by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Articles & Stories, Ungulates
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Photo © Kevin Shank. When antler tips began appearing above the rim of the draw behind the cows, I knew a bull was committed. He was heading my way, and in a moment, I could take a shot. A mature bull he was—a 7-point.I...
by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Frogs and Toads, You Can Draw Submissions
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by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Caption This, Ungulates
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive “Careful, Buster!” Photo © Nikpal/iStockPhoto.com. We invite you to submit your caption for this photograph of a ibex in Italy. The photograph will be used on the back of the January issue, along with our choice...
by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Comets, In Our Skies, Meteors, Moon, Planets
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive November 2, Jupiter is .05°N of the Moon, and Mars is 1.1°N of the Moon. November 5, early a.m., the Taurids meteor shower peaks. Expect 5-10 meteors per hour. This shower begins September 7 and runs until December 10. The...
by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Maze, Ungulates
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by Kevin Shank and Cheryl Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Acrostic, Crossword, Fill-In-The-Blanks, Study Guide, Trees, True and False
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by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Camp & Cabin Cookin'
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by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Articles & Stories, The Photo Focus, Ungulates
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Each month I ponder what to use for a photo lesson. Some months the pondering takes longer than others. My mind is going several directions this time. I’ll begin with a recent “discovery.”I don’t get many opportunities to...
by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Favorite Focus, Herons, Egrets, & Bitterns, Hummingbirds, Mushrooms, Snow, Thrushes, Woodpeckers
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Northern Flicker clearing out a nest cavity. Great shot, Theo. Photo © Theo Krisko. Great Blue Heron. Great sequence, Elton. Photos © Elton Loewen. Mountain Bluebird. Photo © Lonnie Torkelson. Lincoln National Forest, NM....
by Kevin Shank | Nov 1, 2026 | 2026, 11 November, Fall Foliage, Focus Illustrated
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive These panoramas illustrate the September Photo Focus lesson. The view from on top of Rib Mountain in Wausau, Wisconsin. Photo © Jeremy Beachy. Diamond Lake. Photo © Jeremy Beachy.
by Kevin Shank | Oct 1, 2026 | 2026, 10 October, Articles & Stories, Frogs and Toads, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, Pictures and Poems, Ungulates
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by Kevin Shank | Oct 1, 2026 | 2026, 10 October, Creation Close-ups, Fall Foliage, Lunar Eclipse, Moon, Rodents, Ungulates
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by Kevin Shank | Oct 1, 2026 | 2026, 10 October, Hummingbirds, You Can Draw Submissions
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by Kevin Shank | Oct 1, 2026 | 2026, 10 October, Camp & Cabin Cookin'
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by Kevin Shank | Oct 1, 2026 | 2026, 10 October, Articles & Stories, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Favorite Focus, Herons, Egrets, & Bitterns
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Eastern Comma. Photos © Shilah Gormley. Bridal Veil Falls, Yosemite National Park. Photo © Marie Miller. This Green Heron was the epitome of patience and focus. I photographed him for over two hours. For a one-hour stretch...
by Kevin Shank | Sep 3, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Favorite Focus, Moon
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Monarch butterfly. Photo © Detweiler Family. Sunset with crescent moon. Photo © Miciah Zimmerman.
by Kevin Shank | Sep 3, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Focus Illustrated
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Hocking Hills State Park, Upper Falls. Photo © Jesse Weaver. Hocking Hills State Park, Cedar Falls. Photo © Jesse Weaver. Jesse Weaver writes that a previous photo lesson on stitching panoramas together inspired him to use...
by Kevin Shank | Sep 3, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Articles & Stories, Fall Foliage, The Photo Focus
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Hightown, Highland County, Virginia. Photo © Shaphan Shank. Photos © Shaphan Shank. At the center of your composition, level both the tripod and the camera. If using a zoom, choose focal length. Set the white balance to a...
by Kevin Shank | Sep 3, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Camp & Cabin Cookin'
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by Kevin Shank | Sep 1, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Hawks, Eagles, & Kites, Kingfishers, Pictures and Poems, Ungulates
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by Kevin Shank | Sep 1, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Herons, Egrets, & Bitterns, Thrushes, Waterfowl - Geese, Swans, Ducks, Loons, Grebes
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by Kevin Shank | Sep 1, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, You Can Draw Submissions
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by Kevin Shank | Sep 1, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Caption This, Cardinals, Tanagers, & Allies
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive “You lost?” Photo © Kevin Shank. We invite you to submit your caption for this photograph of a Painted Bunting on ice. This was photographed in Verona, Virginia, following a January ice storm. This bird should...
by Kevin Shank | Sep 1, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, In Our Skies, Meteors, Moon, Planets
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive Mark your calendar and prep your telescope. September 8 about 3:00 p.m. EDT, the Moon will occult Jupiter. This is a daylight event. However, October 6, about 4:15 a.m. EDT, the Moon will occult Jupiter again, and this time...
by Kevin Shank | Sep 1, 2026 | 2026, 09 September, Acrostic, Matching, Primates, Puzzles, Study Guide, Warblers
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by Kevin Shank | Aug 1, 2026 | 2024, 06 June, 2026, 08 August, Articles & Stories, Carnivores, Mammals
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive It was with less humor and more odor, that we dutifully prepared a skunk story for Nature Friend, that evening in 2008. You see, there was a permeating, overwhelming, lingering, background (foreground), pungent odor...
by Kevin Shank | Aug 1, 2026 | 2026, 08 August, Blackbirds, Orioles, Meadowlarks, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Flycatchers, Hummingbirds, Parrots, Pictures and Poems
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by Kevin Shank | Aug 1, 2026 | 2026, 08 August, Butterflies, Moths & Skippers, Cardinals, Tanagers, & Allies, Creation Close-ups, Nuthatches, Swallows, Wildflowers
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by Kevin Shank | Aug 1, 2026 | 2026, 08 August, Thrushes, You Can Draw Submissions
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by Kevin Shank and Cheryl Shank | Aug 1, 2026 | 2026, 08 August, Articles & Stories, Astronomy, Auks, Murres, Guillemots, & Puffins, Bats, Dragonflies & Damselflies, Exploring Nature, Grasshoppers and Katydids, Mushrooms, Snakes
View the full issue in the Magazine Archive August 5, the upper stage of SpaceX Falcon 9 will strike the Moon at about 06:30 UTC near the Einstein crater. Likely we won’t see it happen. Bats are beginning to migrate south. Use binoculars to look for them high in the...
