Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Earth.
Full Heart. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Full Heart by Melissa Groo: Story Behind the Photograph: Full Heart Late one autumn afternoon in Jackson, Wyoming, I was driving with a friend along a quiet backcountry road, searching for a Great Gray Owl. We’d gotten a tip that one had been seen earlier in the day on this road, hunting rodents from a fencepost. I was very excited, as I had never before seen this owl, the largest of North America’s species, measuring up to three feet tall. It was nearing dusk and a blue blanket of light enveloped the fields and far off mountains. I intensely scrutinized near and far fenceposts as the landscape scrolled by. Suddenly I noticed that one fencepost looked taller than the others, with an odd shape at the top. And then I realized it was most likely an owl perched there! I asked my friend to back up so we could get a better look. We both looked through our binoculars and realized much to our delight that it was indeed a Great Gray Owl. He was oblivious to us, focused on looking and listening for voles to pursue on the ground before him.
By Melissa Groo5 years ago in Earth
Bobcat Love. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Bobcat Love by Melissa Groo: Story Behind the Photograph: Bobcat Love This shot took place only two miles from my home in upstate NY, and for me is a wonderful reminder that grace, beauty, and the wild are all around, even close to home.
By Melissa Groo5 years ago in Earth
What We Need Is Here. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for What We Need Is Here by Melissa Groo: Story Behind the Photograph: What We Need Is Here I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Nebraska, or even imagined what Nebraska might look like. The land stretches out as far as the eye can see, with a few trees dotting the landscape. No hills, or mountains, or even swells of rolling green, it’s the perfect, if unexpected, landing strip and runway for millions of birds.
By Melissa Groo5 years ago in Earth
In It Together. Top Story - May 2021. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for In It Together by Melissa Groo: Story Behind the Photograph: In It Together The Pantanal is the world's largest tropical wetland, straddling the borders of Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia--with Brazil containing the lion's share. This tropical wetland soaks up the rainfall of the rainy season, turning from a purely terrestrial setting into a snaking waterway dotted with land masses. The dry season takes this overfilled-sponge of land and provides water when the rains are long gone, slowly using up and eventually squeezing just about all the water out of the land. The Pantanal’s biodiversity is vast; the bird diversity alone of the Pantanal is staggering: 700 species.
By Melissa Groo5 years ago in Earth
Just the Two of Us. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Just the Two of Us by Brian Moghari: Story Behind the Photograph: Just the Two of Us There is not a doubt in my mind the strongest bond in the natural world is between a mother and her offspring. I am fortunate to have filmed and photographed this motherly bond with humpback whales and their calves in Costa Rica’s Gulfo Dulce. It’s one of the best places to film via drone as these whales nurse their calves and teach them to breathe in their first weeks of life. The gulf is surrounded by mountains on three sides, offering glassy waters for much of the year and allowing you to easily see their interactions from the air. Capturing their images beneath the water, however, is pretty difficult due to subpar visibility. When the opportunity came to film and photograph them in the middle of the South Pacific, I couldn’t resist. The visibility there seems endless and gave me a new perspective of these gentle giants.
By Brian Moghari5 years ago in Earth
Misunderstood Predators. Top Story - May 2021. Created with: Untamed Photographer.
View print sizes for Misunderstood Predators by Brian Moghari: Story Behind the Photograph: Misunderstood Predators I grew up surfing at a beach notoriously known for having sharks and lots of them. New Smyrna Beach Florida is best known for being the shark bite capitol of the world and knowing sharks like Great Hammerheads were just beneath the surface petrified me. There was not a day that I surfed there and did not see a shark in the water. Spinners. Black tips. But back then, the idea of intentionally diving with sharks was out of the question, that was until I began to understand their role as the oceans’ top apex predators. Sharks remove the dead, the dying, and the diseased. They are key to cleaning our oceans, making them stronger and healthier, yet humans continue decimating shark populations. As a wildlife photographer and filmmaker, my responsibility is to accurately illustrate wild animals and the ecological issues they face, including sharks. To fulfill this responsibility I needed to become more comfortable with them and overcome my childhood fear.
By Brian Moghari5 years ago in Earth
