Among the nice American badger sightings I enjoyed in Yellowstone in June was one of the better setts (dens) that I’ve seen. About 25 yards away—that’s the park limit for most wildlife… a ranger actually came and measured before posting No Entry signs—slightly below eye level, and on the receiving end of morning sunlight. Aside from one piece of annoying sagebrush, it was close to perfect for photography.
I did have a little too much lens in this case, as I had been focusing on getting some closeups when the mother went up above the den a short ways to scout her surroundings. So I would’ve preferred a bit more real estate below the kit, but otherwise I thought this was a fun scene.
Canon 1DXII
Canon 600mm + 1.4x
ISO 400
1/500th
f/6.3
Nice balance in the image, Max. I think less lens would have been nice, but that’s not the time to be taking off teleconverters. Yellowstone badgers seem to be getting acclimated to the paparazzi. The last time I was there (too long ago) there was a sett right next to the access road to Slough Creek where we were camped. I think she got fed up and moved after a few days of it.
Nice shot of the Badgers, Max! This particular composition actually tells a little story as opposed to a single close-up shot, but if you click on the image twice you can still get that nice little close-up of the little one
