When I put the garbage cans out last evening, I noticed the moon stage, a waxing crescent. The sky was still a deep blue and there were some remnants of pink clouds from the setting sun. In the few minutes it took me to get my camera and longest lens, the sky had turned black and the pink clouds were gone so I took this in black and white using my Z800mm lens with the Z 2X teleconverter attached. This is my first moon shot with the Z800 and the first using its new dedicated foot by Zenelli.
A Pronghorn buck stood just outside Yellowstone National Park a couple of weeks ago as snow fell around him. Clumps of ice had formed on the tips of his horns in the cold.
When you see billows of steam surrounding the magnificent travertine formations of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park, it can be hard to believe that the air around you is only eleven degrees. There is even snow on some areas of the terraces where the steam is not escaping. The travertine is white but the bacteria (called thermophiles) tints the white to create a colorful tapestry. The beauty of this place can make you feel warm all over despite the temperature.
A Bison bull makes his way down a trail trampled in the snow by other Bison ahead of him. His face is encrusted with snow which didn’t melt because the temperatures were in the low teens.
This pair of Coyotes appears to be calculating what their next move will be. Just out of sight was the carcass of a large bull Elk frozen and partially submerged in the Lamar River.
A cow Elk grazes on dried grass protruding from the blanket of snow on a meadow in Yellowstone National Park last week.
A partially frozen Elk carcass in the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park was a feast for which this Coyote and its pack mates were more than likely grateful. Happy Thanksgiving!
The Elk partially submerged and frozen in the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park last week kept the Coyotes licking their chops as they visited the carcass time and time again in the two hours we watched.
It was snowing last week just outside Yellowstone National Park on the Old Yellowstone Trail Road. We found a small band of Pronghorn including this ram walking across the snow covered grasslands.
The antics of a trio of River Otters entertained us for a couple of hours as they romped in the partially frozen Lamar River last week in Yellowstone National Park slipping in and out of the narrow channels that remained unfrozen. They could not keep their eyes off the Elk carcass that was partially submerged in the water but they seemed not to be able to get up the courage to venture closer. Although it was in the midst of the Otter domain, Coyotes dominated the carcass, resting on the snow covered ice close by when they were sated and chasing away the Black-billed Magpies that picked at the frozen flesh. Unconcerned, the Otters occupied their time frolicking above and beneath the ice just for the sheer joy of the frolic. Their antics were hilarious as they romped across the ice, climbed a hill, then slid down the embankment, only to climb up and slide down again. They would run across the ice, disappear into the water, and emerge a hundred yards down the river. When we thought they’d disappeared for good, they would reappear, suddenly popping up in an unfrozen spot in the river to peer at the carcass again. They really are the clowns of the river.
The abundant stands of willows in Yellowstone National Park provide food for Deer and Elk. One afternoon, we came across several Elk does grazing on the willows along side Grand Loop Road. They stripped and chewed the bark while we watched from a distance.
The temperature on our last day in Yellowstone National Park yesterday hovered around a chilly 10° most of the day. As we approached the Lamar Valley mid afternoon, we stopped to photograph a couple of Bison bulls who were grazing on what was left of the meadow grasses. The yellowing grasses are buried under the snow so the bulls must brush aside the snow using their heads, plowing through the snow and swinging their heads side to side. The massive hump above a Bison’s shoulders is solid muscle, developed specifically to allow them to push away snow with their heads so that they can uncover the grasses and sedge that enable them survive the cold, harsh Yellowstone winters.
We had such a magnificent sunrise view of the Absaroka Mountains along the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley on Tuesday morning. What a marvelous view to start the day.
Well, that would be me! And yet another couple of firsts for me! Shoveling snow and shoveling snow in Yellowstone National Park! How many people can say they’ve shoveled snow there?
The day started with sun and few clouds and a temperature in the Lamar Valley somewhere between 11 and 17 degrees Farenheit. While searching for the Red Fox known to frequent a meadow in the Lamar Valley, we instead found a woman shoveling snow in a turnout across from the meadow. At first we thought she was a park employee. When we drove by Moose offered to help her shovel the snow and she accepted. We found out she was not a park employee at all. She is a park guide and photographer based in Gardner just outside the park. She told us she had been clearing that turnout of snow for several years just as a volunteer.
Moose and Richard took turns shoveling and after watching and seeing that it was powder, I figured I could help too. Moose showed me the proper way to shovel snow, something I had never done. Richard took my photo above and the video below to prove that I actually did it. Eric spelled me for a while then I finished the main pile while Richard and Moose cleared the edge of the road. Shoveling snow in Yellowstone National Park is one activity I have never imagined in my wildest dreams, let alone actually doing it. We had a lot of fun, got some exercise, and helped out someone who was also contributing to the welfare of Yellowstone National Park. The guide, Deby Dixon of Yellowstone Wild World was a delight and her knowledge of the critters in the park was helpful. We were glad to help out a new friend.
Our Group: From left: Richard, me, Sharon, Moose, Mark, Bob, Taylor, and Eric. Photo by Deby Dixon.
We’re off to a great start in Yellowstone. Our first day was filled with snow, cold, and critters! We started the morning with Pronghorn and Elk in the snow. In the afternoon, we saw what remained of a bull Elk that appeared to be frozen in place in the Lamar River. Its carcass had been picked apart but one huge antler identified the unfortunate beast. Several Coyotes were feasting on the carcass along with a flock of Black-billed Magpies. A trio of River Otters slinked in and out of the water nearby eyeing the prize but were too unsure of themselves to approach. As the Coyotes finished their meal, they would roll in the snow near the remains, rubbing their bloody snout to clean it off. They seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves as they wallowed in ecstasy, then they returned to the carcass to gnaw on it some more.
Today I’m heading back to Yellowstone, my fourth visit this year. Last year in November we had a fabulous encounter with a band of Bighorn Sheep and there were lots of mature rams that made time with these critters very special. I took this shot exactly one year ago (yesterday). Our target species on our November trip this year is wolves but I can’t help but hope that we see a few Bighorn Sheep along the way.
We’ve had a bit of welcome and much needed rain in drought stricken California over the past few days. It was nice to see actual raindrops on the roses, not just drops from sprinklers as is usually the case. I used my Nikkor ZMC 105mm macro lens with the Nikon Z9 set to a square image size to capture the detail of the drops on Betty Boop, a floribunda and one of my all-time favorite roses. The storms clouds and the redwood trees over my neighbor’s house are reflected in the largest drop.
The male Anna’s Hummingbird who has laid claim to my garden is on constant vigil. He seems to wonder if somebody up there is out to get him. Whenever he is in one place for more than a second, he looks up to see what might be lurking above his head, even when he’s hovering near the feeder. I’ve only seen one other hummer in the garden recently and it was a female, although before this guy showed up, the females had the upper hand. Maybe he’s not too sure of his status.
Textures and colors are everywhere in Yellowstone National Park. Sometimes narrowing your focus to eliminate the grand vistas and looking more closely at smaller views can reveal beauty that you didn’t notice at first. The Yellowstone River, mere seconds from the cascade of Upper Yellowstone Falls, rushed down the canyon as it continued to sculpt the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. I leaned out over the overlook, bracing myself against the rock wall and was mesmerized by the swirling patterns and deep blues of the rushing water. When I looked up above the water, I was again awed by the multi-hued rocks reaching down to the water’s edge, so deeply textured. Together, the textures and colors of the rock face and the rushing water created a thoroughly gorgeous view.
Every trip to Yellowstone National Park has its memorable moments and its memorable critters. The memorable moments can be a breathtakingly gorgeous sunrise or the thrill of listening to a pack of wolves calling across the canyon or hearing the roar of a geyser spewing into the air or any number of other unforgettable vistas or events. With the huge variety of critters that call Yellowstone home, it is surprising to me that each trip seems to have one star critter and that critter changes from trip to trip. In October, we heard and saw Wolves several times, not just fleeting views but nor were they close enough to photograph. We saw and even photographed Grizzlies a couple of times and the Bison proved to be very photogenic, too. But for me, the most memorable critters of this trip were Elk. We photographed them three out of the four days we were in the park and had long opportunities to photograph a Bull Elk on at least three different occasions. This big guy spent almost 40 minutes grazing along the side of the road with the mist from a hot springs behind him but there seemed always to be obstructions that prevented good photographs. A small boardwalk gave other visitors the sense that it was safe to get close to him when it was not and he finally was pushed across the road by people who had ventured close to him. By this time we had moved well away because it appeared he wanted to cross the road and we wanted to give him space. At first it appeared he would disappear into the forest but he stopped briefly and I was able to capture a few frames while he was in the open. I have dubbed this the “Elk Trip” because I saw and photographed more Elk during those four days than on any other trip to Yellowstone.