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All photos on thomasoneil.com 2017
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Some pages contain images from more than one year and the descriptions may refer to other years, but displayed here are only the photos taken in 2017.

Black Hills and Badlands - Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park, and Badlands National Park, April 2017. Bighorns, bison, elk, bluebirds.
Bighorns in the Badlands.
Badlands Bighorns		 Elk in Custer State Park. This was on a part of the Wildlife Loop near the airport where I had never seen an elk before.
 Bison baby in Custer State Park.
 Bison baby in Custer State Park.
 Bison baby in Custer State Park.
 Bison baby in Custer State Park.
Bison baby in Custer State Park.
 Bison in Wind Cave National Park.
 Prairie dogs in Wind Cave National Park.
 Prairie dog in Wind Cave National Park.
 Mountain Bluebird in Custer State Park.
 Mountain Bluebird in Custer State Park.
Black Hills Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird in Custer State Park.
 Mountain Bluebird in Custer State Park.
 Mountain Bluebird in Custer State Park.
 Mountain Bluebird in Custer State Park.
 Mountain bluebird female, in Custer State Park.
 Mountain bluebird female, Custer State Park.
Meadowlark in Custer State Park.
 Bighorn ewes, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorns, Badlands National Park.
Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn in the Badlands.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorns, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
Badlands Bighorn		 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorn relaxing and enjoying the view, Badlands National Park.

4th of July - 4th of July parade, rodeo and fireworks in Red Lodge, Montana, 2017.
Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Rodeo Parade, Red Lodge, MT.
 Home of Champions Rodeo, Red Lodge, MT.
Sunset ahead of the fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.
 Fireworks, Red Lodge, MT.

Johnson Space Center, Houston - Johnson Space Center, Houston, July 2017.
Mars Curiosity Rover, Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Curiosity		 Control panel for Space Shuttle replica Independence, Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Independence		 Space Shuttle Independence mounted on 747, Johnson Space Center, Houston. The shuttle is a replica but the 747 is one of those used in the program.
Independence		 Apollo 17 command module America piloted by Ronald Evans, Johnson Space Center, Houston. Apollo 17 was the last moon mission in 1972, making Harrison Schmitt and Gene Cernan the last men on the moon. I thought we would be on Mars by the turn of the century, but American leaders had more mundane ambitions after Apollo.
Apollo 17		 Gemini 5 capsule (Cooper and Conrad, 1965) in the rafters of the Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Gemini 5		 Gemini space walk depicted in the rafters of the Johnson Space Center, Houston. However, this is Gemini 5 and I don’t think Cooper or Conrad made a space walk on that mission. The first American space walk was Ed White on Gemini 4. Artistic license?
Gemini 5
Mercury capsule Faith 7 flown by Gordon Cooper in 1963, Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Faith 7		 Apollo Lunar Excursion Module, Johnson Space Center, Houston. A replica, of course.
 A depiction of the International Space Station, Johnson Space Center, Houston.
 Galileo shuttle craft from the Starship Enterprise, Johnson Space Center, Houston. Unfortunately just a mockup.
Galileo		 Historic Mission Control, Johnson Space Center, Houston. Back when America had ambitions, mission to the Moon were controlled from here.
 Redstone rocket used for Mercury missions next to a Saturn V engine, Johnson Space Center, Houston.
Saturn V, Rocket Park, Johnson Space Center, Houston.
 Saturn V, Rocket Park, Johnson Space Center, Houston.

Top 10 (+) Bighorn Sheep images from Badlands of South Dakota - Favorite Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep images from Badlands National Park, South Dakota 2007-17 and beyond.
Bighorns, Badlands National Park.
 Bighorns, Badlands National Park.

Top 10 (+) Bison and Pronghorn images from South Dakota - Favorite Bison and Pronghorn images from South Dakota 2007-17 and beyond. Locations include Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park.
A solitary bison looking for a spot to graze along the rim above the Badlands, South Dakota.
 A solitary bison looking for a spot to graze along the rim above the Badlands, South Dakota.
Badlands Bison

Top 10 other mammal images from South Dakota - Favorite images of "other mammals" from South Dakota 2007-17, not including elk, bison, bighorns and pronghorns.
Badger, Conata Basin, South Dakota, screen grab from video.

Top 10 (+) big bird images from South Dakota - Favorite images of big birds (other than eagles) from South Dakota 2007-17 an beyond.
Burrowing owl south of Pierre.
South Dakota Owl		 Meadowlark in Custer State Park.
 One of the weirder wildlife encounters I´ve had. This duck seemed to be considering building a nest in the rosemary plant on my deck.

Top 10 small flying things images from South Dakota - Favorite images of little birds and butterflies from South Dakota 2007-17.
Mountain Bluebird in Custer State Park.

Top 10 (+) scenic images from South Dakota - I'm not really a scenic photographer, but here are some scenes (and some "other") from around South Dakota 2007-17 and beyond.
Bighorn, Badlands National Park.
 Lone tree in a prairie dog town, Conata Basin, South Dakota.
 Capping off the South Dakota slide show is this bighorn lost in the desolation of Badlands National Park.
 Fire surrounds the camera, Wind Cave National Park.

Solar Eclipse - Solar Eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017 as seen from Jay Em, Wyoming.
Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017. Partial phase is starting. Note the line of four sunspots just ahead of the edge of the Moon. The filtered shots were taken at 1/500 or 1/250, f8, ISO 800, 100-400mm lens with a solar filter at 400mm on Canon 5D Mark III
 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, the Moon is starting to cover a line of sunspots.
 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, nearing totality.
 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, unlike the other images in this sequence, taken with a point-and-shoot camera through a telescope eyepiece. Because it was taken through a telescope, the image is flipped from actual view.
 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, first image of totality and the corona. Shutter speed 1/250.
 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, faster shutter speed of 1/640 shows less of the corona and more of the details near the surface.
Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, very fast shutter speed (1/2500) reveals prominences rising from surface of the sun at 12:00, 1:00 and 3:00.
 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, a processed version of the previous image. Very fast shutter speed (1/2500) reveals prominences rising from surface of the sun.
Total Eclipse 2017		 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, after totality one final shot, then it was off to join the horrendous traffic jam going into Lusk.
 Solar eclipse, Aug. 21, 2017, my observation station in Jay Em, Wyoming. Left is a Televue 85 telescope for filtered visual observing and right is a Canon 5D Mark III with 100-400 zoom lens for filtered photography. During totality, I switched the camera to an unfiltered 300mm lens, handheld.

Misc on eclipse trip - A few images collected during the trip to see the Solar Eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017. Burrowing owl, and bison and elk on trailcam.
Elk caught scratching himself on my camera or the tree or something, May 13, 2017.
 Elk.
 Bison passing in the predawn hours.
 Coyote.
 Coyote sneaks past.
 Elk.
Bison staking out a grazing spot.
 Elk.
 Bison.
 Deer.
 Deer.
 Deer.
Deer fawn.
 Deer. This is probably the best image I can get from the Primos trailcam, but I´m going to try something else.
 Bison.
 Burrowing owl south of Pierre.
South Dakota Owl		 Burrowing owl east of Pierre, SD.

Yellowstone - A few images from Yellowstone National Park, September 2017.
Bison swimming across the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park.
 Bison swimming across the Yellowstone River, Yellowstone National Park.
 Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park.

Badlands and Black Hills - Badlands National Park, Conata Basin and Custer State Park, September 2017. Badger at night on trailcam, bighorns, butterflies.
Badger, Conata Basin, South Dakota, see video on YouTube.
 Badger, Conata Basin, South Dakota, see video on YouTube.
 Badger, Conata Basin, South Dakota, screen grab from video.
 Prairie dog among the cacti in the Conata Basin, South Dakota.
 Trailcam setup in a prairie dog town, Conata Basin, South Dakota. This temporary setup resulted in a video of a badger.
 Lone tree in a prairie dog town, Conata Basin, South Dakota.
Golden eagle soars above the Conata Basin, South Dakota.
 Butterfly, Custer State Park, South Dakota.
 Butterfly, Custer State Park, South Dakota.
 Butterfly, Custer State Park, South Dakota.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota. Note the difference in light between this image taken just before sunset and the next image in the slideshow taken three hours after sunrise the next day.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 A flock of six bighorn ewes in the Badlands, South Dakota.
A flock of six bighorn ewes in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 A solitary bison looking for a spot to graze along the rim above the Badlands, South Dakota.
Badlands Bison		 Took this image through my telescope with a new phone adapter while in the Conata Basin, South Dakota.
 On the drive home found this IH tractor rusting out next to a sunflower field near Vivian, South Dakota.

Black Hills and Badlands - Custer State Park and Badlands National Park, November 2017. Bighorns, and bison on the trailcam later destroyed by fire.
Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorns in the Badlands, South Dakota.
Badlands Bighorns		 Bighorns in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorns in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Bighorn in the Badlands, South Dakota.
Bighorns in the Badlands, South Dakota.
 Prairie dog in the Black Hills, South Dakota.
 Prairie dogs in the Black Hills, South Dakota.
 Custer State Park bison on trailcam, October 2017. This trailcam was destroyed by fire at this location two months later.
 Custer State Park whitetail deer on trailcam.
 Custer State Park bison on trailcam. This is the last usable image I got before a wildfire swept through this area three weeks later and destroyed the camera.
Bison in the Black Hills, South Dakota.
 "Dignity" sculpture at Chamberlain I-90 rest stop, South Dakota.

Loess Bluffs NWR - Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri, December 2017. Eagles, snow geese.
Bald eagle in nest, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
Eagle in nest, Misso		 Juvenile Bald eagle, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Juvenile Bald eagle, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Some sort of hawk, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Bald Eagle, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Bald Eagle landing on nest, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
Bald Eagle vocalizing, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Bald Eagles at nest, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Bald Eagle in nest, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Juvenile Bald Eagle, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Juvenile Bald Eagle, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Juvenile Bald Eagle, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
Bald Eagles fighting over a bird wing, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Bald Eagles fighting over a bird wing, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Trailing eagle tries to grab the bird wing, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Lead eagle still has the bird wing, but barely, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Lead eagle still has the bird wing, the chase resumes, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Eagles fight over bird wing, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
Lead eagle loses the bird wing, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 The bird wing falls away from the lead eagle, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 The trailing eagle flies away with the prize after snatching it out of the air, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Snow geese, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Snow geese, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.
 Snow geese, Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuge, Missouri.

Trailcam Inferno - Forest fire captured on trailcam, and a few wildlife images.
Elk image three days before the forest fire, Wind Cave National Park.
 Elk image three days before the forest fire, Wind Cave National Park.
 First view of the approaching fire, Wind Cave National Park.
 Just 30 seconds after the previous image, fire starts to engulf tree at center-right, Wind Cave National Park.
 Fire goes higher up the tree, Wind Cave National Park.
 After less than a minute, smoke already obscuring the right-center tree, Wind Cave National Park.
Fire advances, Wind Cave National Park.
 Fire advances, Wind Cave National Park.
 Fire advances, Wind Cave National Park.
 Fire flares up, Wind Cave National Park.
 Big flare, Wind Cave National Park.
Trailcam in danger		 Fire surrounds the camera, Wind Cave National Park.
In the middle of the inferno, Wind Cave National Park.
 Fire starting to die down, Wind Cave National Park.
 A few hot spots remain, Wind Cave National Park.
 Thick smoke, Wind Cave National Park.
 Less than nine minutes after the first image, the fire has charred the area and moved on, Wind Cave National Park.
 One of the few images I got from the Browning trailcam before it was damaged by fire, Wind Cave National Park.
Elk, Wind Cave National Park.
 Elk, Wind Cave National Park.
 Moose in Montana on trailcam.
Montana Moose

Trailcam images - Trailcam images, mostly near Red Lodge, MT, 2017-18. Several moose shots day and night, elk, deer.
Moose near Red Lodge, MT.
 Moose near Red Lodge, MT.
 Moose near Red Lodge, MT.
 Moose near Red Lodge, MT.
 Moose near Red Lodge, MT.
 Young moose near Red Lodge, MT.
Young moose near Red Lodge, MT.
 Moose near Red Lodge, MT.
 Elk near Red Lodge, MT.
 Deer in the snow near Red Lodge, MT.
 Deer with one antler in the snow near Red Lodge, MT.
 Deer on trailcam in the Black Hills. A poor choice for photo of the day, but it´s all I have for Nov. 23.
[Blog entries for 2017]

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