Monthly_Update

Monthly_Update Message

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:07:00 GMT

We are approaching the end of summer, easy to say when looking at the calendar but Mother Nature is not giving up on causing us destruction. In less than a week, we have seen flash floods in the Nepal/Tibet region in Asia take many lives and closer to home, nearly a dozen people are unaccounted for in the Grand Canyon and I see that regions of Utah had flash floods today. One thing I would like to remind everyone, save yourself and get to safety before you feel the desire to record the destruction with your cell phone. For Labor Day weekend, most of the US can expect to see high temperatures, with the majority of the South and Southeast feeling like triple-digit heat. Meanwhile, here in Illinois, we are just waiting for another storm cell to show up and add to our already record 210 tornadoes in 2026. Apparently, Mother Nature is very angry. Get outside this weekend and enjoy a three-day weekend in the fresh air before the days get too short.The first image this month was captured earlier this summer at Devils Tower National Monument. The sculpture is called "Wind Circle" by Japanese sculptor Junkyu Muto; this was the third World Peace Sculpture created by the artist - the first one was placed at the Vatican, while the second one was located near the Bodhi Tree in Bodhi Gaya, India. The base stone came from the Crazy Horse Memorial. Camera Data: 24mm 1/400 sec F13 ISO800Our second image is a short three-hour drive from our first image; this one was found in Badlands National Park. This image was captured last month shortly after sunrise, which was more of a boring cloud show, without any sun to be seen for a few hours. While looking for a trailhead, I found numerous Mule Deer foraging in the grasses and heard a dog barking. Looking the direction of the dog, which was being walked down a gravel road, I noticed the pet barking at some Mule Deer. The deer seemed intrigued by this strange sound and just kept staring at the dog, which I was happy for; their distraction helped so I could capture a few images of them. Camera Data: 200mm 1/500 sec F8 ISO1600 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As. Save it to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/september.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:37:00 GMT

This month was scheduled to be a a easy one for me, with two consecutive weekends off, which has not occurred on my calendar since April 2025! If you know me, that plan did not work out as I found a bit of history was traveling in Illinois and I had to get some images captured. Just over 36 hours one weekend, I drove nearly 500 miles without leaving the state of Illinois to capture images of a historic steam locomotive heading south to St. Louis. Wish I could say that everything I tried with my photography gear worked out but I learned a few things with my failures; that's always an important lesson. Going to take you back to last fall with our first image, a scene from Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. The different colors of water and bacteria in the terraces makes the area a wonderful location for photographers. If you look closely, you will find trees attempting to grow in the water of the upper terrace. Camera Data: 135mm 1/13 sec F18 ISO100The second image is a very unique item, it's the Union Pacific Big Boy No.4014. This engine is the largest steam locomotive operating in the world, it was traveling across the country for the 250th anniversary of our independence. Some interesting facts from the Union Pacific website: Twenty-five Big Boys were commissioned exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. These massive locomotives were built to haul heavy equipment in support of the war effort, normally operating between Ogden, Utah, and Cheyenne, Wyoming. The Big Boys are 133 feet long and weigh 1.2 million pounds. Due to their great length, the frames of the Big Boys are “hinged,” or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They have a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which means they have four wheels on the leading set of “pilot” wheels to guide the engine; eight drivers on the first engine; another set of eight drivers on the second engine; and four wheels trailing that support the rear of the locomotive. No. 4014 was retired in Dec. 1961 after traveling 1,031,205 miles. Union Pacific reacquired it from the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona, California, in 2013 and relocated it back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, for a multi-year restoration. It returned to service in May 2019 to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad's Completion. The seven other remaining Big Boys are on public display in St. Louis, Missouri; Dallas, Texas; Omaha, Nebraska; Denver, Colorado; Scranton, Pennsylvania; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and Cheyenne, Wyoming. Camera Data: 24mm 1/400 sec F16 ISO400 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/august.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 08:07:00 GMT

Two big milestones over the next few days: the halfway point in the year and then, a few days later, the United States will celebrate 250 years of Independence. While 250 years is a long time, it's an insignificant number when compared to the countries in Europe and the Middle East, plus considering the native american's who inhabited the lands of the US long before ships sailed across the Atlantic. On the flip side, in a short time period, our ancestors have done a fairly good job of destroying the wildlife and lands in this country. Hopefully, everyone in the US will do a better job of managing the resources that we leave to our descendants. Our first image this month is a fascinating cloud formation, mammatus clouds - typically these are related to strong storms. These were captured at the tail end of a storm cell that included at least four tornadoes in the eastern half of Illinois a few weeks ago. Not sure why but the state of Illinois has been having a large number of severe storms this year and an extremely high number of tornadoes. As of a week ago, Illinois had experienced 196 confirmed tornadoes in 2026; Mississippi is second with 83 - not a fact that you want to be leading in the counts. There have been a number of scientists and storm chasers in the state in the past month and hopefully they are able to collect valuable data for their research. Camera Data: 24mm 1/200 sec F9.0 ISO800Our next image is a tribute to a young racer, husband, father and genuine person that I had the pleasure of knowing. Dan Bromley tragically lost his life in a racing incident last Saturday. This image was captured less than three hours prior to the accident and I have no words I can express at this time. Rest in peace Dan. Camera Data: 400mm 1/800 sec F4.0 ISO250 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save, then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/july.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions or comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:45:00 GMT

The first day of summer is Sunday, June 21, which is the date of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, plus it's Father's Day - start making plans now for a wonderful day in the outdoors! This month, we have two extremes for everyone: a slow-paced hike in the woods to powerful motorcycles traveling over 160 miles per hour. You can decide which suits your style more, personally I like both of them.  If you ever find yourself in Northern California, in the little city of Chico, make sure to add a city park to your bucket list of must-see locations. One of the largest municipal parks in the nation, Bidwell Park is the crown jewel of the City of Chico. The image is from Upper Bidwell park, with a large number of hiking and mountain biking trails, picnic areas, golf courses and swimming holes. It is a city park that I have never seen before in my travels with something for everyone in the family. This image was captured while I was hiking along the Lower Yahl Trail. Apparently, a football player named Aaron Rogers lives in the city of Chico, it's his hometown - a little fact I did not know. Camera Data: 24mm 1/40 sec F16 ISO400Our second image this month is hot off the presses, if we were still using printing presses for these calendars. This image was shot yesterday afternoon during an event in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The image is a classic rivalry between two big brands attempting to one-up the other. On the left is an Indian Challenger and on the right, the Harley Davidson Road Glide. While these models may look similar to the motorcycle your uncle or neighbor owns, these are true race-produced machines, but lucky for speed enthusiasts, the designs developed in racing are making it to the street models. So the brand war that was started in the early 1900's is still alive and well. Camera Data: 400mm 1/12800 sec F2.8 ISO3200 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image. http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/june.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Fri, 01 May 2026 05:53:00 GMT

Who is ready for May flowers after the April showers? This past week, the Midwest has seen its share of showers, some severe and some just an inconvenience. Hoping all readers of this newsletter are safe and only suffering minor property damage, if any, was sustained. Last weekend I went to Ventura, California, for a race and enjoyed some mild weather; most people thought it was cold, I thought it was great - mid-50's, the majority of the time. I took a little time to relax, as much as I can handle, but I still shot photos to keep me occupied. Our first image is from my first stop last weekend, from the Ventura Botanical Gardens. Unfortunately, I was unable to spend much time in the gardens since I arrived about 30 minutes before they closed. It's a location that I will return to one day and fully explore the various regions. From their website - "Spread out over 107 acres, our botanical collection consists of over 120,000 plants from the Mediterranean climate regions of the world". I was able to visit the Chilean garden, with this image being a Quisco cactus. Camera Data: 70mm 1/320 sec F16 ISO800The next image is from the coastline of the Pacific Ocean, while a surfer is trying to find the perfect wave to ride. It was interesting to watch numerous surfers attempting to ride waves that were less than five feet high, nothing like watching surfers in movies. Those who know me well might be surprised to learn that surfing is one sport I have not tried yet. Maybe someday I will rent a board and try my luck - most likely I will not be riding waves like this young man. Camera Data: 300mm 1/1250 sec F5.6 ISO1600 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/may.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:22:00 GMT

Sorry for the delay - I originally scheduled this on an incorrect date. Hoping that everyone reading this message is doing well and getting outside to enjoy the weather, at least when possible. Earlier this month, on my way to Daytona, I took a few extra days to take my time traveling plus visit some new locations. Rarely do we share both images from the same location but that is what we are doing this month, both are from St.Marks National Wildlife Refuge in St.Marks Florida, it's one of the oldest in the National Wildlife Refuge system. Honestly I had some ideas in mind but those did not work out, so I took advantage of what was provided. The St.Marks NWR was created in 1931 with the intent of providing winter habitat for migratory birds. My desire was to find large numbers of Sandhill Cranes and possibly another Whooping Crane and if I was lucky, more than one.The other photo subject I was looking for, a lighthouse on the Gulf of Mexico for sunset. Read on to learn what we found.We have heard from numerous people that the past few newsletters have not been received, we are working with our hosting company to try and resolve what appears to related to spam being sent from a server by the hosting company - it has created a blacklist for the company and they are attempting to clear this. Sorry if this has created any problems for you. The town of St.Marks was considered an important sea port in the early 1800's, but after it became common for ships to run aground or stuck in shallow muddy waters, there was a push by the state to get a lighthouse built by the Federal Government. Based on the need to have a port in the gulf to support the panhandle and southern Georgia, this was finally approved. While I liked the historic lighthouse, I was not thrilled with the images available, mostly due to the number of people walking around and vehicles in the angle I liked. I could use Photoshop to fix but that's always a last resort for me. While I was hoping the people would move on, they did not, appears they were waiting for sunset. I decided to focus on a different area. The area I decided on, a section of a former boat dock, with wonderful color of a setting sun and small section of clouds.  Camera Data: 24mm 3.2 sec F13 ISO100While I was hoping to find different species of birds, more of the cranes I photographed a few months ago. While stopping at the visitor center to learn more about the refuge and where species could be located, I learned of an abundance of a reptile that was enjoying the nice weather - the American Alligator. Apparantley a woman and her kids were out riding their bikes on trails and encountered numerous alligators on the trails. If you know me, you can guess what my first question was - 'what trail were you on'? Yes I wanted to photograph the alligators but from a safe distance, I really did not wish to have a close encounter while I was hiking. Expecting to see a couple of alligators along the hike, whilst hoping for a dozen would have been a good day for a Midwestern resident. Actually I lost count of the number of alligators spotted, my guess is around 75 over my 6 mile hike. This image includes a couple of alligators, probably around 6-7 feet long each.  Camera Data: 300mm 1/1600 sec F8 ISO800 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/april.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:07:00 GMT

Spring is upon us, at least in the Midwest, unlike some sections of the West and Northeast United States who most likely feel like winter will never end. Most likely Mother Nature is messing around with us and will bring back winter conditions one more time, not uncommon for March. This time of year is also the start of motorsport events and racing outdoors, we will be hitting the road soon and this year’s calendar is filling quick. We will share more details once everything is finalized.For readers in North and Central America, Australia and Eastern Asia, on March 3 there is a total lunar eclipse that is centered over the Pacific Ocean. Hopefully Mother Nature cooperates and provides me clear skies to capture some images. Unfortunately, I will be too far east as the eclipse progresses, with the eclipse ending after sunrise. Hopefully we can share an image next month, wish me luck! The first image this month is a good reminder for everyone, including myself, to slow down and take a look around. I was hiking a trail in Larrabee State Park near Bellingham, WA look for interesting tree and moss formations, more detail style images. For some reason, I decided to look up and saw this view and I loved it. It was nothing like I was looking for but something I am very happy that I captured. Camera Data: 16mm 1/60 sec F11 ISO400Our second image I would title "the one that got away", I was excited to be close enough to this immature Bald Eagle as it dropped down to capture something from the water. Talons out and obviously eye on the prize but unfortunately for both of us, whatever that was in the water must have dived down because the eagle turned away shortly after this image was captured. Maybe we both can have success the nest time. Camera Data: 800mm 1/1600 sec F5.6 ISO2500 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/march.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:33:00 GMT

Already to February and while I believe most areas of the US were having nice weather after the first of the year, Mother Nature has thrown everyone a curveball to end the month. Now, areas that don't normally get snow are and areas that are typically mild are getting cold. Hopefully whereever you are located, you and your family are safe. The first image is from a sunset in Decemeber and I like the fire look but remembering how cold the day was. Guess they say why you should not judge a book by its cover. Camera Data: 70mm 1/250 sec F13 ISO3200Our second image this month is from the annual Sandhill Crane migration. I like the artistic look with every other wing set in a pattern but we are missing one bird with its wings down. Camera Data: 560mm 1/1250 sec F5.6 ISO1600 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/february.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:08:00 GMT

WELCOME to 2026! Hope your celebration was enjoyable with family and/or friends. Wishing everyone a successful 2026 and that you learned from events in 2025 - we need to keep learning to help us grow, no matter what our age. Hopefully, everyone's holiday season was pleasant and you were able to relax and remove stress from your life.Thank you to those who took the time to respond with comments and suggestions after last month's message. We have made one major change for this new year, the images are now sized for 4k displays, so depending on the image content, the file sizes will typically be larger than previous images. If you have a problem with the new size, please let me know. Our first image this month is from Yellowstone National Park, which was captured in the Mammoth Hot Springs Terrace area. The section in this image is the Minerva Terrace and is one of the areas where it is easy to see how Mother Nature has taken over a section. While not visible in this frame, in person, you can see old sections of the walkway handrails that are not nearly fully covered with new travertine. According to the National Park Service, activity shifts dramatically around this terrace and is named for the Roman goddess of artists and sculptors. In the short seven years of multiple visits to the park, I can see that this region is definitely changing quickly, as I know there are some areas that I would not be able to reproduce an image captured previously because the colors are no longer there. Camera Data: 50mm 1/13 sec F13 ISO100The next image was a surprise capture in more than one way. I had traveled to a new location in Indiana to attempt to capture the annual Sandhill Crane migration. Near the end of the day, I was in an area where numerous birds were flying overhead as they were going to socialize before heading to their roost for the evening. While capturing images, I noticed that one of the birds that flew over had banding on its leg, which seemed odd that a Sandhill Crane was banded. I recalled reading an article on the International Crane Foundation (ICF) website about reporting banded birds but could not recall all the details. Once I had returned home, upon looking at the images captured, I noticed the banded bird was not a Sandhill Crane! A little digging and I discovered I actually photographed a juvenile Whooping Crane, I was extremely happy to learn this as these birds are rare to see, much less photograph. I went to the ICF website and submitted a report of my sighting and after some correspondence back and forth, I was able to learn more about this particular bird. Those details are in the next paragraph; this was a very special day, even if I learned about what I captured a few days later. Camera Data: 560mm 1/1000 sec F5.6 ISO1600From the ICF - "Information on the bird you saw, 35_25 is a first-year bird that hatched this summer at our headquarters in Baraboo, WI. Every year, we hatch and raise a cohort of Whooping Cranes to release into our Eastern Migratory Population (EMP) in Wisconsin. This reintroduction effort was started in 2001 and involved raising Whooping Crane chicks (also called colts) in costume to avoid them imprinting on humans. From 2001-2016, the released birds were led to Florida on their winter migration via ultralight aircraft in a project known as Operation Migration; however, by 2016, there were enough adults in the population to teach newly released chicks the migration route and the use of the aircraft was stopped. Each year, our cohort of captive-reared chicks gets a theme for names, and this year's theme was dinosaurs, with 35_25 being aptly named Sinclair.  In the EMP, as of 1 December 2025, there are 65 wild birds. In the world, there are ~800 Whooping Cranes with approximately 650 in the wild and 150 in captivity. With only ~25 birds left in the world in the 1940s, this is definitely a big improvement, but there is still lots of work to be done." What is kind of amazing is the fact I was able to capture a few images on the fly over but also the fact that there were an estimated 10,000 Sandhill Cranes in the area, so seeing this young bird is extra special. If you want to learn more about the Whooping Cranes or the Foundation, visit https://savingcranes.org Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens, along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, open the required version for your device, right-click on the image or right-click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set it as your background image.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/january.html Enjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions or comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Mon, 01 Dec 2025 10:07:00 GMT

Happy Holidays to everyone, hard to believe we are starting the final month of 2025 and what a year it has been. I have not fully processed all that has happened this year, nor how many images were captured over the past eleven months. Maybe I will try to determine that value before next month but I may not want to know the number either. I am already planning personal trips for the next two years and rescheduling one for next year, so more details on those once all is finalized. A few weeks ago, I was able to head west for a week of photography with visits to Badlands National Park, Yellowstone National Park and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. In case readers have not heard of the Little Bighorn Battlefield NM, it was originally named "Custer Battlefield National Monument" but was changed in 1991 to honor all who fought in the two-day battle in 1876. Both of our images this month are from the same day, November 11, which I did not plan but based on Christmas colors, I thought they were appropriate, plus most people don't want to see images of snow.Would like to say thank you to those who responded to last month's newsletter question. We really appreciate the feedback. Wishing everyone a wonderful and safe holiday season and an even better beginning to 2026. The first image this month was not something I was expecting during my visit to Yellowstone NP and honestly was not prepared for equipment-wise. I really needed a super wide-angle lens but those were 1000 miles away. About the time I arrived in the park, there was a coronal mass ejection that sent material towards Earth but the full magnitude of the event was not known until I was already in the park. In case you missed it, November was host to the strongest geomagnetic storms in 2025 and this particular event was the most intense I have seen in the lower 48 states. The storm was so large that I read reports people in central Mexico were able to see the aurora (aka Northern Lights). At my location in Mammoth, Wyoming, the sky was nearly completely covered at times; it was a wonderful experience - hopefully everyone had an opportunity to take a quick look. Camera Data: 24mm 6.0 sec F5.0 ISO800Staying with Christmas colors, how about a Red Fox for the second image? Not sure if this fox was recently from the groomers or what but the coat of this animal was wonderful plus you can see it's ready for winter with the thick coat and tail. I was lucky enough to watch this beautiful animal hunt for food nearly an hour before I decided to leave it alone and hunt without me capturing images, most other people who had stopped took a quick few pictures with their phones and went on their way. I enjoyed the time and learned more about their behaviors while hunting for food, something you can not achieve at a zoo. Camera Data: 540mm 1/1600 sec F7.1 ISO1600 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, Right click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu pop-up will be displayed. Click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/december.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>

Monthly_Update Message

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 08:39:00 GMT

We are approaching the end of the year already and I still don't feel like fall has arrived; leaves are still on the trees while cooler temps have been here for a few weeks. Here in Central Illinois, the colors have not been great but we have seen some good color in patches, hopefully, your area has been colorful. Both images this month are from my trip out West in August this year and I am planning to make another trip west in the near future for a visit during a different time of year than I have done previously; hopefully everything comes together and Mother Nature is kind to me.Once in a while, I make changes to this newsletter and the images made available for you to download to your personal devices. Let me know what you like or don't like and if you have any suggestions for the 2026 version. Would you prefer a blog-style web posting and not something emailed or maybe a combination of the two methods? There are no right or wrong answers, so provide your feedback.The first image this month could give people chills with Halloween being yesterday. Without context, it's hard to imagine what this is without a size reference; it could be a macro image of a nest or honeycomb. This is actually an image of boxwork, a few hundred feet underground at Wind Cave National Park. Some of the structure walls are about the thickness of a credit card and to do the structure justice, read the article on the website for Wind Cave NP to get a better understanding of the origin and makeup of the walls. If I recall my tour correctly, Wind Cave has the largest concentration of boxwork in the world. Visit this link to learn more: https://home.nps.gov/wica/learn/nature/speleothems-boxwork.htm   Camera Data: 24mm 1/60 sec F5.6 ISO6400The next image this month will most likely help everyone think of Thanksgiving meals but hopefully with a little larger turkey. Of course, we are looking at the wild turkey, with a hen and a couple of chicks, taken while I was visiting Devils Tower National Monument. The tom was nearby but was lagging behind the family. In this instance, I arrived at the right moment, a few minutes after I found these birds, the chicks jumped off the log and were nearly completely hidden in the grass - right place and right time for sure. Camera Data: 300mm 1/640 sec F4 ISO2500 Here's a link to download the appropriate version of this month's image for your desktop, one for standard screens and one for wide-screens along with a Mobile Phone Image. For desktop computers or tablets, Right click on the text for the format you need and select Save As, save to a location on your device and change the background as needed for your OS.For Mobile devices, most mobile phones require a long press and a menu popup will be displayed, click save then follow the steps for your operating system to set as your background image.If anyone has problems or questions with their mobile device, let me know and I will try to assist.http://www.timlesterimages.com/calendar/november.htmlEnjoy the images this month and let me know if you have any questions and comments! Tim Lester TIM LESTER IMAGES Email: tim@PROTECTED Website: www.timlesterimages.com Prints: prints.timlesterimages.comSocial Media Links:About Me: http://www.about.me/timlesterimages Instagram: http://instagram.com/timlesterimages Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/timlesterimages Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timlesterimagesSports Images: http://www.sportsshooter.com/timlester Additional Images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/timlester<grammarly-desktop-integration data-grammarly-shadow-root="true"></grammarly-desktop-integration>