The End of the Line

Many thanks to everyone who visited my photo blog in 2018!

It's always exciting to find out where people live, and this year saw visitors from more countries than ever. Visitors came from 44 countries around the world: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Czechia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Moldova, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Seychelles, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and Venezuela.

I hope you enjoyed seeing a new image and the story behind it every Monday. Sadly, after 100 posts and due to lack of visitors and responses to this blog, this will be the final post. You can see my photos by visiting www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com.

River of Lights

The River of Lights is a holiday tradition in Albuquerque, when the city's BioPark Botanic Garden is transformed into a wonderland of colored lights in whimsical shapes. 

There are turtles, dinosaurs, elephants and zebras, ships and flowers, bees and horse-drawn sleighs. The exhibits change from year to year, but they are always magical. It's a great family event enjoyed by people of all ages. My daughter and I went three years ago, and she returned with friends on at least one other time.

I'm Listening, Santa!

This black Labrador retriever is listening to Santa Claus very intently. I took this image as a volunteer photographer at a 'pet photos with Santa' event for a local cat rescue. I volunteered several times, and this is by far my most favorite photos of animals with Santa or the Easter bunny.

An Animal to Admire

Bison are incredibly well equipped to survive the harsh winters of Yellowstone National Park and the Great Plains. Their heavy coats protect them from temperatures as low as -25 degrees F. Their bodies are so well insulated against the cold that snow and freezing rain that land on them don't melt. This is why bison are often seen with faces totally covered with snow or frozen moisture as they exhale. Bison use their massive heads to sweep aside deep snow as they search for the grass below. 

Their adaptations notwithstanding, about nine of every 100 bison will die during the winter. Most of these were ill, injured, old or in poor condition at the start of winter. Young bison facing their first winter have a higher mortality rate, with between 20 and 40 of every 100 not surviving. Major causes of death include accident, lack of food and predation.

Colorful Domes

I reached back in my photo files for this image of some of the colorful domes of a church inside Moscow's Kremlin.

Under the Big Arch

As its name implies, Utah's Arches National Park is home to a lot of natural stone arches. The park contains more than 2,000 documented arches, in addition to balanced rocks, fins, pinnacles and other geologic formations. 

During a hiking trip to Arches a few years ago, I photographed each member of my group standing under this iconic arch. This image is my favorite of the ones I took. 

If You Like Nature Photography ...

I love photography, and I love sharing my photographs with others.

I also love elephants, and I am very concerned about the survival of this amazing species. To that end, I am selling custom, made-to-order wall calendars, with 100% of the proceeds being donated to the Elephant Crisis Fund (www.elephantcrisisfund.org)

Each calendar features a different full page (8-1/2x11 inches), full-color photograph each month. (The picture to the right shows the calendar page for January 2019). 

Through Nov. 27, the cost for each calendar is just $20, domestic shipping and sales tax included. These are not mass-produced calendars. You get to choose the subject of the calendar from the possibilities below.

elephants
bears (grizzly and polar)
trees
landscapes
silhouettes
birds
bison
Yellowstone
Utah's natural beauty
big cats (lions, leopards, cheetahs in any combination)
American wildlife
African wildlife
scenes from the American Southwest
sunrises/sunsets
African wildlife
Yosemite

Or you can mix and match images from any of the categories above. 

Payment is accepted via PayPal. Calendars will be delivered in about a week from the day they are ordered.

Chipmunk with Nut

This cute chipmunk was sitting near Yellowstone Lake, in an area populated by numerous geysers and other thermal features. I was lucky to spot the little creature scampering across the ground, and my 400mm lens allowed me to get some close-up shots without approaching too closely. She/He sat there for several minutes gnawing on the nuts held in his hands. I like the small yellow flowers behind the animal as well.

Flying Monkey

I watched this young gelada monkey in northern Ethiopia climb this dead tree, then sit atop a limb looking over the terrain below. Suddenly it leapt into the air, and I was fortunate to be able to catch its leap with my camera.

It landed safely on the ground a few feet below and then scampered off to engage its fellow youngsters in play.

Lavender Sunrise

My group got up really early one morning to photograph the sunrise over Yellowstone Lake from the West Thumb Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park. This gorgeous scene was the reward.

Creature of the Night

Sighting this beautiful animal in Brazil was a real treat.

Ocelots are nocturnal. They are solitary cats that feed on birds, rodents, snakes, rabbits, insects and fish. Our Brazilian guide spotted this animal walking along a bridge over a small stream. It then descended and walked along the stream, where this photo was taken. The light was from a spotlight used by our guide to help spot wildlife at night. 

Notice how well camouflaged this beautiful animal is. It prefers wooded areas, which offer protection from enemies such as jaguars.

Rusty Old Wheel

I spotted this rusty old wheel while on a photography trip recently. I don't remember exactly where this picture was taken. It was  in Colorado, on a large ranch belonging to designer Ralph Lauren.

This image speaks of time. A rusty wheel, long discarded, now has plants growing between its spokes. To what kind of thing did this wheel once belong? A wagon? A cart? How long has it been discarded? How old is it?

A Story Without Words

I really like this photograph.

It tells a story without words. These baboons were part of a large troop in Tanzania that also included a white (not albino) male baboon. We watched the animals for quite a while during a morning game drive. There were several babies that entertained us with their play, chasing each other and running around.

I'm not a big fan of baboons, but this image captured my attention. I don't know the relationship between the two animals in the picture. They might be siblings, or perhaps they are mother and baby.

Whatever the relationship, the baby is looking up at the older animal as if to "I love you." I think the fact that I can't see the face of the other animal tells a more poignant story, as it is left to the viewer's imagination to determine what the interaction represents.

Peaceful Reflections

I need to look at this photograph. I need its calming colors, its peaceful waters, its quiet goose in the coolness of an early morning. The pink tint to the water is reflected from the sun rising over the Grand Teton Mountains in Wyoming. 

The world in which I live is insane. It has been sold to the highest bidder. It has lost all sense of decency, all sense of morality. Only nature can bring me peace. Only in nature can I find comfort.

A Step Back in Time

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs between Durango and Silverton, Colorado. The train is powered by a coal-fired steam locomotive. It has been in continuous operation since 1882, initially carrying silver and gold ore from the San Juan mountains.

The locomotives are from the 1923-1925 era. My favorite thing about riding this train, aside from the spectacular scenery, is riding in the open-air gondola car.

Red Rocks, Blue Skies

This image was taken on the first day of a 2017 trip to Arches and Canyonlands national parks in Utah. It had rained the night before, and the sky was still quite cloudy when my group arrived at our first location. But the sun soon began to peek through the clouds, lighting up the red rocks with its soft, early-morning light. 

 

A Swirl of Color

I shot this picture at Yellowstone National Park's Fountain Paint Pot, a mud pot in the Lower Geyser Basin. A mud pot is a kind of acidic hot spring with limited water. These mud pots are pools of bubbling mud. The acid and microorganisms decompose the surrounding rock into clay and mud. The mud in the area is red, yellow and brown in various places. The colors are created by the various stages of oxidation of iron in the mud. 

I like this image because of the placement of part of a dead tree in the mud, and the swirl of yellow behind it. When I visited this area last week, the yellow swirl was no longer there, evidence of the ever-changing nature of the area's geology.

Storm Over the Serengeti

I asked our guide/driver to stop the vehicle so I could get out and photograph this dramatic storm that was headed our way. 

April's photo safari to Tanzania saw us rained on every day of the 2-week trip. Fortunately, once in a while the rains came at night, but there were a couple of major daytime downpours that forced us to cut our outings short. Even with 4-wheel-drive, the massive amounts of rain made driving difficult. There were no roads, just paths worn in the grasslands by other vehicles.

The Serengeti is located primarily in northern Tanzania, although a small part extends into southwestern Kenya. The Serengeti covers about 12,000 square miles (30,000 square kilometers). The name derives from a Maasai word meaning "endless plains."

Prints of this dramatic landscape are available at www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com

The Smiling Lion

This adult male lion appears to be smiling. Maybe it's because he had a good dream. He and his two brothers had just awakened from an afternoon nap to be well rested for a night of hunting. 

My group found the brothers early the following morning, several miles awy, finishing off the carcass of a wildebeest they had killed during the night. 

The action happened in Tanzania. 

Prints of this amazing image are available at www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com

Posing Leopard

This beautiful female leopard was photographed during a photo safari in Tanzania. Leopards are solitary animals and are not easy to spot. But one of our wonderful guides found this one walking through tall grass. Luckily for us, she climbed atop this small hill and posed for us.

Prints are available at www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com

Flying Dog

This is Benny, one of my rescue dogs. Despite his short legs (he is a mix of golden retriever and corgi), he loves to run. He has the body of a corgi (sturdy body, stubby legs) with the coat and personality of a golden retriever. He is a playful, happy little guy. He loves having his friend Tank come to play, too.

Digital Images Now Available

I have added digital downloads of all images in the 'birds of the world' and 'west and southwest landscapes' galleries on my web site (www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com). Each digital  download can be used in online publishing and costs just $2! I will be adding additional images to the digital downloads list soon. 

I also added several new images to the web site. These images are available to purchase as prints in a variety of sizes. Prints are produced and shipped by Mpix, the #1 photographer-recommended print service.

Finally, orders for 2019 wall calendars are starting to come in. Each calendar is 8-1/2x17 inches and includes a full-page, full-color image for each month. Popular subjects have included cheetahs, elephants, birds, big cats and landscapes. I will make a unique calendar just for you. Cost is $24 each, shipping within the US included. Proceeds are donated to the Elephant Crisis Fund, which funds projects in 32 countries designed to put an end to poaching and to stop the trafficking and demand for ivory. www.elephantcrisisfund.org

Early Morning Adobe

I took this picture 9 years ago during one of my first visits to Santa Fe. To me, it speaks of the quintessential Southwest: adobe walls, wooden gate, desert plants and vigas. The early morning sun gives it a warm glow.

Beautiful But Dangerous

This is just one of the estimated 10,000 thermal features in America's first national park, Yellowstone. The park is home to hot springs, geysers, mud pots, fumaroles (steam vents) and travertine terraces. The park is huge (nearly 3,500 square miles) and sits atop a geologically active supervolcano. 

Geyser water is an average of 204 degrees F, or 95.5 C, but the water in some hot springs can reach 456 degrees F (237 C). Water in the Norris Geyser Basin hot springs also is very acidic. It is acidic enough to melt the skin, tissue and bone of anyone or anything unfortunate enough to fall in.

One-of-a-Kind Wall Calendars Now Available

It's not too early to start thinking about 2019 wall calendars.

I am offering custom-made, 8-1/2x17 inch, full-color wall calendars for just $24, US shipping included. Each month, and the cover, features a full-page, full-color photograph I have taken during my travels in the US and overseas.
 
I will design a unique calendar with your choice of subject:

flowers
landscapes
African wildlife
elephants
big cats (lions, leopards, cheetahs in any combination)

US wildlife 
birds of Costa Rica and/or Africa
sunrises/sunsets
trees
water scenes
bears (grizzly and polar)
or any combination of the above 

You can see many of my images at www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com. Each calendar will be delivered to you or a recipient you designate in 1 to 2 weeks. Proceeds are donated to the Elephant Crisis Fund, which helps protect African elephants through education and anti-poaching efforts.

Please e-mail me at annsullivanphotography@gmail.com with questions. I look forward to hearing from you!

A Stroll on the Beach

This cute grizzly bear cub was walking along the shore of Lake Clark, in Alaska. Mom and a sibling were nearby. 

Many of the grizzlies in the Silver Salmon Creek area of Lake Clark National Park are acclimated to the presence of humans, allowing visitors to observe them at a closer range than is usually possible. Some of the mother bears were raised in the area and have grown up around humans. Of course, keeping a respectful distance and carefully observing the bears' behavior are still vitally important. My group felt a bit nervous when a curious cub approached within a few feet, but mom bear simply watched until her cub rejoined her. The cubs were born in 2017.

Helping Birds of Prey

This handsome bird is a golden eagle, a resident of the Teton Raptor Center near Jackson, WY. The center rehabilitates injured or ill raptors (birds of prey) such as eagles, hawks, falcons and owls. It also conducts an education program to help people learn about these birds and the critical role they play in a healthy environment.

The Horned Puffin

The horned puffin is a small seabird that feeds by diving for fish, squid and crustaceans. The birds are about 8 inches (20 cm) tall, weigh about 18 ounces (500 grams) and have a wingspan of just under 2 feet (58 cm). 

Males and females look the same. Nests are created on rocky cliffs along the coasts of Alaska, Siberia and British Columbia.

Time to Eat

This elephant was photographed in Tanzania while chowing down on some tasty grass. Elephants can eat between 200 and 600 pounds of vegetation every day. They drink an average of 50 gallons of water each day, about the same amount as a typical bathtub holds. The elephant digestive system isn't very efficient, so only about 40 percent of the food they consume is actually digested. Elephants are herbivores. They will eat grasses, fruits, vegetables, small plants, bushes, twigs and tree bark.

Grizzly Encounter

This impressive grizzly, or brown, bear was photographed in Alaska's Lake Clark National Park. Many of the bears in the park are habituated to humans, which allows closer access than is possible -- or recommended -- with other grizzly populations. Maintaining a respectful distance, observing the bears' level of comfort with humans, and approaching quietly and in a group allowed my group to get to within 50 feet of the bears. Even some mother bears with cubs were comfortable with us. We were accompanied by an experienced bear guide as well as a professional photographer who has studied bears and bear behavior for many years. This isn't something to be tried without expert guidance.

Christ in the Desert

The Monastery of Christ in the Desert is a Benedictine monastery located near Abiquiu, NM, about 75 miles north of Santa Fe. It can be reached via a long, very bumpy road during dry weather. Heavy rains can make the road impassable.

The monastery was founded in 1964 and is surrounded by miles of undisturbed wilderness. The monastery operates a small brewery.

The Catherine Palace

This beautiful, golden-domed building is the Catherine Palace. It is named after Russia's Catherine I, wife of Tsar Peter the Great. It is located in Tsarskoe Selo, near St. Petersburg. Construction of the building began in 1717 as a modest, two-story building. Beginning in 1743, the palace was completely remodeled and expanded at the direction of Empress Elizabeth, daughter of Catherine and Peter. Construction was completed in 1756. Russia's tsars used the palace as their summer residence.

Moose Falls

This beautiful waterfall is known as Moose Falls. It is 30 feet (9.1 meters) high and was named after the plentiful moose that used to inhabit the area. The falls are located in the southern part of Yellowstone National Park.

New Photo Web Site

I am pleased to announce that I now have a new Web site featuring my best and most popular photographs.

At www.annsullivan.zenfolio.com you will find stunning images of landscapes, flowers, animals big and small, big cats, sunrises and sunsets, birds and scenes of the American West.

I add new images frequently, so please check out this new site, and check back often to see what is new!

Duck in Water

This photo of a solitary duck standing in some not very deep water speaks to me of isolation. There were no other ducks nearby. The placement of the bird isn't what I would have preferred, but I still like the overall impression of the image.

Sky on Fire

Summer in New Mexico is wildlife season. Things are very dry, and temperatures are high. Back in 2011, there was a huge wildfire in New Mexico known as the Las Conchas Fire. 

One evening during the fire I drove to the western side of town to photograph this scene. The sky was a brilliant orange and yellow, and it silhouetted several large electrical towers. The yellow area just above the horizon in the middle of the picture is where the sun is setting. The rest of the color is from the fire. The image is both beautiful and tragic at the same time.

Mountain Sunrise

I have wonderful views of the Sandia Mountains from my yard. And sometimes, especially during the winter, I am treated to some spectacular sunrises. The mountains themselves lack the beauty of Sedona's red rocks. But it's still nice to be able to look out the window and see such natural beauty.

A Helping Hand

I recently rediscovered this touching photo of one of the baby orphan elephants and a keeper at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya.

I so look forward to visiting this amazing place whenever I am in Nairobi. As a sponsor of three orphans, I get to attend the daily evening session when the babies are brought to their stockades after spending the day in the nearby forest. One of the keepers sleeps in the stockade with a different orphan each night to provide a sense of security to the orphans, most of which have been badly traumatized by watching their families die at the hands of poachers.

You can sponsor an orphan for only $50/year. Details are at www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org.

The Sunflower

I love sunflowers. They don't smell nice the way some flowers do. But they always remind me of happy, sunny days. I asked my landscaper to include sunflowers in my back yard when it was being redesigned a few years ago, but what I got weren't the big sunflowers like the one in this photo. I have two photos of sunflowers framed and hanging in my bedroom. It's something nice to wake up to each day.

On the Serengeti Plains

My eye was drawn to this scene on the Serengeti of Tanzania by the colors and textures. A big storm was on the way, as evidenced by the dark, moody clouds. But the sun was still bright enough to cast shadows and light up the grass, revealing its colors and textures.

Inside the Crater

A zebra walks through the lush grass inside Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater. Unlike zebra and wildebeests outside the crate, animals inside the crate do not take part in the annual migration.

The crater is the world's largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera. The crater was formed when a volcano erupted and collapsed 2 to 3 million years ago. It is 2,000 feet deep. The crater floor is mostly open grasslands, and is home to a variety of animals, including Cape buffalo, elephants, zebras, lions and other animals except for giraffes.

A Red, White and Green Scene

Yellowstone National Park is more than just geysers and bison. It also is home to many colorful, and beautiful, landscapes. Red willow (a favorite hangout of moose), green trees and snow-capped mountains created this amazing scene.

A Pile of Pine Cones

Colorful, textured pinecones in a pile make for an visually interesting image.

The View From Hellroaring

This lovely scene was captured at a place in Yellowstone National Park known as Hellroaring. I have watched wolves and grizzly bears through a spotting scope from this high overlook. On the morning this picture was taken, there were no animals in sight, but my guide and I were treated to this colorful sunrise, along with some ground fog in the valley.

What a Face!

This face belongs to one of the non-releasable grizzly bears that lives at the Montana Grizzly Encounter near Bozeman, MT.

The Library of Celsus

The Library of Celsus is an ancient Roman building in Ephesus, now part of Turkey. It was built in honor of the Roman senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaenus between 110 A.D. and 117 A.D. by Celsus' son  The library reportedly was one of the most impressive buildings in the Roman empire. 

Built to hold 12,000 scrolls, it also serves as a mausoleum for Celsus, who is buried in a crypt under the building. The Library of Celsus was the third largest library of the ancient world, after only those at Alexandria, Egypt, and Pergamum, Turkey. Only the front facade still stands.

Untitled

This colorful image was taken inside a large Catholic church in Managua, Nicaragua. I like the colors and the repeating patterns.

One for the Road

These three equestrians rode their horses down a beach in Nicaragua on a hot day. They rode a short distance, then turned around and headed back toward the restaurant where I was having lunch. They stopped, two dismounted, and they then returned with a beer for each rider.

Hungry Bird

Ravens are incredibly intelligent birds, able to open zippers to get at food inside. This Yellowstone raven saw me get a small package of trail mix out of the SUV in which I was traveling and immediately flew to a couple of feet from where I was standing. 

Knowing the problems people cause by feeding wildlife, I didn't share the trail mix with this handsome bird. 

This photo was taken with an 18-135 mm lens as the bird waited on the ground. I like the detail on the face, and the bit of snow in the beak.

Working Hard to Survive the Winter

A bull bison's face is coated with snow after using its massive head to sweep away deep snow as it searches for grass in Yellowstone National Park.

Bison coats insulate them so well that snow that falls on the coat doesn't melt, so small is the amount of heat that escapes from the body. Bison can survive temperatures as low as -30 F with little or no discomfort. The dead grass beneath the snow is brown and has little nutritional value.