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  • An adult bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) calls out, warning other birds not to attempt to steal its spawned-out chum salmon, which it is feeding on in the Nooksack River near Deming, Washington.
    Bald-Eagle_Salmon_Calling-Out_Nooksa...jpg
  • A cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) calls from the top of a Sitka spruce tree on Spencer Island in Everett, Washington.
    Waxwing_Cedar_Calling_Spencer-Island...jpg
  • A female tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) calls out from its perch at the top of a snag on Ebey Island near Everett, Washington.
    Swallow-Tree_Calling_Ebey-Island_563...jpg
  • A pair of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) call to each other from their perches in a bare winter tree in the Skagit Valley of Washington state.
    Bald-Eagles_Pair-Calling_Skagit_0865.jpg
  • An American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) calls out from its perch on an old stump in the Edmonds Marsh, Edmonds, Washington.
    Crow_Cawing_Edmonds-Marsh_0610.jpg
  • A juvenile bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that is about three months old calls out to its sibling from its perch in a tree.
    BaldEagle_Juvenile_CallingOut_9217.jpg
  • An Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus) calls out from its perch in the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Frenchglen, Oregon. Especially in the summer, Eastern Kingbirds feed on insects, primarily flies. They wait on a perch for an insect to approach and they fly off to catch it in mid-air.
    Kingbird_Eastern_Malheur_5178.jpg
  • A cedar waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) calls as it dives from near the top of a Sitka spruce tree on Spencer Island in Everett, Washington.
    Waxwing_Cedar_Diving_Spencer-Island_...jpg
  • A Western Grebe (Aechmophorus occidentalis) calls to other grebes as it swims across Fern Ridge Lake near Eugene, Oregon.
    Grebe_Western_FernRidgeLake_0339.jpg
  • An Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) calls out to another from its perch on the island of Grímsey, Iceland. Tens of thousands of puffins breed on Iceland's cliffs during the summer. They spend the rest of the year at sea. The island of Grímsey, which straddles the Arctic Circle, is the northernmost inhabited Icelandic territory.
    Puffins_Atlantic_PairCalling_Grimsey...jpg
  • An Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica) calls out to another from its perch on the island of Grímsey, Iceland. Tens of thousands of puffins breed on Iceland's cliffs during the summer. They spend the rest of the year at sea. The island of Grímsey, which straddles the Arctic Circle, is the northernmost inhabited Icelandic territory.
    Puffins_Atlantic_PairCalling_Grimsey...jpg
  • With a three-quarters moon as a backdrop, a bald eagle fledgling (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) calls out from the top of a Douglas fir tree.
    BaldEagle_Fledgling_Moon_9430.jpg
  • With a three-quarters moon as a backdrop, a bald eagle fledgling (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) calls out from the top of a Douglas fir tree. At the time of this image, this juvenile bald eagle was approximately three months old.
    BaldEagle_Fledgling_Moon_9358.jpg
  • A common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) sings from its perch in an alder tree on Spencer Island in Everett, Washington. Common yellowthroat is a type of warbler and is one of the most numerous of that type.
    Yellowthroat_Singing_Spencer-Island_...jpg
  • A common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) sings from its perch at the top of an alder tree on Spencer Island in Everett, Washington. Common yellowthroat is a type of warbler and is one of the most numerous of that type.
    Yellowthroat_Singing_Spencer-Island_...jpg
  • A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) claims a hunting spot on the oyster beds in Hood Canal, Washington. Hundreds of bald eagles congregate in the area near the town of Seabeck early each summer to feed on migrating midshipman fish when get caught in the oyster beds during low tides.
    BaldEagles_LandingOnOysterBed_HoodCa...jpg
  • A song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) sings from its perch in a wetland near the Everett, Washington, waterfront. The song sparrow is the most widespread sparrow in North America.
    Sparrow_Song_Singing_Everett_0460.jpg
  • An adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) appears to cry at the moon as it tries to chase off flies swarming around its head.
    BaldEagle_CryingAtMoon_Kirkland_4469.jpg
  • The nearly full moon hovers in the background as an adult Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) watches over its nest in Kirkland, Washington
    BaldEagle_Moon_Perched_Kirkland_2695.jpg
  • Two sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) call out to other cranes from a marsh in the Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico.
    SandhillCranes_Calling_6791.jpg
  • A bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) calls out to other eagles from snow-covered trees that line the Skagit River in Washington state. Several hundred eagles spend the winter along that river, feasting on spawned out salmon.
    Bald-Eagle_Winter_Calling_3631.jpg
  • A passage bends through a very narrow section of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Narrow-Passage_6255.jpg
  • The walls of an open area of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona, take on different colors based on how much direct sunlight they receive. Sections near the slot canyon ceiling appear yellow and gold, while portions in deep shadow are purple. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Textured-Walls_6218c.jpg
  • An American pika rests in the forest along the North Fork of the Sauk River in Washington's Central Cascades. Pikas live at higher altitudes on rocky mountains. They do not hibernate in the winter, so they spend the summer collecting and drying grasses for food and bedding. It is related to the rabbit and is also known as the "whistling hare" due to its high-pitched alarm call.
    Pika_NorthForkSauk_9778.jpg
  • Clouds pass over a mountain called LeChee Rock in the Navajo Nation near Page, Arizona. From a particular angle, the mountain resembles a man on his back sleeping, prompting some to call the mountain The Sleeping Indian. This was originally a color image that has been converted to black and white.
    AZ_LeChee-Rock_Sunset_BW_6320.jpg
  • Sand falls from a ledge in Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon is a narrow sandstone canyon, known as a slot canyon. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Sand-Falls_7097.jpg
  • Pink clouds fill the sky above Shiprock, a prominent peak in northwestern New Mexico. Shiprock is located on Navajo land and is sacred to the tribal people. They call it the "Rock with Wings," for they believe a bird guided them from the North to settle in the present-day Four Corners area of the United States. Early European settlers thought it looked more like a sailing schooner and named it Shiprock.
    NM_Shiprock_Sunset_1566.jpg
  • The walls of an open area of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona, take on different colors based on how much direct sunlight they receive. Sections near the slot canyon ceiling appear yellow and gold, while portions in deep shadow are purple. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Colorful-Chamber_709...jpg
  • The walls of an open area of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona, take on different colors based on how much direct sunlight they receive. Sections near the slot canyon ceiling appear yellow and gold, while portions in deep shadow are purple. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Colorful-Chamber_622...jpg
  • A vibrant shaft of light shines on the floor of a particularly narrow section of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo tribal land in Page, Arizona. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." The slot canyon is formed primarily by erosion during flash floods; torrents of water race through the canyon and sculpt the sandstone.
    Antelope-Canyon_Beam_S2574-02.jpg
  • The walls of a particularly narrow passage of Upper Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona, take on different colors based on how much direct sunlight they receive. Sections near the slot canyon ceiling appear yellow and gold, while portions in deep shadow are purple. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Narrow-Passage_Looki...jpg
  • Bright streaks fall down the curved walls of Upper Antelope Canyon in the Navajo Nation, Arizona. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Streaks_6235.jpg
  • The walls of a particularly narrow passage of Upper Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona, take on different colors based on how much direct sunlight they receive. Sections near the slot canyon ceiling appear yellow and gold, while portions in deep shadow are purple. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon-Beam_S2574-01.jpg
  • A vibrant shaft of light shines like a spotlight on the floor of Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon that was carved by violent flash floods. Beams of light form only when the sun is nearly overhead, lighting up the blowing sand that fills the canyon, which is dozens of feet deep. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon-Beam_S2574-09.jpg
  • A heart shape appears among the curves of the ceiling of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo land near Page, Arizona. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone slot canyon, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Heart_7110.jpg
  • The walls of an open area of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo Nation land near Page, Arizona, take on different colors based on how much direct sunlight they receive. Sections near the slot canyon ceiling appear yellow and gold, while portions in deep shadow are purple. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    Antelope-Canyon_Colorful-Chamber_622...jpg
  • With just a narrow crack in the ceiling of Upper Antelope Canyon near Page, Arizona, little sunlight reaches the floor by mid-afternoon. Violent flash floods sculpt the sandstone, leaving undulating, layered walls that appear violet or purple in the very faint indirect afternoon light. The Navajo people call Antelope Canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." The light in the canyon was so dim at the time that this image was captured that it required a more than one-minute exposure to reveal the detail of the canyon walls.
    Antelope-Canyon_Texture_S2571-05.jpg
  • A vibrant shaft of light shines on the floor of a particularly narrow section of Upper Antelope Canyon on Navajo tribal land in Page, Arizona. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks." The slot canyon is formed primarily by erosion during flash floods; torrents of water race through the canyon and sculpt the sandstone.
    Antelope-Canyon-Beam_S02-01-04.jpg
  • A long exposure captures the motion of dark storm clouds, which are reflected on a large pond, partially covered in water lilies, in Parc des Sources in Brussels, Belgium. The public park is known for its numerous springs — called sources, in French — which provide drinking water to the surrounding area. Parc des Sources is one of six major parks that are connected in an ecological corridor in Brussles. In Dutch, Parc des Sources is called Bronnenpark.
    Brussels_Parc-des-Sources_Storm-Clou...jpg
  • A vibrant shaft of light illuminates a tumbleweed on the floor of Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon that was carved by violent flash floods. Beams of light form only when the sun is nearly overhead, lighting up the blowing sand that fills the canyon, which is dozens of feet deep. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    AntelopeCanyon_Beam_Tumbleweed_0493.jpg
  • A log points toward the reflection of a forested area on a large pond, partially covered in lily pads, in Parc des Sources, Brussels, Belgium. The public park is known for its numerous springs — called sources, in French — which provide drinking water to the surrounding area. Parc des Sources is one of six major parks that are connected in an ecological corridor in Brussles. In Dutch, Parc des Sources is called Bronnenpark.
    Brussels_Parc-des-Sources_Log-Lily-P...jpg
  • Trees lining the banks of the largest pond in Parc des Sources, or Bronnenpark, are reflected on the water at dusk in Brussels, Belgium. The public park is known for its numerous springs — called sources, in French — which provide drinking water to the surrounding area. Parc des Sources is one of six major parks that are connected in an ecological corridor in Brussles. In Dutch, Parc des Sources is called Bronnenpark.
    Brussels_Parc-des-Sources_Pond_3474.jpg
  • At dusk, a bank of pink clouds streak across the sky above the largest pond in Parc des Sources, Bronnenpark, Brussels, Belgium. The public park is known for its numerous springs — called sources, in French — which provide drinking water to the surrounding area. Parc des Sources is one of six major parks that are connected in an ecological corridor in Brussles. In Dutch, Parc des Sources is called Bronnenpark.
    Brussels_Parc-des-Sources_Pond_Sunse...jpg
  • Three vibrant shafts of light appear in a narrow passage in Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon carved by violent flash floods in Page, Arizona. The beams form only when the sun is nearly overhead, lighting up the blowing sand that fills the canyon, which is dozens of feet deep. The Navajo people call the canyon Tsé bighánílíní dóó Hazdistazí, which means "the place where water runs through rocks."
    AntelopeCanyonBeams.jpg
  • Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus nauseosus var. consimilis) grows under a fiery sunrise at the edge of Mono Lake in Mono County, California. Mono Lake has no outlet, so salt accumulates and makes the water alkeline. Limestone columns called tufa towers are visible in the lake. Tufa towers form under water. They were exposed when Los Angeles diverted some of the fresh water that feeds the lake, causing the lake level to drop.
    Mono-Lake_Rabbitbrush_Sunrise_0748.jpg
  • Slightly more than half the moon is illuminated in this view of the night sky. Half moons are typically called quarters - first quarter and last quarter - and coincide with neap tides, the mildest tidal changes of the month. During neap tides, the difference between high tide and low tide is the least. The sun and moon are at right angles to Earth, weakening their combined gravitational pull.
    Moon_Half_5157.jpg
  • A variety of petroglyphs, including symbols depicting a hunter chasing a deer, are visible on a rock wall at Newspaper Rock State Historic Monument in San Juan County, Utah. The oldest symbols on the rock were made about 2,000 years ago by Archaic, Anasazi, Fremont, Navajo, Anglo and Pueblo people. The oldest petroglyphs on the sandstone appear to be fading, re-covered by desert varnish, a natural manganese-rich coating. In Navajo, the rock is called Tse' Hone, which means a rock that tells a story.
    Petroglyphs_Newspaper-Rock_Utah_0977.jpg
  • Three stray dogs, called satos, sit on El Gallito beach on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. Throughout Puerto Rico, an estimated 200,000 abandoned or abused dogs roam the beaches and streets.
    Vieques_Stray-Dogs_El-Gallito_0474.jpg
  • A large rock frames Weavers Needle, a distinctive 4,555-foot (1,388-meter) spire in the Superstition Wilderness in Arizona. Weavers Needle is made up of heavily-eroded fused volcanic ash, called tuff, and is a prominent and distictive peak that's visible for miles. It played a significant role in the stories of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, with its shadow supposedly pointing toward to golden treasure.
    Superstition-Wilderness_Weavers-Need...jpg
  • Crepuscular Rays, also known as god beams, form over the Atlantic Ocean and a large sea arch called Manneporte in the late afternoon in Étretat, France. Manneporte is the largest of the three natural sea arches that have formed in the white chalk cliffs, known as the Falaise d'Étretat, which are as tall as 90 meters (300 feet).
    Etretat_Manneporte_Crepuscular-Rays_...jpg
  • A waterfall commonly referred to as Hug Point Falls flows past a cave at Hug Point on the Oregon coast. At high tide, Hug Point Falls empties directly into the Pacific Ocean. Such waterfalls are called tide falls.
    OR_HugPoint_Waterfall_Cave_5611.jpg
  • An adult bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) calls to its chick on their nest near Puyallup, Washington. The size of the nest dwarfs both of the birds. Bald eagle nests rank as the largest nests of any bird, with a typical diameter of six feet (2 meters) and a height of three feet (1.5 meters). Some bald eagle nests way more than two tons.
    BaldEagle_ParentAndChick_Nest_Puyall...jpg
  • Snæfellsjökull, a 1,446 meter (4,744 foot) stratovolcano, is framed by a natural arch in a lava field in western Iceland. The volcano, which is active, last erupted approximately 1,800 years ago, creating lava fields at its base. The mountain is technically named Snæfell; Snæfellsjökull is the name of the glacier at its peak. It is commonly called Snæfellsjökull, however, to avoid confusing it with several other mountains with the same name. Snæfellsjökull means "snow glacier mountain," and it was featured in the 1864 novel "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne..
    Iceland_Snaefell_Arch_9606.jpg
  • A male elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) tosses sand into the air while resting next to several female seals on the beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Elephant seals typically spend 9 months at sea, coming to shore only to give birth, mate and molt. Elephant seals are named for the long snouts, called proboscis, that male seals develop. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is part of the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, managed by California.
    Elephant-Seals_Piedras-Blancas_Group...jpg
  • Hundreds of elephant seals fill the beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Elephant seals typically spend 9 months at sea, coming to shore only to give birth, mate and molt. Elephant seals are named for the long snouts, called proboscis, that male seals develop. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is part of the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, managed by California.
    Elephant-Seals_Piedras-Blancas_Full-...jpg
  • Hundreds of elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) fill the beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Elephant seals typically spend 9 months at sea, coming to shore only to give birth, mate and molt. Elephant seals are named for the long snouts, called proboscis, that male seals develop. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is part of the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, managed by California.
    Elephant-Seals_Piedras-Blancas_Full-...jpg
  • As the sun nearly breaks through the clouds just before sunset, dramatic beams, called crepuscular rays, form over a ferry crossing Puget Sound.
    Ferry_Puget-Sound_Sunset_4290.jpg
  • Irregular columnar jointing, called entablature, is visible on an exposed hillside near Artist Point in the North Cascades of Washington state. These types of rock columns are formed when volcanic rocks cool, contract and crack.
    North-Cascades_Columnar-Jointing_Art...jpg
  • Irregular columnar jointing, called entablature, is visible on an exposed hillside near Artist Point in the North Cascades of Washington state. These types of rock columns are formed when volcanic rocks cool, contract and crack.
    North-Cascades_Columnar-Jointing_Art...jpg
  • Many of the skyscrapers in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, are visible at night over the colorful, lighted water feature called Childhood Muse in Romare Bearden Park.
    NC_Charlotte_Skyline_Romare-Bearden_...jpg
  • A pair of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) kiss at the entrance to a burrow in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. When prairie dogs encounter other prairie dogs in their territories, they sniff each other's perianal scent glands to make sure that they are from the same family group. Prairie dogs are very social and live in large colonies called prairie dog towns, but closely interact only with members of their own family. Kissing may be a signal that they recognize their own kin.
    PrairieDogs_BlackTailed_Badlands_Kis...jpg
  • The dunes in White Sands National Monument, New Mexico, make up the largest gypsum dune field in the world. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite.
    NM_WhiteSands_DuneField_1280.jpg
  • A male wood duck (Aix sponsa), called a drake, swims in a channel of the wetlands of the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington. Wood ducks typically breed in wooded swamps, shallow lakes, marshes or ponds, and creeks in the eastern United States and along the west coast from Washington state into Mexico.
    WoodDuck_DrakeSwimming_Arboretum_307...jpg
  • A male wood duck (Aix sponsa), called a drake, swims in a channel of the wetlands of the Washington Park Arboretum in Seattle, Washington. Wood ducks typically breed in wooded swamps, shallow lakes, marshes or ponds, and creeks in the eastern United States and along the west coast from Washington state into Mexico. They usually nest in cavities in trees close to water. Unlike most other ducks, the wood duck has sharp claws for perching in trees.
    WoodDuck_DrakeSwimming_Arboretum_115...jpg
  • A waterfall commonly referred to as Hug Point Falls is reflected on the wet sand at Hug Point on the Oregon coast. At high tide, Hug Point Falls empties directly into the Pacific Ocean. Such waterfalls are called tide falls.
    OR_HugPoint_Waterfall_Reflection_121...jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are found on a bluff in the Grand staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_HarrisWashUtah_4183.jpg
  • The Middle Fork of the Kings River runs through a deep gorge, called the Tehipite Valley, in Kings Canyon National Park, California. The deep gorge, located in the southern Sierra Nevada, is more than 4,000 feet (1250 meters) deep in places and was carved by glaciers. In this view, it runs between Kettle Ridge and the White Divide (on left) and the Monarch Divide and Windy Peak.
    CA_KingsCanyon_TehipiteValley_Blue_8...jpg
  • Baring Creek flows through a very narrow gorge, called Sunrift Gorge, in Glacier National Park, Montana. The gorge has very smooth, straight sides because it eroded along vertical fractures in the rock known as joints. Sunrift Gorge began to form after large Pleistocene glaciers began to retreat from that area and with a maximum cut down rate of 0.003 inch per year, this gorge is the result of several millions of years of erosion.
    Glacier_SunriftGorge_0812.jpg
  • A wedge-tailed shearwater (Puffinus pacificus) rests outside its burrow in the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge on Kauai, Hawaii. Wedge-tailed shearwaters, called `Ua`u Kani in Hawaiian, nest in burrows just underneat the soil's surface and lay one egg per breeding season.
    shearwater-wedge-burrow.jpg
  • The last light of day illuminates Snæfellsjökull, a 1,446 meter (4,744 foot) stratovolcano located in western Iceland. The volcano, which is active, last erupted approximately 1,800 years ago, creating lava fields at its base. The mountain is technically named Snæfell; Snæfellsjökull is the name of the glacier at its peak. It is commonly called Snæfellsjökull, however, to avoid confusing it with several other mountains with the same name. Snæfellsjökull means "snow glacier mountain," and it was featured in the 1864 novel "A Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne.
    Iceland_SnaefellPano_9643-5.jpg
  • The Colorado River and several smaller rivers empty into the Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortez, in northern Baja California, Mexico. This area is called the Colorado River Delta.
    ColoradoRiverDelta_9977.jpg
  • Fall colors line the bluff at Tomichi Point, high above the Gunnison River in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado. The gorge is the steepest in North America, dropping 2,772 feet (845 meters) at one point. It's called the Black Canyon because it's so steep in places that light doesn't reach the bottom.
    CO_Gunnison_TomichiPoint_1941.jpg
  • Millions of microscopic organisms called dinoflagellates briefly emit a blue light when they are disturbed in the calm waters of Mosquito Bay on the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. Mosquito Bay — also known as Puerto Mosquito, Caño Hondo and Bahía Bioluminiscente — is the brightest bioluminescent bay in the world with 2.4 million dinoflagellates per gallon of water at the time of this image. The dinoflagellates in Mosquito Bay are Pyrodinium bahamense and are a type of plankton, a subgroup of algae, that are found in Atlantic seawater warmer than 68 °F (20 °C). Mosquito Bay has a number of features that allow these dinoflagellates to exist in record concentrations. First, the bay has a very narrow opening to the Caribbean Sea, so when they are washed into the bay, they tend to get stuck. Mosquito Bay is also lined with mangrove trees, which provide abundant food for the dinoflagellates as they decompose.
    Puerto-Rico_Vieques_Mosquito-Bay_Bio...jpg
  • Dozens of iron concretions are trapped in a sandstone pothole in the Grand Staircase Escalante in southern Utah. These iron concretions formed naturally between 6 and 25 million years ago as water dissolved the iron pigment in the red sandstone in the area. The pigment flowed down through the now bleached sandstone and then solidified when it came in contact with oxygenated water, forming a new iron mineral called hematite between the grains of sandstone. Over time, the sandstone eroded away, leaving the more durable iron concretions behind. These largely spherical balls are composed of a hard outer layer of hematite covering a ball of pink sandstone. By volume, the sandstone makes up the majority of these iron concretions, though those found elsewhere in the Colorado Plateau may contain much more hematite. Scientists aren't sure why they form in spheres or if they need something in particular as a nucleus to start growing.
    IronConcretions_Pothole_HarrisWashUt...jpg
  • Delicate stalactites, called soda straws, hang from the ceiling of the Painted Grotto in Carlsbad Caverns National Park, New Mexico. Soda straws develop where water droplets hang from the ceiling. Initially, a calcite ring forms on the ceiling. Calcite deposits continue to accumulate on the initial ring, and the straw grows longer as the deposits build up. If enough calcite deposits build up, the soda straws can develop into large stalactites. Calcite is a colorless mineral in its pure form. The presence of other minerals causes the stalactites in the cavern to take on yellow, orange, red, or brown coloration.
    CarlsbadCaverns_PaintedGrotto_1205.jpg
  • A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1299.jpg
  • This is the inscription on the statue of Leif Ericson that is located in front of the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík, Iceland. The statue was given to Iceland in 1930 by the United States of America to commemorate the 1,000th anniversary of the founding of Iceland's parliament, called Alþingi, one of the oldest in the world. Leif, likely born in Iceland, was an 11th century explorer who may have been the first European to reach North America. The full inscription reads: "Leifr Eiríksson, son of Iceland, discoverer of Vinland, The United States of America to the People of Iceland on the one thousandth anniversary of the Althing, AD 1930."
    Iceland_LeifEricsonStatue_Inscriptio...jpg
  • A hole-punch cloud is typically formed when an airplane passes through altocumulus clouds. Altocumulus clouds are made up of small, super cooled water droplets. When aircraft pass through these clouds, the rapid pressure changes they cause can cool the air further. That, in turn, causes the water droplets to form heavy ice crystals, which then drop from the sky, leaving behind a "hole punch." This hole-punch cloud was observed in Thurston County, Washington. Hole-punch clouds are also sometimes called sky-punch clouds.
    Cloud_HolePunch_1831.jpg
  • A large adult American Bison (Bison bison) stands in an open prairie near Buffalo Gap in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. Bison are the largest terrestrial land mammals in North America. While commonly called buffalo, true buffalo are found only in Africa and Asia.
    Bison_Standing_Badlands_1535.jpg
  • The 80-foot-tall McWay Falls, surging after several days of heavy rain, is colored by the setting sun as rain clouds continue to hang overhead. McWay Falls is one of the few waterfalls that empty directly into the Pacific Ocean. Such waterfalls are called tide falls. McWay Falls is located in the Big Sur region of California, south of Monterey.
    McWayFallsSunset.jpg
  • Two elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) prepare to mate on the beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Elephant seals typically spend 9 months at sea, coming to shore only to give birth, mate and molt. Elephant seals are named for the long snouts, called proboscis, that male seals develop. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is part of the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, managed by California.
    Elephant-Seals_Piedras-Blancas_Matin...jpg
  • Two elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) prepare to mate on the beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Elephant seals typically spend 9 months at sea, coming to shore only to give birth, mate and molt. Elephant seals are named for the long snouts, called proboscis, that male seals develop. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is part of the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, managed by California.
    Elephant-Seals_Piedras-Blancas_Matin...jpg
  • Many of the skyscrapers in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, are visible at night over the colorful, lighted water feature called Childhood Muse in Romare Bearden Park.
    NC_Charlotte_Skyline_Romare-Bearden_...jpg
  • American coots (Fulica americana) begin to take flight from an area where they were feeding on Lake Sammamish in Redmond, Washington. The American coot is also sometimes called a mud hen or pouldeau. This image was captured from Marymoor Park, a King County park that attracts more than 3 million visitors each year.
    Coots-American_Flock_Lake-Sammamish_...jpg
  • American coots (Fulica americana) begin to take flight from an area where they were feeding on Lake Sammamish in Redmond, Washington. The American coot is also sometimes called a mud hen or pouldeau. This image was captured from Marymoor Park, a King County park that attracts more than 3 million visitors each year.
    Coots-American_Flock_Lake-Sammamish_...jpg
  • American coots (Fulica americana) begin to take flight from an area where they were feeding on Lake Sammamish in Redmond, Washington. The American coot is also sometimes called a mud hen or pouldeau. This image was captured from Marymoor Park, a King County park that attracts more than 3 million visitors each year.
    Coots-American_Flock_Lake-Sammamish_...jpg
  • The water in Horsetail Fall, a 1,000-foot (305-meter) waterfall, appears like lava at sunset as it pours over the granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. The dramatic lighting effect, which has been called a "firefall," appears in mid-to-late February if the weather conditions are just right.
    Yosemite_Horsetail-Fall_Sunset_8929.jpg
  • A dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) seedhead stands among blades of grass in Snohomish County, Washington. Each of the flower's seeds is attached to a feathery parachute called a pappus, which allows the wind to carry the seeds great distances.
    Dandelion_Seedhead_Lynnwood_8557.jpg
  • Weavers Needle, a distinctive 4,555-foot (1,388-meter) spire in the Superstition Wilderness in Arizona, is turned golden by the setting sun. Weavers Needle is made up of heavily-eroded fused volcanic ash, called tuff, and is a prominent and distictive peak that's visible for miles. It played a significant role in the stories of the Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine, with its shadow supposedly pointing toward to golden treasure. Peralta Canyon, a popular hiking destination in the Tonto National Forest, is visible at the base of Weavers Needle.
    Superstition-Wilderness_Weavers-Need...jpg
  • An elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) pup rests next to its mother on the beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Elephant seals typically spend 9 months at sea, coming to shore only to give birth, mate and molt. Elephant seals are named for the long snouts, called proboscis, that male seals develop. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is part of the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, managed by California.
    Elephant-Seals_Piedras-Blancas_Pup-M...jpg
  • An adult male elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) rests on the sandy beach at the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery near San Simeon, California. Elephant seals typically spend 9 months at sea, coming to shore only to give birth, mate and molt. Elephant seals are named for the long snouts, called proboscis, that male seals develop. The Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is part of the Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve and Marine Conservation Area, managed by California.
    Elephant-Seal_Piedras-Blancas_Male_R...jpg
  • An American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) calls at another one that has landed on its perch at the top of a Douglas fir tree in Kirkland, Washington.
    Crows_Two-On-Branch_Kirkland_1180.jpg
  • Horsetail Fall, a 1,000-foot (305-meter) waterfall, appears like lava at sunset as it pours over the granite face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, California. The dramatic lighting effect, which has been called a "firefall," appears in mid-to-late February if the weather conditions are just right.
    Yosemite_Horsetail-Fall_Sunset_8940.jpg
  • A male Anna's hummingbird (Calypte anna) calls out from its snowy perch in Snohomish County, Washington. Anna's Hummingbirds are native to the west coast of North America.
    Hummingbird_Annas_Snow_5456.jpg
  • A pair of yucca plants grow on a large dunes in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_YuccaAndDunes_1295.jpg
  • The white sand dunes of White Sand Dunes National Monument, New Mexico, appear blue and purple after sunset, reflecting the twilight sky. The white sand dunes are comprised of gypsum crystals, which is rarely found as sand because it is water-soluble. But the Tularosa Basin is surrounded by mountains and there is no direct outlet to the sea for any rain that falls there. Any water eventually drains through the ground leaving the gypsum behind in a crystalline form called selenite. White Sands National Monument is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
    NM_WhiteSands_Fiery-Sunset_1036.jpg
  • Many of the skyscrapers in downtown Charlotte, North Carolina, are visible at night over the colorful, lighted water feature called Childhood Muse in Romare Bearden Park.
    NC_Charlotte_Skyline_Romare-Bearden_...jpg
  • A black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) sniffs another at the entrance to its burrow in Badlands National Park, South Dakota. When prairie dogs encounter other prairie dogs in their territories, they sniff each other's perianal scent glands to make sure that they are from the same family group. Prairie dogs are very social and live in large colonies called prairie dog towns.
    PrairieDogs_BlackTailed_Badlands_Sni...jpg
  • A pair of mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) swims in the fog on Scriber Lake in Lynnwood, Washington. A female mallard is on the left; a male, also called a drake, is on the right.
    Mallard_Pair_ScriberLake_Foggy_0128.jpg
  • A sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) dives off the New Zealand coast near Kaikoura. The sperm whale, also known as cachalot, is the largest of the toothed whales. Males average 52 feet (16 meters) in length, but can grow to be 67 feet (20.5 meters) long. The sperm whale gets its name from the liquid wax, called spermaceti, which is found in its head. Spermaceti is used for echolocation and communication and may help adjust the whale's buoyancy.
    SpermWhale_Diving_NewZealand_4180.jpg
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