Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VIII

Yellowstone National Park is an obvious choice when looking for bear, wolves, pronghorn, etc. It is less obvious, but nonetheless an excellent place for birding. However, I must admit that living in Tucson, where photographing birds gets the lion's share of my time, when I go to Yellowstone I really don't "Loook" for birds. I did take several bird photos, so I thought I'd share a couple with you today.

The first is a pair of Ravens that gave me a nice up front a personal look:

Raven

The second photo was taken in the far south of Yellowstone which is an area I don't normally search. Here two Sandhill Cranes with their two chicks:

Sandhill Cranes with Chicks

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VII

I did not see any Moose in Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Park this trip. The old dirt road (Moose-Wilson Road, in Grand Teton) is now paved. And with the human population expanding significantly in the Jackson area, what was once a road I could take and not see another human being -- only Moose, is not a road where cars are bumper to bumper and no Moose anywhere.

The Yellowstone Moose population was never as high as Grand Teton, but I always found them. But as I said, not this trip. I am not sure what the cause of that is. Increase in Bison population maybe? Disease? Don't know. But as I was searching for Moose near Ice Lake in an area that is great Moose habitat, I found these Uinta Ground Squirrels. Not exactly Moose, but still worth a photo:

Uinta Ground Squirrel

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VI

It's hard to miss the Bison and Elk, but there are some smaller animals at Yellowstone that are fun to find and photograph. In this case, the Yellow Bellied Marmot. I found this guy on Blacktail Ridge Road, a one-way dirt road branching off from the main road from Mammoth to Tower Falls.

He was very curious about me and let me take many, many photos. Here are a couple:

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VI

Can I get excited about seeing wildlife at Yellowstone National Park even though I can't really get a good photo?

You betcha.

I mentioned a couple of days ago about Bighorn Sheep at Barronette Peak out past Lamar Valley and near the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. I suspect less than one tenth of one percent of Yellowstone's visitor's drive by Barronette Peak. And, I'll bet that few of those stop to look. But it's a great look. And, frequently you can find Bighorn Sheep -- or, Mountain Goats. 

I drove out one morning hoping to find Mountain Goats. I arrived at the pullout; stopped the car; got out; and within five seconds of scanning the mountain, spotted a small herd of Mountain Goats. As you can see, it's hard to see the Mountain Goats from the first photo (using a 35 mm lens). Even after walking up that path to a ledge overlooking the river in front of the mountain, and using my 400 millimeter lens (the second photo) it's not easy. But they are there, right in the middle of the photo.

Since I've gotten very close to Mountain Goats in the past I wasn't disappointed not being able to do so this time. I was just in awe of these beautiful and amazing animals.

Mountain Goats

Mountain Goats

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - V

Elk. Elk fall in the same category as Bison. I don't go to Yellowstone in hopes of finding them to photograph. Got plenty already. And, as is the case with the Bison, I don't usually stop no matter how big the crowd. Yet, on occasion one catches my eye and begs for a photo. 

In the first photo, I was out Hayden Valley very early one morning and saw this big Bull Elk wading in water eating the vegetation. I was worth the stop and photo:

Big Bull Elk

The second photo, taken in the town of Mammoth, sleeping on grass in the center of the town was this young fawn. I just wanted a photo:

Elk Fawn

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - IV

Pronghorn Today. Pronghorn seem to be doing well in Yellowstone these days. I saw more on this trip than in previous trips -- and in a wider variety of areas.

This first photo was taken along Yellowstone River off a side road just north of Gardiner, so actually before you get to the park. Pronghorn were also in the fields around the North Entrance.

This next photo was taken on Blacktail Plateau Road, a six mile one way dirt road between Mammoth and Tower:

Western Wyoming is probably the best place in the US to find and photograph Pronghorn. I came across this female with her two fawns about 50 miles south of Grand Teton National Park. First, they posed for me while eating among the sagebrush. Then they took off running. Then stopped at the crest of the hill with the snow covered mountains of Bridger Wilderness in the background:

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - III

Bighorn Sheep.  There are a few places where you can find Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep. One is Barronette Peak all the way out past Lamar Valley and a couple miles from the Northeast Entrance. A second is on the Grand Loop Road near Mount Washburn. But, the most reliable place is near the bottom of the road from the North Entrance to Mammoth. I passed by there about 12 times on this trip and saw the Bighorns four of those times. Here are a few photos:

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Ewe Eating

Bighorn Sheep Resting 

Bighorn Sheep a little further up the mountain.

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - II

Today, the Bison. Impossible to go to Yellowstone and not see American Bison. They are just about everywhere in the Park. If you want big herds, then Lamar and Hayden Valleys are the places to go. Over the years and many trips to Yellowstone I have gotten a large number of Bison photos. So, I don't really concentrate on photographing them anymore. Yet, I did stop occasionally this trip for a photo. Here are a couple:

Bison Calves

Bison Lone Bull

Wildlife in Yellowstone

Back to photos from my trip to Yellowstone. Today, up close and personal with a Coyote:

Coyote among the Wildflowers

Coyote Chewing on Something

Coyote Back to the Wildflowers

Bears of Yellowstone National Park - Part V

On my first afternoon at Yellowstone (this trip) I came across a traffic jam. Guessing "bear" I pulled off the road immediately and started walking -- long before I saw a bear. Finally, a sow with two cubs. They were about 50 yards away, down an embankment. Trying to walk down the embankment to get closer was not a good idea (even if there weren't four Park Rangers there to escort you out of the Park). 

There are many bears in Yellowstone. Probably one of the very best places in the US for viewing bears. Because it is a National Park the bears live there in safety and are usually not threatened by people.  

My experience has been that roughly 1/2 the time you come across a bear in the wild (not Yellowstone), the bear runs away. About 1/4 of the time it walks away. In neither of those cases do I follow or track the bear. The bear has told me it doesn't want me around. I heard him. And I respect that. So that leaves 1/4 of the time for me to get a photograph as long as I don't "screw-up."

Yet, in Yellowstone, rarely does the bear run or even walk away. It continues to do exactly what it wanted.

At Yellowstone, bears are accustomed to people. A wildlife photographer who is used to and familiar with photographing bears could get safely closer than Park Rangers normally allow. However, that is just not a good idea. We need to set a good example. Because the last thing we need is to have someone unfamiliar with bear behavior get too close or do something that disturbs the bear and creates an "attack." Not good for bear or person.

Although a little further away than I would have liked, I did get a few nice photos:

Two Black Bear Cubs "Wrestling"

The Two Cubs Walking Toward Their Mom

The Mom Stands Up to Look Out Over the Field. Cubs Alongside Her.

Bears of Yellowstone National Park: Part IV

Late one morning during my Yellowstone trip I could see up ahead many cars jammed alongside the road. I could see lots of people as well. (It was at a bend in the road and I was able to see through the sparse number of trees as to what was happening). I could see that many people were running or walking fast back down the road in my direction. I guessed it was a bear and that the bear was coming in my direction. So, I parked off the road and waited. Sure enough the Cinnamon Black Bear came toward me and then up this pine tree in search of nuts. Because I was already in position I got some wonderful photos. Here's one of them:

Cinnamon Black Bear

Bears of Yellowstone National Park: Part III

The third morning, again out before dawn, I came across this Black Bear among the sagebrush. This time I was the only one there. I stayed with the Bear taking photos for about 20 minutes and left -- still no one else there. I like this "hidden picture" photo best:

Black Bear

Bears of Yellowstone National Park: Part II

Continuing with my trip to Yellowstone. On another morning I got up before dawn and headed out to an area where I had seen bears before. It was an area filled with wildflowers. When I arrived there was one other car. And low and behold a beautiful Black Bear was foraging through those wildflowers. I didn't stay long because there were other places I wanted to go before the crowds arrived. But I was there long enough to get this photo. What a lovely sight:

Black Bear among the Wildflowers

Bears of Yellowstone National Park

Finding Bears at Yellowstone:

There are two ways of finding bears at Yellowstone National Park. Get up just before dawn and go looking for a bear ............  or get up later and go looking for a large crowd of people standing alongside a road.

After spending four nights in Yellowstone last week, I can attest that either way works. One morning I decided to get to the same spot I saw a sow with her two cubs the afternoon before. (I figured that a mother bear with cubs this age would stay within a couple square miles of their den).  As I approached this spot (there were two cars in front of me) I saw the sow and two cubs cross the road. 

I immediately pulled off the road, grabbed my camera, got out of my Jeep, and started taking photos. It was a wonderful experience as the bear cubs played happily in and among the trees. After about 30 minutes there were about 8 other people, all enjoying the "show." Eventually, the cubs went high up into a nearby tree, the mother followed and then they all settled in for a nap. It appeared that they would be there for awhile and by this time it was getting to be quite crowded with people, so I gave up my spot and moved on. Here are a few of those photos:

Sandhill Crane - V

Continuing with my "5" Star Photos in general and the Sandhill Crane in particular we move from Arizona to Wyoming. Here below a Sandhill Crane nesting in Yellowstone National Park:

Sandhill Crane

Mule Deer Buck in Wildflowers

"Now, a few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them."

Daryl Zero, The Zero Effect

On one trip to Yellowstone National Park specifically to look for Wolves -- and not having any luck -- I came across some Mule Deer eating among the wildflowers. It was a lovely experience which netted a "5" Star Photo.

As a Wildlife Photographer, sometimes looking for "anything at all" works, because surely you will find something.

Mule Deer in Wildflowers

Grizzly Bear Feast

Okay, so this isn't exactly the best photo in terms of focus and detail. However, it gets a "5" Star Rating simply because of what it depicts. Here is a very large adult Grizzly Bear eating what is left of a Bison with 40-50 Ravens on the ground (there were another 40-50 circling in the air). The photo was taken in Yellowstone National Park.

Grizzly Bear

Grizzly's Sharing Dinner

Yellowstone National Park provides a safe environment for people to see potentially dangerous Grizzlies. These two Grizzlies were devouring an Elk. What started out as about five people watching, an hour later had grown to at least 50. Several Park Rangers were there to be sure all were safe. Occasionally, the bears would look up (as in this case) just to see how many humans there were. But by enlarge, they were determined to get every last morsel out of that elk. It made for a nice "5" Star Photo:

Grizzly Bears

Grizzly Bear among the Wildflowers

Continuing with my series of "5" Star Photos: Grizzly Bears. This particular bear I found between Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. He was searching for bugs around fallen trees. With the wildflowers in front of him, it made for a nice photo:

Grizzly Bear

Grey Wolf: What qualifies as Luck?

What is "Luck?"  If "luck" was to see a Grizzly Bear in the wild, what would you call seeing a Grey Wolf in the wild? Very Lucky? But what if you saw both a Grizzly Bear and a Grey Wolf? What if you saw them both at the same time? And, what if you were able to photograph them together? Are we talking lottery kind of luck yet??

Okay, so you put yourself in the place with the most potential. How about Yellowstone National Park? So, I am at Yellowstone looking for Grizzly Bears and/or Grey Wolves. I was down in Hayden Valley when I saw at a distance what looked like a hundred or more Ravens circling overhead but off to one side. I thought to myself, must mean something big. And, if something big, maybe something big is eating it causing the Ravens to wait their turn. So I pull off the road and start hiking, camera and tripod in hand. After a couple hundred yards I come to a rather steep hill. So up the hill I climb. I get to the top and WOW!!!! I can see down below (about 100 yards away) a very large adult male Grizzly Bear chewing on a Bison. This was back in the "film" days, and I was running on empty (or close to it). So, I had to conserve film. With digital, I would have taken 300 photos easily. But as I paused (to conserve film) I looked around and saw a lone Grey Wolf sitting, patiently, about 75 yards further away. 

I should point out that I made no attempt to get any closer. This distance was going to have to do. I had my 400mm super telephoto lens and hoped that would do the trick. 

After watching for about 30 minutes, the Grizzly Bear stood up, turned and started walking away from the Bison (and from me). At the same time the Grey Wolf stood up and started walking toward the Bison. As you might imagine I am literally shaking with excitement. I am anticipating -- hoping -- for the moment when the Grey Wolf and the Grizzly Bear pass each other in the same frame.

So, just how lucky is this:

Grey Wolf and Grizzly Bear