Elk Bugling in Yellowstone

Continuing alphabetically with my "5" Star Photos we come to Elk. Elk can be easily found in places like Yellowstone National Park in the US and Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada. In these kinds of places where they are protected and plentiful it is fairly easy to get close. In places where hunting is allowed you are lucky to get a glimpse from 100 yards before they run away.

But, getting close doesn't come without its dangers. So, in the Parks, it is important to respect these very large mammals. Bulls can kill. Interestingly, the safer time to photograph Bulls is April through August when their antlers are growing and covered with velvet. During this time the Bulls are very careful not to damage their antlers. Once they start shedding their velvet, I keep a further distance away. 

Today's photo comes from Yellowstone National Park. September is a great time because you make get to hear, see, or photograph one "bugling." 

Elk Bugling

Said with Tongue in Cheek

Every once in awhile I change my desktop photo. And, two days ago I had such an urge so was looking for a new photo and decided on the Bobcat photo below. I have been looking at that photo on my desktop for a two days now. And this morning I wondered how many different mammal photos I have where I can see their tongue. (Okay, I admit I must not have anything important to do --- or, that I am feeling lazy and am procrastinating the important things). Nonetheless,  I found ten such photos. My idle mind then thought, I have been doing my Blog for 28 months now, why not a Post on "Tongues?" Soo .....

Bison

Black Bear

Bobcat

Coatimundi

Coyote

Elk

Hooded Skunk

Moose

Mule Deer

White Tail Deer

Wild Babies - Part IV

And, lastly, babies nursing:

White Tail Deer with Fawn

Elk with Fawn

Bison with Calf

Bighorn Sheep with Lamb

Javelina with Piglet

Medicine Lake, Alberta

On that same winter trip to Jasper National Park I drove up Maligne Road which passes Medicine Lake and ends at Maligne Lake. It was dawn and I was creating the first tracks of the day in the fresh snow on the road. Before reaching Medicine Lake, I came across a Moose cow and her calf. They were eating something in the snow on the road. Maybe the road had been salted the day before, don't know. I took several photos of the moose before they wandered off. I continued up the canyon and upon reaching Medicine Lake found this elk along the lake's edge. It was a day or two after finding the caribou on the lake. The way the elk was lying behind the snow covered rocks, it looked like just the bust of an elk. I thought it would be a good photo. The elk was very cooperative. He let me photograph him from many angles. After returning home and developing the film I realized ... maybe it was actually better than a good photo. Such is the "nature" of wildlife photography.

Bugling Elk

Hello friends and welcome to The Azure Gate Blog.

Oddly enough, our first Blog will not be about Tucson. There will be plenty to write and share with you about our Bed and Breakfast, Tucson, and Southern Arizona. Christine and I had a wonderful trip to Miller Canyon and I took several hummingbird photos we'd like to share with you.

During the summer we take time off to see family and friends, and I like to take some extended photography trips (sometimes outside of Arizona).

I just returned from a photo trip to Northwestern Colorado where the Moose and Elk were quite willing to be photographed.

First. It is elk mating season. Bulls make eerie "bugle calls" to the females (cows). For those of you who haven't heard this sound, it is an almost painful screeching or crying often echoing across the meadow, valley, or canyon. As you can see from this photo, the bull's neck seems to change shape -- not too dissimilar to male salmon while breeding. This bull had about 15 cows around him. A younger and smaller bull occasionally charged the big guy -- but, no contest. The big guy would even chase a female who got too close. Guess he wasn't finished "strutting his stuff" and wanted center stage.