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Plant Checklist for the Rocky Mountain National Park

Animal Photos

While hiking in the RMNP photographing plants, I inevitably encounter animals. They are integral parts of the ecosystem, so as a biologist, I am interested in them as well. But to obtain decent photos of animals, one needs different camera equipment than I typically carry around such as large telephoto lenses. My "work horse" for botanical photography is the AF Micro Nikkor 60 mm 1:2.8 macro lens. This lens is great for close-up (macro) flash photography but not as good for animals (other than invertebrates). In addition, I carry the AF-S Nikkor 18-300 mm 1:3.5 - 6.3 lens that gives me a wider field of view and also has zoom capability. Most of my animal photos were taken with this lens.

I have seen so many more animals in the Park than I have photographed (e.g. black bear, mule deer, etc.), so hopefully I will increase the number and diversity of animal photos during future trips. And then there are insects that might deserve a page of their own!