![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/jackrabbits-1750-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"jackrabbits-1750-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nMy morning on Antelope Island nine years ago today on December 29, 2014 was like no other, before or since. The day before the lower elevations of the island had been almost completely devoid of snow but during the night a big storm had rolled through and dumped 7+” of snow on the lower elevations and significantly more up higher.<\/p>\n
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1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D, Canon 100-400 @ 170mm, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n The result was a winter wonderland like I dream of. And I was actually there for the very best of it.<\/p>\n Apparently I was the only one willing to drive on the island in those conditions so for most of the morning mine were the only tracks in the snow on the unplowed roads. Even in my high clearance pickup I was often pushing snow in front of me, so the jackrabbits were taking advantage of the situation and staying in my 7″ deep tracks in the snow. Even the jackrabbits were having a very difficult time negotiating all of that snow.<\/p>\n It was beautiful but it was tough living for critters.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1\/2500, f\/6.3, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF500mm f\/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in<\/em><\/p>\n In one of the areas of the island serviced only by a dirt road I came across hordes of magpies and a couple of coyotes scavenging off of the carcass of a buck Mule Deer that had apparently been winter-killed. When this photo was taken one of the coyotes had left but this one was still duking it out with the magpies for what was left of the deer.<\/p>\n This is my favorite shot of the many I took of the excitement at the carcass. I was less pleased with my photos that included lots of magpies. Here the magpie is challenging the coyote and I just happened to catch it in a flight posture that I really like.<\/p>\n With those big antlers sticking up so close to a dirt road they’d be a tempting target for anyone with a hack saw and no scruples to illegally harvest the antlers. When I returned to the site the next morning, park personnel had relocated the carcass to a more remote part of the island.<\/p>\n I just don’t see scenes similar to this on the island anymore. Too much development resulting in too few critters. It’s more complicated than that but that’s the essence of it.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" My morning on Antelope Island on December 29, 2014 was like no other, before or since. (2 photos)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/coyote-9524-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"coyote-9524-ron-dudley\\"")
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