Pronghorn yearling portraitPronghorn yearling portrait – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1/2500, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

Photographing birds was slow yesterday on Antelope Island State Park but a small herd of Pronghorn showed up close enough to the road to take a few portraits of them before they crossed the road and went down a hill. I am always tickled when I am able to get portraits of pronghorns because before I bought a longer lens and before I visited Antelope Island where the pronghorn are used to people I wasn’t able to get close enough to take portraits, I was barely able to get close enough to them to get images that clearly showed they were pronghorn at all. When I lived in Colorado it seemed by the time I pulled over to get images they were high-tailing it out of the area.

Pronghorn buck portraitPronghorn buck portrait – Nikon D810, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light

The Pronghorn on Antelope Island State Park are used to vehicles and used to humans on foot. They are protected on the island and aren’t hunted so they aren’t as skittish. So I am able to not only get full body images but portraits too.

Pronghorn are not true antelopes but resemble Old World antelope so the name has stuck. It would seem odd to call Antelope Island SP by the name Pronghorn Island State Park though.

I am very fortunate to live in an area where I can see these beautiful creatures up close and that is some thing I don’t take for granted.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my Pronghorn photos plus facts and information about this species.