The horses I saw were few in numbers at Paynes Prairie Preserve but the beauty was abundant! The prairie was cloaked in orange sea oats providing a spectacular setting for wildlife photography and the pastel blue skies promised days filled with tranquility.
He seemed to be saying, "Oh, it's you again?"
Colt and Mama
Wild stallion in the background
Of the 50 wild horses roaming the prairie lands in Payne Prairie Preserve, I saw 4. That's right. 4. It wasn't from a lack of trying though! I biked and hiked through muddy trails, oftentimes sinking to my calves in water from flooded ponds nearby. I never once completed any trail because they just became too swampy the farther down the trail I hiked and biked. Amazingly my water proof hiking boots did such a great job keeping my feet completely dry! After one of these hikes through black mud and swamp water I glanced behind me and noticed an alligator lounging beside the path I had just hiked! I think my heart stopped momentarily when I saw that! Did I really just trapse through that same trail not realizing there might be alligators nearby? Although I knew there were alligators in the area I thought they would stay near the large bodies of water, not the shallow pools of water that had collected from flooded areas close by. Needless to say, I was much more cautious and less determined to hike or bike a trail to the end after that sighting!
Young mare
I appreciated how his color complimented the scenery
Cattle egret was often on, under, or walking with the family
This cattle egret could often be found with the family
Cattle egret with his his pet colt
Stallion on alert. He never moved from his spot but he was acutely aware of my presence. Though he tolerated me I created extra distance between us so he didnt feel threatened.
Coming to check me out
Anytime I go on a photography trip I realize there are no guarantees that I'll get the shots I want. The wildlife might not even show up. So much of wildlife photography is being in the right place at the right time and putting in the hours to increase the chances of sightings. For this particular location I knew I had a greater chance of not seeing wild horses than most any other places I go. There are only 50 wild horses on approximately 22,000 acres! Not the greatest of odds. Further reducing my chances for sightings is the report I got from a couple of the park rangers that recent heavy downpours had caused flooding on parts of the prairie, limiting access to many of the parts the horses and bison frequent. Photographing the wild horses was my first priority and photographing the bison would have been icing on the cake! However, I didnt see any bison though I could see evidence of where they had been on the trails.
To cover more ground I rented a mountain bike that proved to save me a lot of time! I got pretty efficient hiking it up on its back wheel and walking it through the cattle gates. The temperature was in the lower 80's and each day ended with me being dirty, sweaty, and tired! Just the way I like it!
"Day is done, gone the sun, all is well, safely rest, God is nigh.."
