Not as big as a crow, Sharp-shinned Hawks (sharpies) are the smallest of the three North American anccipiters with the larger two being the Cooper's Hawk and Northern Goshawk. Anccipiters are forest-dwellers and are characterized by short but wide wings, a long tail and long legs. These traits along with stealth, ambush and speed, make them agile and acrobatic hunters in densely wooded areas. The sharpie's diet consists mainly of other birds. Chelan Ridge, Washington USA
Oregon is home to one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal dunes in the world. The stark contrast of ocean, dunes, temperate forests, wetlands, sun and mist in such a small area is the recipe for rare and stunningly beautiful sights. South Jetty, Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Florence Oregon, USA
Watching Bighorn Sheep prance around on these loose cliff edges is a bit nerve racking for me as a human. Watching the lambs bounding right over the edge at speed made me wonder if they would reappear. They are incredibly agile and confident on these surfaces and the young always came bouncing back over the top into view. In 2017, Badlands National Park was home to at least 265 Bighorn Sheep. That number is 10% lower then the 2016 count, the 5 year average and the lowest count since 2006. The herds have been suffering from a bacterial pneumonia but seem to be recovering as mortality rates in exposed herds has declined. Game management doesn't seem to be concerned as hunting permits are expected to be issued for 2018 unless there are significant deaths before the season opens. Five permits were issued in 2017 and all 5 hunters bagged a ram (ewes and lambs are not allowed to be hunted). Badlands National Park, South Dakota USA
