A nice rain fell overnight and I began the day early in search of owls, grouse, foals and anything and everything else that might cross my path. The morning air was cool and crisp with only a slight breeze. The landscape was a brighter green than the day before and it was a gorgeous scene to start the day.

Sometimes the encounters are nearly immediate, but on this day it was a ghost town for a good two hours. I started to give up on the morning, but before 10am I would eventually see burrowing owls, several pronghorn and a few groups of horses among other little critters. The bulk of the other pics will have to come in a separate post another day, but the highlight of the morning was seeing the same dark mustang from the prior afternoon.

I was watching a small group of horses that had a foal and was hoping that they would drift my direction. Mother mare had different plans in mind and she was intent on heading up the hill. So be it.

At the same time I noticed a solo male grazing down in the sage. He was about an eighth of a mile away. He took notice of me and started walking directly my direction. Slowly at first he stepped out of the sage and on to the road where I was standing.

As is often the case, I stopped in my tracks and didn't move an inch. All of these photos that include horses are taken from the same spot and the same focal length.

Deliberately he continued directly towards me. His pace quickened as he started up the rise in the road. I was using a prime lens that cannot zoom in or out, and I knew that he was about to be too close for me to capture his entire body.

He briefly paused about 40 feet away. His body language suggested curiosity.

He drifted closer and briefly shifted into a gallop as he passed by me some 20 feet away. A few bits of dirt and mud flew by as he passed.

I love the details in the close-ups and love that he approached me again.

I didn't want to press my luck, so just went on about my morning. I'll be on the lookout for him next time that I visit Sand Wash Basin!