Tag Archives: Wildlife

Wildlife Photo: Great Blue Heron

October 8, 2014 Red Hunt Leave a comment

The Great Blue Heron is one of my favourite birds found in North America.

To be a fish, crab, turtle or other small creature near where these guys hunt must be terrifying. I’ve seen these birds hunt in parks near home in Ontario, Canada and as far away as the Galapagos Islands, but this one in the Florida Everglades put on the best show. I’ve heard they also hunt reptiles, mammals and rodents so even chipmunks and gophers and voles aren’t safe from these guys!

The heron must’ve been very hungry as it easily speared a few victims during the time I watched it, just before sunset. Impressive bird, that must’ve been more than 1m tall.

Great Blue Heron, Anhinga Trail in Everglades National Park

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Bull Moose in Wyoming

September 24, 2014 Red Hunt Leave a comment

The North American Moose (Alces alces) is one of the most impressive land creatures found anywhere in the Americas.

Being the largest member of the deer family, the Moose can weigh more than 700kg and stand more than 2m tall! There is actually a large difference between subspecies, with only the Alaskan and Chukotka Moose (in Russia) measuring such heights.

This specific subspecies is the Shiras Moose, Alces alces shirasi, found in some western US states and Canada, including Wyoming, Montana, Oregon and British Columbia. It’s actually the smallest subspecies in North America, reaching only about half the size of some of the moose in Alaska!

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Indian Peacock

June 25, 2014 Red Hunt 4 Comments

Some of the most interesting looking birds out there, peacocks are famous for their big, colourful feathers that are typically green and blue.

The encompassing term for them is peafowl, with peahens being the brown, dull coloured females and peacocks being the impressive colourful males.

The males display their feathers out in a fan to help attract females. This guy was displaying his feathers towards a female at a park in Sri Lanka. There were many peacocks around Sri Lanka, as the Indian Peafowl are common here. Two other subspecies exist, the Congo Peafowl and the Green Peafowl in Burma, which is an endangered species.

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photos: Wild Horses in Cotopaxi National Park

April 30, 2014 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Wild Horses of Cotopaxi National Park in Ecuador

On the drive to Cotopaxi National Park in Ecuador, I was reading up on some of the wildlife in this part of the Andes. It seemed spectacled bears and jaguars are in the park, but are extremely rare to spot. So I was happy to settle for some birds, and maybe some llamas.

One thing I wasn’t aware of before arriving was that there are wild horses in Cotopaxi National Park. I liked the white one most in the group above, but there were also black and brown ones and varied colours.

As with wild horses in other destinations, they’re a little rougher and shaggier than your typical riding horses. There were actually many groups of wild horses in Cotopaxi, if you scan across the rolling hills chances are you’ll find many herds grazing away.

I definitely saw more horses than llamas or foxes or condors at Cotopaxi – not what I expected, but it still made for a fun day of exploring and wildlife watching.

These horses are pretty much care-free, as any herds near the gravel roads that run through the park won’t give your vehicle a second look, so you can get some very close photos like the black horse above.

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photos: Cute Coyote Pup

April 16, 2014 Red Hunt 4 Comments

One of North America’s common canids, the Coyote is considered a pest by some, as they can raid farms and attack pets.

Usually shy, some coyotes can be aggressive and have been blamed for attacks and even deaths on humans in the US and Canada. Many of these cases may have been coyote-wolf hybrids however. Most cases of coyote contact occur because of loss of habitat. New developments built on former fields and forests take away the home, and hunting areas, of the coyotes.

Even so, coyotes are not listed as vulnerable or threatened species, as they have become adept at living in different habitats out of necessity. They commonly eat small mammals like mice and rabbit, but can kill larger animals such as deer and elk if hunting in packs. Not strictly meat eaters, they are omnivores that also eat a variety of vegetables and fruits.

This particular baby coyote (pup) was photographed in Quebec, as he was waking up from an afternoon nap.

Red Hunt Travel

Tag Archives: Wildlife

Wildlife Photo: Great Blue Heron

Wildlife Photo: Bull Moose in Wyoming

Wildlife Photo: Indian Peacock

Wildlife Photos: Wild Horses in Cotopaxi National Park

Wildlife Photos: Cute Coyote Pup

travel writer. wildlife photographer. beer geek.