Ebony Jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata), also known as black-winged damselfly. I took this picture one summer on a walk at George Washington Carver National Monument in southwest Missouri. #insects #invertebrate #nature #photography

I spotted a Bald Eagle in southwest Missouri today. It's nice to see how much the species has rebounded in the last 30-40 years. In 1963 there were only an estimated 417 breeding pairs left in the contiguous US. By 1997 there were more than 5,000 breeding pairs. #baldeagle #nature #birds #wildlife

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) is another one of my favorites to photograph in the snow

#birds #wildlife #snow #photography

I believe this is a Black-tailed Jackrabbit (Lepus californicus), also known as the American Desert Hare, that I photographed on a trip to New Mexico in August 2021. This was shot at Rattlesnake Springs (a part of Carlsbad Caverns National Park).

#mammals #newmexico #wildlife #photography #nikon

About 45 minutes north of Joplin, MO is Prairie State Park where around 100 captive wild bison roam freely. The heard was donated to the park in 1985 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.

#bison #mammals #addMam #conservation

The night sky is something else out west when you're away from all the light pollution. Here's a Milky Way shot from my camping trip in Colorado's Arapaho National Forest.

#milkyway #nightsky #nationalforest

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) from Joplin, MO back in October. It's a shame the full moon was in the sky behind me at the same time. Made it really challenging to get a good exposure of the comet.

#comet #astrophotogaphy #nightsky #astronomy

Winter is my favorite time for bird photography. Here's a Dark-eyed junco in the snow from a few years ago.

Hopefully the snow in the forecast for this weekend will help get me back in the mood to pick up my camera again.

#birds #birdphotography #nature #snow

Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) from my last trip to Colorado in August.

#birds
#nature
#wildlife
#ornithology
#addBirder

GOG’s new preservation program intends to keep classic games playable ‘forever’