2003_0274 Safety First
As temperatures warm up on the northern prairie, the Richardson's Ground Squirrels have surfaced in search of food. Despite the snowy terrain here, there are lots of bare patches where they can find dried grasses and edible roots.
These are back to back frames at 7 fps, and you can see the little rodent's reaction time. In the approximately 0.14 seconds between frames, he has heard the shutter go off and reacted with a headlong dive to safety. This quickness is the key to survival, because the coyotes, badgers, hawks, and eagles are hungry, too.
The EXIF data won't reveal much because the original shots were moved to a blank canvas for this diptych. I used my new Nikon D850 and the 200-500mm + 1.4x teleconverter. ISO 400, 1/2500 at f/8. Bean bag over the window sill of the rolling red Toyota car blind.
Photographed along a rural road near the boundary of Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
2003_0274 Safety First
As temperatures warm up on the northern prairie, the Richardson's Ground Squirrels have surfaced in search of food. Despite the snowy terrain here, there are lots of bare patches where they can find dried grasses and edible roots.
These are back to back frames at 7 fps, and you can see the little rodent's reaction time. In the approximately 0.14 seconds between frames, he has heard the shutter go off and reacted with a headlong dive to safety. This quickness is the key to survival, because the coyotes, badgers, hawks, and eagles are hungry, too.
The EXIF data won't reveal much because the original shots were moved to a blank canvas for this diptych. I used my new Nikon D850 and the 200-500mm + 1.4x teleconverter. ISO 400, 1/2500 at f/8. Bean bag over the window sill of the rolling red Toyota car blind.
Photographed along a rural road near the boundary of Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2020 James R. Page - all rights reserved.