Parker Jackson Wilderness Photography — Intimate encounters with nature

When I first began walking towards a group of wild horses in the distance, I had no idea that all of them (and many others) would all pass right by me just a few feet away.The horses were so far away at first that I thought I'd have a great deal of space to get into a good position. But, in short order there were horses coming from a different direction that seemed keen on walking right up to me. I was out of position, but when these sorts of things happen, I just go with the flow for better or worse. For the sake of brevity, I'm not including pictures or much about the first group of horses, because they were soon upstaged by two other groups that used the area directly in front of me as an arena for their brief battle. Posturing made it clear that tempers were flaring. In a flash, the more aggressive brown horse, lashed out at the roan mustang. A sharp bite to the neck prompted an emotional reaction. The main character in this story bit three horses in short succession... the first bite being the most serious and dramatic, with the other two arguably just a show of force. Unfortunately, I missed out on much better images in a number of ways. I was too low, the sun was behind them and either I let off the shutter or my camera buffered at the wrong time and I subsequently missed a few of the better moments.If I could do it all over again and magically place myself anywhere without impacting the scene, I would have been on the opposite side of these horses ~100'ish feet from where I actually was situated. This would have put me on slightly higher ground and also on the right side of the light. Without seeing their hooves meet the ground and cast in their own shadow, this was far from ideal photographically, but still super cool to watch up close. I'll take what I can get, and I'm really glad to have had the vantage point that I did.

September 16th turned out to be pretty incredible. There's too much to compress into one post, but suffice to say that a lot can happen in 24 hours when the stars align. Between a lightning storm, my car nearly breaking down in the desert again, and several really nice wild horse encounters -- I eventually stumbled upon this group of horses at the end of the day. Many people might criticize the close proximity of the climax in this encounter, but I believe the context is very important in every situation. There's a philosophical argument to be had (IMO) about distance in situations like these. In this situation, I had been sitting in a fixed position in the sage brush for over thirty minutes while photographing a group of wild horses that were ~400 feet away. The landscape and light was amazing. The clouds were a spectacular backdrop and I was hoping to frame the horses, landscape and clouds all in one image. The unexpected highlight came when one particular horse approached. Perhaps 600+ feet away at first, he seemed disinterested in everything except standing in place and soaking up the sun. Eventually, though, he began walking to catch up to his group that was steadily grazing westward (to my left). A direct path through the open terrain would have kept him a couple hundred feet away from me, but he made a very deliberate detour. Slowly and slowly he grazed. 200 feet away, 100ft., 50ft and so on. He was calm as could be. There were no jitters, no nervous body language… just grazing and glancing. He passed by uneventfully. I remained seated and watched them all slowly drift away. It was a remarkable moment to have such a gentle and gorgeous creature willingly approach so closely.

Thirty or so minutes into photographing a small group of wild horses (not pictured) that were grazing on the northern boundary of the Sand Wash Basin herd management area, I noticed a pair of horses on the opposite side of the fence. Roughly a half-mile away, the pair was slowly drifting our direction down the fence line. At first I didn't think much of it, but pretty quickly I decided to walk over to the fence because it seemed like they may keep coming my way. I walked the hundred or so yards to the fence line (away from the larger group of horses that were within the boundary), and almost immediately the pair on the outside began running to me. Their eyes were focused on me, and their expressions suggested desperation and stress. In an instant, they were only ~15 feet away. The adult was stressed and calling out to the other horses. They briefly paced back and forth, and perhaps after realizing that there was no way through the fence- they ran back down the fence to where I had first seen them. Looking back on the photos, it became obvious that the filly yearling had recently been caught up in the barbed wire fence. I wonder how they got on the other side, but it was clear that they wanted back and they were stressed out about the situation. I wish that I could have done something, and I hope that they find their way back. It was a pretty incredible encounter given the distance that they ran and how closely they approached. The light was decent even though it was lightly raining at the same time. I love a lot of the shots, despite the unfortunate circumstance.

More details coming soon.

More details coming soon.

More details coming soon.

Whenever I'm driving out of Sand Wash Basin -- especially if it's early in the morning -- I'm always on the lookout for burrowing owls. Despite their small size, they're easy to spot when they're in the air because of their distinct flying style and relatively large wings. It was hot and dry and I had given up on seeing horses for the morning. Just before I reached the main highway, I spotted something flying near the road and I instantly knew it was an owl. The smoke-filled morning light gave things a reddish tint, and luckily the owls stayed put long enough for a handful of shots. If I didn't have an early appointment with the mechanic, I might have stayed longer and attempted more shots. There were at least 5 of them in the family and they were all very active and vocal with each other, which made for a fun encounter (albeit brief).

On this second day of the trip to Sand Wash Basin, I tried to get an early start before the heat became too much. It turned out that the heat wouldn't end the day, but rather a mechanical issue with my 4x4 would be the decisive factor. Before getting stranded in the desert sagebrush I was fortunate enough to cross paths with a small group that featured a blue-eyed beauty and a gorgeous black roan foal. I'm always hopeful that they'll walk or run up to me for a closer look, but they decided to pass me by. I headed on down the road and could hear something misbehaving with a wheel, so I decided to stop. I'm glad that I didn't push it because I am 100% sure that serious damage and potentially a major fire would have occurred. A $9, but very important, part had worn out and it would take 12 hours before I was back in action (which was pretty good considering the remoteness of where I had to stop). Still a fun day, albeit brief and with a major curve-ball that upended the day.

One of my "goals" (if that's the right way to put it) with wild horses has been to breakthrough in the same type of way that I've experienced with moose and bighorn. Close-ups and trust are one thing, but what I've secretly wanted is for a wild horse to trust me enough that it will lay down next to me. Moose have done this repeatedly and the bighorn herd that I regularly photograph in winter has also shown this level of trust, but before today I've not had the same thing happen with wild horses. I arrived again in Sand Wash Basin, and as always, I wondered if any of them would come right up to me. The very first opportunity on this trip turned out to be the most memorable. I had been driving for several hours from central Colorado and was ready to get out of the car by the time I reached the basin. I noticed a few small groups of horses in the distance, so I just decided to park the car and walk. I wasn't sure which lens to take (the 500mm long reach or the 100-300mm for wider and close-up flexibility). I forgot my cell phone but immediately remembered it ... but decided to just leave it in the car. I never know in retrospect how different choices might have made things better or worse, but I went with the 500mm because the horses were all so far away and I had no expectation that any of them would run up to me so quickly. About a half mile into the hike towards one group of horses to my left, I noticed a few ears perk up on the hilltop to my right. I immediately took a seat and all of the images shown here are another one of my "no step" encounters where I do not move an inch for the entire sequence. As this is also my 500mm, there is no change in focal length (no zooming in or out). At first just two dark brown horses appeared... and then a third in white. I could immediately see the signs of curiosity with strong notes of threat assessment. The smallest of the three led the way. Trotting then pausing... galloping then pausing again. A third horse casually followed. Closer and closer they came. I could see them all quickly relax. Soon they resumed grazing, which is one of the main signals that I like to see. They were close enough to know that I wasn't a threat, and trusting enough to lower their heads while grazing and drifting my direction. It was at this point that I (partly) wished that I had my cell phone and/or a wider lens. Because the horses were now ~40 feet away after having been ~700 feet away just a moment prior, my 500mm lens was now too much for the situation. But, changing lenses wasn't an option. So, for better or worse, I did what I could with the big lens. Then, it happened... well sort of. My dream situation is a sit-down-and-hang-out type of encounter where one or more horses stays with me for a good amount of time. I was elated to see what happened next. The white horse started showing more interest in me than the others. Then all of a sudden he laid down and began to roll in the dirt right by me! He was maybe 20-25 ft away, and I knew that there was no way for me to frame his full body in the shot. I did what I could to capture the brief moment, and thankfully I didn't blow the opportunity entirely. It was pretty tough to keep his face in the shot since he was so very close while unpredictably moving all around, but I love some of his glances and the unique perspective. I've never been so close to a wild horse where they did something like this. While he didn't sit with me for long, I'm thrilled for the baby-step towards a more intimate encounter. This was very much a first for me. The mustang showed no stress, no concern, just being himself and trusting that I was a passive part of the landscape. He stood back up, shook off the dirt and grass -- and then went back to grazing. Slowly all three drifted away. I had only been at the basin for a few minutes (minus the drive time to this particular spot), and was immediately greeted in spectacular fashion. Sometimes I feel like I should just pack up and leave when something so good happens so fast, but I stayed a couple more days (with mixed results). The light wasn't all that great because of cloud cover, but those clouds made it cooler and really helped with heatwaves and sharp contrasts. I hope that this close-up roller isn't the last time something like this happens. Maybe I'll start using the wider angle lens more, but it's tough to use anything else when the 500mm performs so well in many of this unpredictable situations that are typically further away. To be continued...

I arrived back in Sand Wash Basin Herd Management Area the prior evening with mixed feelings about where I should plant myself for the night and subsequently the following morning. At 154,000 acres, it's a big fence-less expanse where horses can be practically anywhere at any given moment. Having arrived so late, I didn't have an opportunity for any scouting and I can never be sure what location will yield the best opportunity. But, I have a few favorite spots and so I decided to try and duck down out of the winds a bit in one of the many valleys. I arrived just as the sun was setting around 9pm. Nighthawks were flying up and down the valley and several flew just a few feet away as I prepared to camp. I took it as a good sign. Hours later in the middle of the night, I awoke to a noise that at first sounded like a badger. Thankfully there was no cause for alarm, and it was actually several horses grazing just a few feet away. On the moonless night, I could only see their faint silhouettes and I went back to sleep hoping that they would still be nearby in the morning. Once the sun came up and I was sufficiently awake to get into motion, I looked around as best I could, but there were no horses within view. The tall sagebrush and undulating terrain were hiding several groups, but I had no idea at first. I spotted a small group of horses about 3/4 of a mile away, and I began walking their direction at a decent pace. Perhaps I was walking too fast, or perhaps they were feeling skittish but about six horses that I hadn't seen flushed out of the sagebrush and ran away. Wink, from last September, and her partner were among the horses. She stopped and seemed to contemplate turning back around, but surprisingly she snorted at me like horses and other animals can do sometimes when sounding an alarm. She and her partner along with the other horses all decided to head up the hill and out of the valley. I felt like I had spoiled a great chance of photographing them again, but there were still the other horses in the distance that were undisturbed. At the same time, another group of five horses began descending into the valley and they were slowly heading my direction. I decided to just stay put and not risk spooking this fresh opportunity. They soon noticed me and I recognized one of the leading mustangs -- it was the same gray male that had fought Wink's mustang in front of me last September. I had seen him at least one other time, and he definitely has one of the stronger personalities out in Sand Wash Basin. Before long, the gray roan mustang with striking black mane and tail became acutely interested in me. He perked up and began trotting my direction intently. The other four horses followed. Closer and closer they came. The gray mustang seemed like he was curious but also posturing to show his territorial strength. Several of his mates weren't so confident and they worked themselves up into a brief frenzy as they galloped past me. Kicking up dust and creating a bit of unnecessary drama, they circled past me and perched up on the slope just above the sagebrush valley. They quickly calmed down, but I could see in them some of the same nerves from the last several horses that had run up and out of the valley. I decided to walk away from them to help demonstrate that they were fine to graze in the valley. A nighthawk flew past me and perhaps it was another good omen. I could see a positive response out of them, and they soon relaxed and returned to grazing. After a few more minutes past, I could again see the gray mustang showing a lot of interest in me, except this time the posturing and territorial nature of his attitude was gone. Now it seemed entirely about their curious side. I had established a bit of trust, and they decided to come over to me again. I stayed put and watched as the gray mustang walked this time directly to me. His mates again followed. Eventually they would all be within ten feet. For several minutes they all grazed very close by. They reassured each other with gentle touches, and it was clear that they had total trust in each other... and even me. Their faces and hooves all came together just a few feet away as they enjoyed the green vegetation. My long lens was the only one that I brought (besides the cell phone), and they were too close to photograph at such close distance. I took a few minutes of video while they were nearest, and eventually they continued on their path. Satisfied with the two close opportunities with them, I decided to pack it up and leave them behind. It was a great little encounter and another one that taught me several little things about wild horses. Hopefully I'll get another chance to see them again.

While most of the marmots were out enjoying fresh spring greens, a long-tailed weasel earned its reputation as a voracious hunter. The weasel raided the marmot colony and took at least four young back to its burrow. The largest marmot was almost certainly bigger than the weasel, but young marmots are no match for a weasel when the adult marmots aren't there to fend off an attack. Sad day for the marmots, but a bounty for the weasel that was likely feeding her young. It was pretty incredible to watch the speed, agility and hunting prowess of such a small creature.