Carol Smith
carolsmithphotog.bsky.social
Carol Smith
@carolsmithphotog.bsky.social
2025—Badger!

Last May in the Black Hills of South Dakota, I saw and photographed a Badger for the first time. The Badger was in the process of digging a burrow in the middle of a large, grassy field and she looked up at us with curiosity. She…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/18/2025-badger/
December 18, 2025 at 12:30 PM
2025—Wading and Waiting

A Great Blue Heron wades in a shallow pond at Wakodahatchee Wetlands in Florida this past February and waits for something in the water to catch its eye for a meal. I thought the light was especially lovely as…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/17/2025-wading-and-waiting/
December 17, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Burrowing Owls

This pair of Burrowing Owls was in the middle of a soccer field at Brian Piccolo Sports Park in Cooper City, Florida in February. Some of the soccer fields were closed to soccer as the owls had burrowed into the sandy…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/16/2025-burrowing-owls/
December 16, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—The Gloom Continues

It's been a while since the sun has shone here. It's been gloomy, dank, and cold and the fog clings low to the ground. Yesterday, when I climbed up the path to Ferrari Pond, the logs where egrets and cormorants…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/15/2025-the-gloom-continues/
December 15, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—More from the Pond

A few Hooded Mergansers are hanging around Ferrari Pond. I've been told that there are even a couple of pairs that swim in the pond above the waterfall that I walk by each morning. However, to get to them…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/14/2025-more-from-the-pond/
December 14, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—The Icing on the Cake

The scenery is spectacular whether you're inside Yellowstone National Park or as in this photograph, outside the park in Paradise Valley, on the road between the North entrance to the park and Livingston,…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/13/2025-the-icing-on-the-cake/
December 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM
2025—Cloud Drama

Even on a spring day in the Palouse, there is plenty of drama in the clouds. As the clouds merged and then drifted apart, they created small openings that allowed the sun to reach through to reveal the argyle patterns left by…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/12/2025-cloud-drama/
December 12, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Intimate Scenic

Yesterday and today I've been attending an on-line landscape photography workshop through KelbyOne. Landscape photography is not my strong suit and I am always interested in learning new approaches that will improve my…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/10/2025-intimate-scenic/
December 10, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—The Magnificent Rivoli’s

Z9#2 The Rivoli's Hummingbird, one of the largest hummingbirds in North America at 5 inches, is my favorite hummingbird that I see at Madera Canyon in Arizona. His loud, slow hum, that sounds like a…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/09/2025-the-magnificent-rivolis/
December 9, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Above the Fog

For what seems like an eternity, the Valley has been gloomy, overcast with dense morning fog, and with that damp, bone chilling cold that accompanies the fog this time of year. In contrast, communities in the foothills…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/08/2025-above-the-fog/
December 8, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—The Trio

A trio of Double-crested Cormorants gathered on the dead stump in the middle of Ferrari Pond the other morning. The bird in the middle was drying its wings. It is common to see Cormorants with their wings outstretched, drying them,…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/06/2025-the-trio/
December 6, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Landing

Our resident American White Pelican is content to hang around the pond beneath the waterfall on the edge of the golf course. He swims and fishes with Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Buffleheads, and (surprise!) Canada Geese. I walk by the…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/05/2025-landing/
December 5, 2025 at 1:31 PM
2025—Mink Fur

When I was growing up in the 1950's, my mother had a mink fur wrap that, while stylish at the time, was also horrifying. It was made up of three mink bodies, with dangling feet, tails, and heads, and the mouth of one functioned as a…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/04/2025-mink-fur/
December 4, 2025 at 1:32 PM
2025—BFFs

The rams stick close together. I'm convinced that they even use each other's horns to scratch an itch, especially on top of their heads. The Bighorn on the left, his head under the other ram's horn, seems content to stay that way. BFFs…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/03/2025-bffs/
December 3, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Making Sure

While we were photographing a Bull Elk, a pair of Coyotes appeared from behind the trees. The first Coyote drank from a pool of water in a recess on a large granite boulder then trotted away as the second climbed onto the rock…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/02/2025-making-sure/
December 2, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Grass Reflections

Floating Island Pond in Yellowstone National Park is surrounded by tall grasses. As we drove by on our first morning, the grasses reflected in the dark waters of the pond. There were no birds and no critters at the…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/12/01/2025-grass-reflections/
December 1, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Nose to Nose

The rivalry between Bighorn Sheep rams during the rut is fascinating to watch. The rams cluster closely together, pawing at each other in an attempt to entice a confrontation and even the violent crashing of heads. Then they…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/30/2025-nose-to-nose/
November 30, 2025 at 1:32 PM
2025—And Chaos Ensued

Thanksgiving is over. My brothers, Sisters-in-law, their dogs Bella and Sadie, and I spent a marvelous couple of days together talking, laughing, and reminiscing for the first time in far too long. And, it wasn't…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/29/2025-and-chaos-ensued/
November 29, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Big Elk

It's fun to see a magnificent bull Elk with a huge rack like this one is displaying. He was in the midst of a patch of red, orange, and purple willows. Most of the time I watched him, his eye was obscured by the willow twigs but…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/28/2025-big-elk/
November 28, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Soda Butte

Sometimes you can smell Soda Butte before you see it. It still emits some of those pungent odors that are so reminiscent of rotten eggs, caused by hydrogen sulfide gas emitted from the hot springs. It's not always strong but…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/27/2025-soda-butte/
November 27, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—On a Mission

One of a pair of Coyotes trotted down the hillside in the Lamar Valley last week in Yellowstone National Park, seemingly on a mission. While we photographed them from the side of the road, the heat shimmer rising up between…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/26/2025-on-a-mission/
November 26, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Trio of the Big Boys

Three of the big boys, those Bighorn Sheep rams with large curled horns, stuck close together in a group of more than a dozen rams gathered up the hill away from the ewes one afternoon. We'd heard the…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/23/2025-trio-of-the-big-boys/
November 23, 2025 at 1:30 PM
2025—Watching

As a flock of Bighorn Sheep made their way to drink at the edge of a river, one of the ewes watched the rest of her flock from the hillside, deciding when to make the move. It was a few minutes before she and a few other ewes made…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/21/2025-watching/
November 21, 2025 at 12:30 PM
2025—The Watering Hole

Coyotes are among my favorite critters to photograph in Yellowstone especially when they're doing something other than just walking across a meadow. Yesterday we watched a pair of Coyotes crossing a rocky area off…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/19/2025-the-watering-hole/
November 19, 2025 at 12:30 PM
2025—Wallowing

On my last trip to Yellowstone in October, we encountered this bull Bison resting in the middle of a Bison wallow, apparently tuckered out after wallowing. He had just finished coating himself with dirt which is what Bison do to…

https://infocusdaily.com/2025/11/17/2025-wallowing/
November 17, 2025 at 12:30 PM