All the world's a stage, and whoever designed this set went overboard with the graphics! Some black angus cows were grazing the wheat stubble fields; in the months following harvest, spilled grain can sustain a lot of animals, including deer, pronghorn, and migratory birds. Unfortunately, agriculture on a massive scale like this reduces biodiversity to nil, and the conversion of wild prairie for mass production of grains is almost complete.
Very little has been set aside. Prairies contain the most altered ecosystems in North America. In some places less than 1% of the original landscape remains untouched. I am aware of this every time I set foot in nearby Grasslands National Park. A hike up into the buttes and hills there immediately makes clear the tradeoff we have made: suddenly, dramatically, you are surrounded by native plants, wildflowers splashing colour on the hillsides; you hear the clicking, buzzing, and whirring of insects; you notice animal tracks and scat everywhere; little ground nesting birds flush from beneath your feet; and you have to be alert lest you step on a rattlesnake or sit on a patch of prickly-pear cactus. This is why I moved to the prairie ten years ago.
The surrounding farm and ranch lands are not without their charm, of course, even though I often see them as a zone to be gotten through en route to something better. I was doing exactly that one day in early winter, while keeping an eye open for wild critters, when I noticed the cows - and especially their setting - and had to stop. I really appreciate the 200-500 lens for moments like this, when I don't need maximum pull, as it allows me to compose images more precisely in the field. Closest isn't always best.
Photographed near Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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