Rock climbing mountain goat
Some animals choose to live in an environment that is rough and difficult. Mountain goats are amazing. They prefer to live on high mountain cliffs, and climbing near-vertical cliffs is just part of their daily life. Mountain goats are native to mountainous regions of northwestern North America. They are found in southeastern Alaska, Washington, Idaho, and the rocky mountain range in Utah.
It was a rainy, cloudy day. We spotted these mountain goats way high up on the cliffs as we explored coves near Homer, Alaska, looking for Bald eagles. Fortunately, a couple of goats were close to a small beach in the cove. This goat wasn't too happy with us as we docked our boat on the sand bar, and decided to seek the higher grounds. I was glad to get a few images of this goat as it quickly scrambled away on that cliff. I am always amazed to see these goats effortlessly navigate the rugged, steep cliffs.
Why this photo works
I decided to zoom out to include the habitat, purposefully making the goat smaller in the frame. The photograph captures this mountain goat climbing a rugged mountain. I like how diagonal lines lead my eye to the mountain goat. This black-and-white picture accentuates the mood and ruggedness of the mountain while removing all the other distractions resulting from sparse vegetation on the cliff.