Category: Badger

Badger

American Badger

This is a close-up side view photo of a badger with its tail up.

Where did that gopher go?

This badger was digging at both ends of a gopher tunnel.  While he was digging at one end, the gopher escaped from the other end.  The badger didn’t see it, but somehow sensed it had left and did a little circle around the diggings and picked up the scent and got the gopher.  I was impressed.

It reminded me of a badger in Yellowstone at the picnic area near Yellowstone Bridge that entered a fox den and spent a day or two eating the food cache the fox parents had created.  When the badger entered the den, the fox kits escaped from a back entrance.  After a day or so eating the food cache, the badger left the den.  When it left it began smelling the ground, picked up a scent trail,  and made a bee line to the entrance of a nearby second den where the fox kits had gone.  It entered that second den, which we later learned didn’t have a second entrance/exit.  Unfortunately, the kits were trapped.  The badger spent the next day or two in that den and killed and ate all the kits.  It was a sad tale that unfolded over several days to a lot of photographers and viewers.  When I witness something like this I have to remind myself that this is an example of the balance of nature.  It’s worked very well until we humans came along.  Unfortunately, we’re making a mess of it.

African Lion, Badger, Bobcat, Cheetah, Coyote, Favorite Images, Leopard, Lion, Point Reyes National Seashore, Serengeti National Park, Wildebeests

Some of My Favorite Images from 2018

Back in late 2007 a photographer by the name of Jim Goldstein invited other photographers to do blogs showing their 10 best photographs of that year and to send him a link to their blogs which he would then add to a list of the blogs of all who were participating.  It was a great service to all who appreciated good photography.  It gave me a handy list of photographers (mostly nature photographers) so I could easily look at what they were doing and how my work compared to theirs.  I participated a couple of times, but somehow forgot about it.  I saw a notice about it recently and decided to participate again.

2018 for me was highlighted by a trip to Tanzania hosted by the African Wildlife Foundation (Craig Sholley) and Nature’s Best Photography (Jeff Vanuga).  They hired Thomson Safaris to deliver all the necessary services such as camps, food, drivers etc.  All three were superb.  I also made my regular trips to Point Reyes National Seashore, which is a short drive from my home.

Jim Goldstein used to ask that you list your 10 “best” photos.  The limit of 10 was not strictly followed by most and Jim seems to have de-emphasized it nowadays.  Picking what you think are your “best” photos is not easy.  So, below is a list of “some” of my “favorite” photos of 2018 in no particular order.

Finally, Jim’s list of links won’t be out until about the second week in January and when it comes out I’ll insert a link here.  here it is:  https://www.jmg-galleries.com/blog/2019/01/08/photos-2018-jmggalleries-blog-readers/

For now, you can go to his blog touting the 2018 round and linking to all the previous rounds all the way back to 2007 by clicking here.  Thanks Jim!

A healthy-looking coyote moves through a ranch pasture.

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

A leopard stares from under the overhanging leaves of a palm tree.

Leopard, Serengeti National Park

This is a photo of a bobcat sharpening its claws.

Bobcat with Damaged Eye, Point Reyes National Seashore

Wildebeests become trapped on the steep north bank of the Mara River

Wildebeest Crossing Mara River, Serengeti National Park

cheetahs, cheetah, photo, image, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Two Cheetahs Rest, Serengeti National Park

Mother elephants keep their calves protected inside the herd.

Mother Elephants and Calves, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Male bobcat.

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

Bobcat hunting at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

Male Lion, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

Male African Lion, Serengeti National Park

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

A group of elephants faces the camera at sunset in Tarangire National Park.

Elephants, Tarangire National Park

A coyote stares at the camera.

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

A male lion walks through the Serengeti and stares at the camera.

Male Lion, Serengeti National Park

A coyote looks over its shoulder.

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

A badger stands next to a hole it is digging looking for gophers.

Badger, Point Reyes National Seashore

Badger

Badger Cubs, Yellowstone National Park

Two badger cubs play-fight.
“I’m toughest. No you’re not.”

I spent  lot of time photographing these badger cubs and their mom in the spring of 2014.  I kept waiting for all three of them to show their faces to the camera and do something interesting.  This photo is the best I got.

I think these little guys were enjoying their little fight.  It’s more than just fun though. When their mom sends them into that big world away from her and the den site they’ll need to be able to defend themselves.   When I’ve observed a mother predator with only one offspring, the mother always take the place of a sibling and play-fights with the little one to teach it that life-saving skill of defending itself.

Badger

Handicapped Badger, Point Reyes National Seashore

I was out at Point Reyes yesterday and it was kind of slow.  I saw a couple of coyotes, but wasn’t able to get a good photo of either of them.  I didn’t see any bobcats.  I did see a mature bald eagle, but it was flying  too far away for a good photo.  Things picked up in the mid-afternoon, however, when I spotted this badger.  It was actively hunting gophers.  The light was OK, but not great, because of strong side-lighting.  I opened up the shadow on its left side (right side for viewer) to bring out detail in its fur.

American Badger Digging Up Gophers in Point Reyes National Seashore

What you see is the full image.  However, as I was working on the photo in Photoshop I cropped it a bit to remove some of the little hillock in front of the badger.  Then I needed to remove some of the photo on the other three sides for a better composition.  As I was doing that I thought the animal’s right eye (left eye from viewer’s standpoint) looked odd.  So, I magnified the photo.  It then became clear that the badger had a serious eye problem.  I assume it’s completely blind in its right eye.

To make the eye visible at the relatively small image size required by my blog, I had to do a severe crop.

Badger at Point Reyes National Seashore
One-eyed Badger

I’m always touched by animals that have injuries or handicaps.  I hope this badger manages to live a normal life span.  I don’t know how its eye came to be the way it is.  It reminds me that I saw another badger at Point Reyes six years ago that looked completely blind in the same eye.  It was a female with two cubs.  Her eye was completely white, but not recessed looking like this eye.  I suppose it could be the same badger, but it could also be another.  I’ve started to wonder if eye problems are not that rare for badgers for some reason.

Badger, Bobcat, Coyote

My Record Day for Coyotes and Bobcats at Point Reyes National Seashore, Plus a Badger

I was at Point Reyes National Seashore yesterday from about noon to dark and saw ten coyotes and eight bobcats.  That was a record day (and half day) for me for both critters.  Plus, I started the afternoon with a badger taking a sunbath.  Here’s a photo of the badger.  Light was harsh and the badger was mostly napping, so I didn’t stay long to wait for a better photo.

Badger, Point Reyes National Seashore

As I said, I saw eight bobcats.  One was walking toward a coyote, unbeknownst to both of them. They were walking toward each other at right angles.  When they finally saw each other, the coyote gave chase and the bobcat made it to some trees and scrub brush.  Here’s another bobcat at about sundown.  Better light than the badger.

Bobcat, Point Reyes National Seashore

Here’s a coyote from earlier in the day.  It has a lighter coat than average.  My coyote count went up very quickly at the end of the day.  Right after coyote #6 chased the bobcat, a pack of four coyotes came by when I was in the same location.  I had heard them howling shortly before I saw them.   It’s the first time I saw more than three coyotes together at Point Reyes.

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

I kind of wish I had gotten there at or before sunrise.  I might have added a few more coyotes and bobcats to the day and to my personal record.

Badger, Bobcat, Coyote, Other Bird

A Day at Point Reyes National Seashore

I was out at Point Reyes two days ago.  It was a very good day.  I saw and photographed multiple bobcats and coyotes.

Photo of a bobcat stalking its prey.
Bobcat Stalking Prey

This bobcat was hunting gophers.  Bobcats use their paws to catch gophers in their burrows.  Their mouths are not designed to fit into the narrow space of a gopher burrow.  Their paws are also fairly large in relation to the size of a gopher burrow.  Based on my observations, I would say their batting average is fairly low.

Photo of a coyote at Point Reyes.
Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

Coyotes use their mouths to catch rodents in their burrows.  They don’t have sharp, retractable claws and don’t seem disadvantaged in that regard.  That long slender snout seems built for the task.  Based on my observations, they have a much higher batting average than bobcats in catching rodents in the top of their burrows. This coyote was with its mate and another individual.

While I’m always happy to get the opportunity to photograph bobcats and coyotes, what made the day really special was seeing and photographing a peregrine falcon and a badger.  I don’t get many opportunities to photograph either of them.

Photo of a peregrine falcon on a post.
Scanning the Area

I don’t know if this is a female or an immature or both.  Its markings were not as nice as the peregrine I posted here.   However, I’m always happy to photograph a peregrine.

Photo of a badger at Point Reyes.
Badger Wakes Up from Siesta

Badgers are very nocturnal so it’s always a treat to spot one.  The recent rains have created damp, dark soil which stands out when a badger digs up areas where there are good populations of gophers.  I also love the rich greens of the grasses at this time of year.  Everything has been brown this winter until we got some decent rains in the past few weeks.  For those that don’t know, California is suffering from the worst drought in history.