The Hunter’s Moon from a couple of nights ago was not too interesting until I added some color in Adobe Camera Raw, some clarity to make it glow, and some bats created in generative fill. The moon is mine…the bats aren’t. Happy Halloween.
Sometimes we’re so fixated on the iconic Yellowstone vistas that other stunning views go unnoticed. Artist’s Point, for example, is the very place where Thomas Moran painted the falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, a painting that, along with his many sketches and watercolors, was instrumental in convincing Congress to establish Yellowstone as our first National Park in 1872. I most often visit Artist’s Point in January when the upper lookout is closed. When we stopped there last week, it was open and I climbed up to see the stunning view of the falls from a higher vantage point. But, when I turned around 180 degrees, I could see a sliver of the Yellowstone River continuing on its journey through the colorful canyon. That view is not visible from the lower vista point. I was struck by the pastel colors and the dramatic textures of the canyon walls. The twisted trunk of a pine tree also added an eye-catching feature to the view, one that I don’t often see. I’ll have to remember to turn around 180 degrees more often.
The sky filled with clouds on our first morning in Yellowstone National Park last week, and the clouds and mists filled the valleys as well, creating an almost surreal landscape reminiscent of the Sacramento Valley tule fog that has been absent these past many years, because of the drought conditions in California.
There was lots more snow yesterday than the day before and it was at least 25 degrees colder but when my daily Mule Deer visitors came yesterday, snow hadn’t been falling so their coats were free of snow. Instead of snow however, globs of ice clung to the eyelashes on the left side of this doe’s head. She munched the flixweed growing in the space between the road to Yellowstone and my room. Unfortunately, the weather turned out to be treacherous for many early arrivals at the park yesterday. The road to Mammoth from Gardiner was closed when we arrived at the Entrance because accident scenes blocked it. It took hours to clear the accidents and because of the hazardous conditions, the park was closed to visitors while the park service worked to make the roads safer for driving. On our last two days here, we were unable to enter the park. Despite that, however, we had a great time and our two days in the park were very special, indeed.
Visiting Artist’s Paint Pots in Yellowstone National Park a couple of days ago was a first for me in Yellowstone. This mesmerizing wonder is a mile walk off the main road on a trail head through the forest that culminates in the bubbling, spewing paint pots at the top. I’ve been to the Mud Pots and Artist’s Point but watching the thick mud splatter to the sounds of burps and burbles accompanied by the pungent odor of rotten eggs at Artist’s Paint Pots was a memorable experience for me. Some microorganisms use hydrogen sulfide from deep in the earth as an energy source that breaks down rock into wet clay mud and creates the area’s smell. As various gases escape through the wet clay mud it bubbles and spews. I can’t recreate the sound or the aroma but I did create a gif to illustrate a little of what I experienced. You can see all kinds of things in the exploding bubbles. I see a barfing head.
Tuesday morning’s sunrise was stunning but the clouds seemed to warn that a storm was headed our way. Sure enough, Wednesday’s storm brought snow with white out conditions and road closures to Yellowstone National Park and although the park hadn’t officially closed as I am writing this late Wednesday afternoon, three of the four roads we traveled on in the park yesterday were closed. We did not venture into the park Wednesday. That gave me a chance to watch a small band of Mule Deer graze on the shrubs behind a cyclone fence a few feet away from the entrance to my ground floor hotel room in Gardiner. Undeterred by the snow, they munched on the weeds and grasses beyond the fence while I photographed them through the open door.
It was a breezy afternoon where the Lake Hotel overlooks the massive Yellowstone Lake. Yellowstone National Park is preparing to close for the season and the hordes of tourists have mostly disappeared from the roads here. With fewer tourists, the Common Ravens try their best to coax anyone who stops to offer a handout. Of course the Ravens can’t read and despite signs and policies prohibiting the feeding of wildlife in the park, it is clear that many tourists can’t read either. When we stopped at Yellowstone Lake to photograph a brooding sky over the lake, this Raven stayed close, hoping for a morsel or two. This allowed me to approach for this shot. The cloudy skies caused its feathers, which normally appear inky black, to shimmer and iridesce. The Raven soon realized nothing was coming its way so it flew back to a sheltered spot near the Lake Hotel. As it flew off, I thought I heard the word “nevermore” floating black to me on the breeze.
It’s been 16 days since I last posted to In Focus Daily. I believe that is the longest hiatus since I started the blog on January 1, 2011. More about that in a future post. But now, I’m back! And, not only am I back, I’m back in Yellowstone National Park where only a few days remain before the park closes for the season. Much of the fall color has disappeared, the result of a windstorm here a week or so ago. And the weather hasn’t been cold enough yet to push most of the critters from the high country downslope, where they will roam throughout the park finding sustenance to survive the winter. On our first morning, we saw a single coyote crossing the road in the dim dawn light and later, deep in the Lamar Valley, a dozen or more Wolfers, scopes deployed, were eying one of four wolves from what we believe is the recently formed Shrimp Lake Pack. I was the only one of our group still trying to find the microdot sized wolf in the distance when it disappeared into the forest. There were a few members of Yellowstone’s iconic Bison herds dotting the meadows and hillsides but they are still making their way down. We did finally discover a lone Bison bull laying on his side near the edge of Grand Loop Road (Hwy. 89) and appearing to be dead. We watched for a few minutes when his massive side finally heaved and we realized that if he were a dead beast of that size, it would not be long before he was devoured by the Wolves, Grizzlies, Coyotes, Bald Eagles, Ravens, Turkey Vultures, Magpies, and all of the other park inhabitants that rely on dead critters for sustenance. Soon, he stirred and rolled over, then he waited a while before rising and lumbering off. He was just taking a nap. That’s our national mammal, Bison Bison Bison.
The Kodiak Brown Bear cubs were drawn to a large driftwood tree partially submerged on the edge of the river. It seemed to be a place where they could reliably snag salmon, possibly because the salmon’s upriver journey was slowed by the branches under the water. But the cubs weren’t always focused on fishing. The cub on the right rose up and started pushing this branch up and down. Its sibling noticed and jumped up to help. Their pumping accelerated as the two cubs rocked the branch faster and faster. Predictably, the branch snapped and the game was over. Cubs will be cubs, but then they had to return to the business of fishing for salmon.
A gull, silhouetted against the cloudy morning sky, flies to join its flock waiting on the edge of the Uganik River for salmon.
What a delight it was to watch Kodiak Brown Bears as they splashed through the Uganik River chasing spawning salmon. The most enthusiastic splashers were the three cubs that we encountered every day as they honed their fishing skills on the salmon heading upstream on or near the surface of the water.
Kodiak Brown Bear cubs seem to be constantly testing their boundaries. Sometimes this results in what appears to be a lecture from Mom. This “talk” went on for a bit, with the cub looking at Mom, even daring to bare its teeth once or twice, but in the end, seeming to accept the “dressing down.” Because it took place in the middle of the river, only their heads were visible above water and I couldn’t hear anything but who knows what the cub might have done that resulted in this talking to? It was another fascinating view of the life of Kodiak Browns that we were privileged to observe last month.
My camera is always nearby when I am at home so that when the Hummingbirds are feeding or the Bushtits are bathing, I can grab it and go outside to photograph them. I am feeling very nostalgic about the birds that visit and live in my garden because within a week, I’ll have moved away from them. As fall gets underway, the late blooming flowers are putting on quite the show. The California Fuchsia is in full bloom, enticing this female Anna’s Hummingbird to sample every open blossom. I am encouraged that new hummers will find me when I move. On Sunday, I showed my new home to my friend Moose who was in town for an aviation event and while we were on the patio, two Anna’s Hummingbirds visited a Lantana blooming in the garden. So, while I’ll be sad to say goodbye to the birds that have thrived here for many generations, I look forward to meeting all of the birds at my new home.
Kodiak Brown Bears are big bears and by the time the cubs are three or so as this cub is, they’re quite imposing figures. When something catches their attention that is off in the distance a bit, they will stand on their hind legs to get a better view. A standing Kodiak Brown Bear is even more imposing than one standing on all fours. We watched mama bear do it and the cubs learned from her. We didn’t know what caught this cub’s attention but it suddenly stood up and stared across to the other bank of the river. It must not have been much of a threat though, as Mama Bear, in the background, didn’t take notice and after a few seconds, the cub dropped down to all fours again and resumed fishing for salmon.
Our first day shooting on Kodiak was a great introduction to a great week of shooting. When we encountered the mama bear that we’d met last May along with her three cubs and they accepted us immediately, going about their business undeterred by our presence, we knew it would be a great week. One of the three cubs used its paws to keep this pink salmon under control in the water, then it reached down and grabbed the doomed fish in its jaws, looking over with a look as if it were just caught in the act. I always love it when a subject looks straight into my lens, regardless of what expression is on its face, and, in fact, I did catch it in the act…of catching a fish.
Our first day back on the Uganik on Kodiak Island in search of Kodiak Brown Bears did not disappoint. In fact, each day brought new surprises and new bears. I loved watching this bear pick her way across the rocks at the river’s edge.