Tag / snow

by kritterspaw

Let the Snow Fall

When it snows, we get going. Before it has a chance to melt we are out and about first thing looking for good light, great snow shots, and animals in the snow.

It’s pretty common for animals to hunker down during a snowfall. Once it’s over, they are out foraging for food. And we are keen to find them.

When I told a photographer friend that I actually just drove around looking for animals, he looked at me as if I was mad. I confess it takes a lot of time, and we spend a lot of time doing it. Sometimes you get lucky and it pays dividends.

After awhile though, you do find spots that tend to be more fruitful for different animals. I know where to look for antelope, eagles, osprey, and elk. It is WILD-life so nothing is predictable, but repeated outings make me more consistently ‘lucky’.

We left early, just as the sun started breaking the horizon (about 6:30am) and wandered around for hours.

Honestly, it’s rewarding just to be out in the beauty of nature. I never used to like snow, but have come to appreciate and enjoy the gorgeous fresh snow clinging to the trees and blanketing the forest. When I see the animals emerging from them, I appreciate that this is their gorgeous home that we live in together.

It’s a beautiful thing.

See more photographs of my snow outing here .. https://kritterspix.com/2025/04/19/snow-sheep/

by kritterspaw

New Snow

The weather forecast said we’d get 12 – 18″ every day for 3 days. I’m not sure who got our snow, but we didn’t.

We got maybe 7″ over the 3 days.

We drove up Lake Mary Road having heard that Flagstaff got 18″+ just on the first day. It seems we found our snow. The snow as we neared Flagstaff grew heavier each mile with large drifts and snow piled high.

We were happy to find it… and the herd of elk wandering through.

by kritterspaw

Dr. Seuss Trees

When we went out to take photos after a recent snowstorm, I couldn’t help but think of our forests weighed down by wet heavy snow, as ‘Grinch trees’. You know, the Dr. Seuss animated classic with white cascading trees.

As we pulled off the road, fearful of getting stuck in deep snow drifts, we reveled in the blue sky the morning after our heavy snowfall. By afternoon, as the sun came out, the snow was gone, much to the relief of the burdened trees.

For more photos from our recent storm and it’s inhabitants that enjoy it, check out my post here… https://kritterspix.com/2023/01/03/let-there-be-snow/

by kritterspaw

Like a little kid

Kids love snow. There is something just fun and adventurous about sliding down slopes, making snowmen, and snowball fights.

I know our pup, Trek, enjoyed her first snow.

So animals aren’t any different. Particularly the baby animals. They are just as nuts for it.

We’ve seen baby deer, elk, and now big horn sheep go crazy for the snow. We were fortunate enough to be able to watch this amazing herd playing in the snow.

We felt very privileged to witness their fun. You can literally see the joy on their faces.

If you enjoyed these photos, you can see more of this ‘shoot’ here.. https://kritterspix.com/2022/12/15/practice-makes-better/

by kritterspaw

Snow Windfall

We were projected to get 1/2″ of snow, so weren’t we surprised when we got over 8″ of snow?

It came down in large soft flakes, covering the trees and the landscape. It was absolutely beautiful.

We were fortunate enough to get animals during… and after the snowfall.

Which we tried to take great advantage of.

It was amazing how quickly the snow came in… and how fast it was gone. Spring is coming and our snow season may be on the way out.

I’d be happy for a few more snow storms before Spring enters the foray. There is something surprisingly peaceful and beautiful about the fresh fallen snow. If we are to endure the cold… give me snow!

by kritterspaw

Weather Promises

We had been promised snow on multiple occasions. They said we’d get 1 – 3 inches during the day, and 4 – 6″ that evening. Not to be that day, or the next, or the one after that.

I never thought I’d say it, but I’ve come to like the snow. It blows in all sorts of things, like this beautiful cooper’s hawk.

Or this little falcon….

As we feel the storm coming, the clouds and winds roll in, but the promise doesn’t come… our friends in South Carolina are soaking up the sun in shorts & tee-shirts on the beach. (This just after coming back from freezing on the West Coast, enduring incessant rains and cold temperatures on the California beach.)

We finally got our snow, about 6″. It was here and then gone. But with it, we got our animals.

We took the opportunity to go out and find them, and were rewarded with some nice shots of elk in the snow.

And big horn sheep

In the course of a week since we got back from CA, we saw deer, elk, ram, and even a coyote.

Gotta love where we live!

See more snow / animal pix here …

https://kritterspix.com/2022/01/01/first-snow-3/

by kritterspaw

Snow Foraging

Elk forages through the snow with bull elk behind.
Buck prowls through the deep snow.

I never realized the trouble our animals had trudging through thick snow. With the threat of predators, swift winds, and deep snow, animals hunker down during large snow falls.

I can only imagine them running in heavy snow, with unknown ground coverage, rocks, and trees beneath their feet.

It made me happy for what we have, and not have to fend for ourselves or our food. It can be a harsh world out there, so take the time to practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.

See my other posts, here… https://kritterspix.com/2021/01/29/a-world-of-friends/ and here… https://kritterspix.com/2021/01/27/we-got-snow/.

by kritterspaw

Blizzard

Snow falls on road along Mogollon Rim.

Ok. That may be pushing it a bit. But we got 2″ in an hour along the Mogollon Rim. It was a virtual blizzard for a short time.

Which was a big surprise to us considering we just got back from 3 nights camping at Alstrom Point waiting for a single cloud! (See post here.. https://kritterspix.com/2020/12/12/alstrom-point/)

It was quite the winter wonderland, and made for a great way to kick off the holiday season. We loved it!

by kritterspaw

Got Snow?!

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Yep!  First snow of the season, measurable snow anyway.  It was only 2 -3″, but it coated the trees and left it’s impression.

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There is something about new snow as it clings to the trees with all it’s white beauty.

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It’s a beautiful sight to behold  One which has been an acquired taste for me, as I always hated snow – too cold!

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But I have come to appreciate it for it’s beauty.  Living in the mountains we aren’t faced with the same dirty snow as big cities have as it piles up along the roads, mixed with cinder and asphalt.  Our’s is pristine and wild.

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Our snow is here… and gone.  It doesn’t last long.  So we enjoy it for whatever time we have it.

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And if we’re lucky, we brave the winter elements and get out and take pix… as we did for this brief snow storm.

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We were the only one’s on the road, and we felt like we were in our own world as we drove through the abandon forest roads in this magical winter wonderland, with all it’s peacefulness and untarnished spirit.  It was a thing of beauty.