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Chilling Experience C7A1906 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: One of the things I enjoyed most about photographing penguins was their relative lack of fear. Considering the havoc and devastation that humans have incurred on their civilization it’s somewhat astounding. Joining them at the water’s edge is fun. I do hope that I have the opportunity to join them again. If so, would like to join them in the water. It’s likely to be a chilling experience.

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Enjoying Life AF3I4118 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: I don’t always get to see otters on my visits to Yellowstone. Sometimes they move to areas far out of reach during the winter season. These playful animals truly seem to enjoy life rather than simply trying to survive. Well adapted to their environments, they are wide spread in rivers, streams, and lakes across North America. That being said, I have only encountered them twice in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. On the first occasion I recall being both startled and ecstatic to have them show up unexpectedly while I was photographing a Northern Waterthrush in a small cedar creek in the Pines.

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On Snow-covered Hills 5805 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: I’ve been looking through some of my archives in preparation for returning to Yellowstone. Although there may not always be something that I want to photograph, there is always beauty on those snow-covered hills and valleys to be enjoyed. You will miss something if you spend your time there only trying to imaging the world through the camera lens. The best times can be the moments spent alone surrounded by nothing but frigid air that stings the nose with each deep breath.

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The Lifeboat U8A9465 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: There are places I go that rejuvenate my interest in living. They are the lifeboat that carry me through the tempestuous seas of life. Yellowstone in winter is one of those places. In frigid temperatures, Canada Jays and other animals find morsels that are a lifeboat of survival until the bounty of spring arrives. I look forward to planning another visit to Yellowstone this coming winter. It will be good to see old friends and make new ones along the way. It is also a great pleasure to be featured by Flickr blog.flickr.net/en/2024/11/21/love-letters-to-flickr-meet... as a supporting member of the Flickr Foundation, Flickr.org’s100-Year vision and the Data Lifeboat www.flickr.org/programs/content-mobility/data-lifeboat/. Flickr.com represents nearly a quarter century of world photography. It is the largest collection of photography in the world. It personally represents nearly 1/3 of my life. It is a precious treasure that we shouldn’t overlook. I am thankful for some of the great minds at Flickr that recognize this and are working on a plan to preserve as much of this as possible.

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Altered States C7A8320 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: When, on a windless evening, air supersaturated with water vapor meets subzero temperatures conditions are prime for hoarfrost. The vapor freezes on cold surfaces directly to crystalline ice without passing through a liquid phase. So much for those early lessens in physics on states of matter! The results are beautifully perceptible. This twisted sage becomes an elegant crystalline fern along the road to Lamar Valley.

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Bird with a Twist U8A9268 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: It’s a bright mid-winter day and a frigid wind blowing through tall pines creates the only sound audible for miles. I strain to hear anything else at all, but for the occasional snap of a branch the silence is almost deafening. Suddenly, from high atop a nearby pine a song erupts. It’s a cheerful song - high pitched and almost gleeful. And a tiny bird does it’s best to fill a woodland stage with charismatic melody. It’s a bird with a twist… a bill that doesn’t merge in a typical fashion, at all. Instead of a mandible that neatly into an upper maxilla above, these structures crisscross sitting alongside one another. At first glance one would thing this poor, unfortunate creature was injured or deformed. But as one continues to watch, the realization occurs that this is one of the more interesting yet subtle manifestations of evolutionary change, allowing the bird to pluck the smallest of seeds nestled deeply betwixt the scales of tiny pine cones. Nature’s marvels are all around us. One needs only to take the time to keep an open eye and open mind.

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Catching Up 6U8A5774 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: It’s almost two months since I returned from Denali National Park and the season out east is just catching up. Despite the changes, I am still grappling with the range of colors I experienced in the Alaskan tundra. Of course, running into the occasional northern inhabitants is always a thrill. This spruce grouse was more than happy to put on a little display along the road.

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Last Bear C7A3188 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: On the last day of my brief but colorful stay at Denali National Park I was delighted to have the opportunity to see a grizzly. He spent a good deal of time meandering across an open field, feasting on vegetation along the way, but eventually made his way to a road crossing where anxious park visitors found it hard to contain themselves. Surrounded by some of the most colorful tundra that I’ve seen, he stopped for find the best point to cross. It was a stark contrast to the brown bears I photograph along the shores of Cook Inlet. The crowds of humans don’t exist there and the colors in the landscapes tend to be rather muted. It was still a wonderful moment having the opportunity to enjoy the company of what is likely my last bear encounter for this season.

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The Story of Bears C7A2468 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: There's a story here. It's a story about bears along the coasts of Alaska. It's about the people who live peacefully with them every day and about those who choose to visit and encounter the joy and wonder associated with experiencing the gentler side of an otherwise feared predator.

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Bearly Autumn C7A3048PS by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: The summer season hasn’t yet ended but in Denali National Park autumn is in full swing. In some areas, the colors are otherworldly. Although wildlife is abundant in Denali, the vast expanse of land can make viewing wildlife challenging, especially for those not familiar with the park. I was graced with the appearance of this large male. He grazed amongst the tawny brambles of the open tundra for an hour or so before making off to the nearby river. Though I am no stranger to bear photography, the location and colorful palette made the moment extraordinarily special.

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Last Flowers and beautiful light C7A8699 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: There was some nice light on the butterfly bushes near the house this Sunday. It moved me to dust off the camera and sit out for a bit, watching the hummingbirds and butterflies taking advantage of the last flowers of the season. Although, not a day passes that I don't take the time to observe something in nature, I have not really had the urge to try to photograph it.

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Story of Intimacy C7A2015 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: They can find each other through voice alone. The brash tone, that is their call, has a tonality and cadence as unique as a fingerprint. They posture and caress as lovers do. It is a story of intimacy as old a time.

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Distracted… 6U8A6016 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: Such a busy time of year around here. It’s hard to keep the bird feeders filled. Plenty of warblers were singing from the trees this morning. I walked around the front yard looking for a blackburnian that I could hear in the trees. I was suddenly distracted by this busy pair hanging around the wood pile. I find it difficult not to get distracted.

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Falkland Dawn C7A5793 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: She approaches the shoreline cloaked in darkness with short steps and determination. A chilly wind howls from the east, kicking up sand and filling the air with the scent of salty brine. She stands at the water’s edge peering into the darkness… anticipating. Slowly, she raises her slender head to the sky and stretches her flightless wings. She sings out in a brash melody that has echoed across the beaches of the southern hemisphere almost since the beginning of time itself. Her ancestors survived the biggest extinction events of earth’s history, surviving beyond larger, more formidable souls. As her two-tone call reaches the horizon the sky bursts into flame and the winds and ocean calm. It’s another Falkland dawn ushered in by one of life’s splendid miracles.

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The Bounty 6U8A4987 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: Not a good day to be an inchworm but the bounty is plentiful if you’re a prairie warbler. Warblers, and migratory birds, in general, seemed to show up early and in large numbers this year. Many of the trees that already have foliage when they arrive, were still bare. Bugs, however, were plentiful too, as a result of warm, wet weather. I look forward to seeing and hearing all these wonderful birds.

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The Crest of a Dune 6U8A3715 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: Magellanic penguins in various stages of molting stand on the crest of a dune. Of the penguins I photographed, these are the most skittish, preferring to keep their distance from anything that isn't penguin-like.

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The Gentoo Pace C7A2879 by Daniel D'Auria Via Flickr: Keeping up with Gentoo penguins on land isn’t much of an issue but these little buggers are the fastest penguins in the water, outpacing any other penguin species on the planet. Their inquisitive nature makes them a pleasure to watch and photograph. If you lay on the sand at least one or two will come running almost as if they want to make certain that you are not injured. I am intrigued by the prospects of their motivation.