with them, I decided to pack it up and walk back to the campsite. I could not believe it that Indy all of a sudden decided to run up to me at this point. I haven't included any of those photos, but perhaps I'll update this post another time with the second round of action that happened on my way out. The whole group again surrounded me and even got in front of me as I was trying to walk away. Their demeanor was gentle, but it was almost as if they were trying to keep me around. They watched intently as I pushed on into the thick sage. They decided to remain in the shorter grasses as I left. Like other wild horses that I've photographed on repeated encounters, I wonder if they remember me even though it's been a few months since I've seen them last? It had been a great two days with them, and even though I had planned for at least one more full day -- the extreme cold and good pictures made me change my mind and head north to Oregon in search of new opportunities. I never know if I'll return to the area or if these horses will still remain, but I hope to see them a few more times before the inevitable last time arrives.