Coyote Crossing

I was doing my weekend morning ritual, driving to all my favorite secret wildlife hot spots, when I spotted orange ears in a far off field. I put the car in reverse, pulled over and got out the binoculars. It was a coyote, who had also spotted me. I am not nearly as discreet as he was, so I put the car back in gear and headed down the road in pursuit of a turnoff and enough time to give the coyote back his confidence to pursue his destination. I waited a few minutes, and then headed back in his general direction, when I see up ahead, that he is crossing the road. He jumped the ditch, crawled under the barbed wire, trotted into the field, and disappeared into the goldenrod, then reappeared as he leaped up on some huge hay bails. Perfect! The morning sun was harsh, the background was wooded except for an opening, so I stategically placed my car for the shot out the drivers side window. I grabbed "Big Daddy" (my largest lens) propped it on a cushion for my makeshift tripod, and shot away. The settings were tough because of the hard light, but with the background being dark it should make for a decent shot. I was lucky enough to have the time to mess with settings, because the coyote was content with his post. I took quite a few before he decided he had had enough of my disturbance, which always brings a feeling of regret for me, because I hate to have been the cause of his departure.
The top 2 photos were taken with Big Daddy (500mm)-the 3rd with a smaller lens (300mm). In comparison, the smaller worked better as a scenic shot, because my lowest f-stop (5.6) was lower than with Big Daddy (6.3). I got a brighter, and more detailed shot, along with being able to keep a faster shutter speed for sharpness.

Tomorrow...Rustic Shores