In Focus Daily

The magical thing about sunrise is that the colors and the scene change quickly. A minute during a sunrise can be the difference between night and day. This is the end of one of the most incredibly gorgeous sunrises I’ve ever experienced in Yellowstone or anywhere for that matter. Of course, the accompaniment of the Wapiti Wolf pack’s singing had something to do with what made this such a special sight, but when much of the mist had cleared and the colors intensified, it was still just a breathtaking, unforgettable sight.

Now you see it, now you don’t. Well, it doesn’t show up as much in the second image, anyway. What I’m talking about is the piece of stiff grass or straw that is visible in the first image that appears to be embedded in the feathers next to this Great Gray Owl’s beak. We spent some time with this Great Gray near Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone a couple of weeks ago. The straw remained in place despite this magnificent creature changing locations several times during the hour or so we had it in our viewfinders. While it was on this particular perch, the second to the last perch of the morning, it faced the sun and whenever it turned its head, the eyes either closed or the nictitating membrane covered the eye so I was never able to get a head on view. But, at least when it swiveled to the right, the straw didn’t reflect the sun, it just created a light shadow.

This is my favorite view of Mount Moran in the Tetons. This, the eastern slope of Mount Moran, is visible through the gigantic picture window in the main lobby of Jackson Lake Lodge and the view is one of my fondest memories of my two summers working at that lodge in the mid 1960’s. Skillet Glacier is the largest of several glaciers on Mount Moran, and, to me, defines it.

Yellowstone’s Ravens are everywhere people are. They are wise and know that some people will feed them. Many travelers don’t seem to realize that not only is it against the law to feed wildlife in any national park, feeding wildlife is ultimately detrimental to their health and well-being. Feeding also causes the birds to become nuisances. At times, especially in the winter, Ravens will break into snowmobilers’ backpacks if left unattended and even squeeze through partially open windows of snow coaches in search of something to nibble on. This Raven posed for quite a while atop a fence post near where we photographed the Moose. Although he was hoping to get fed, I treated him only to a portrait session, nothing edible. I think he realized that I got the better deal.

We had lots of snow in Yellowstone two weeks ago. Well, we had snow and then we had Snow. The snow that fell from the sky was light and sporadic and for the most part, didn’t stick, especially in the lower elevations. The Snow we had near the Nine Mile Trailhead was in the form of an 11 year old 350 pound Grizzly sow well known to the park’s bear management team. Unlike the other snow, she stuck around and created quite the bear jam on the road. When she began to move forward toward the people congregating up on the edge of the roadway, a bear manager shouted sharply, “No ma’am! No ma’am!” His loud admonition startled me and it certainly startled Snow who quickly reversed direction and ran back to a more acceptable distance. It was obviously not her first encounter. She soon climbed under some branches of some downed trees and took a nap.

Our relatively brief Moose encounter on the first day of our visit to Yellowstone two weeks ago resulted in lots of marvelous images of this bull Moose, and a cow and a calf that were with him. They foraged for a while and when the cow and calf moved up the slope and into the dense pine forest, the bull was quick to follow. In this image, he comes around a tree and looks our way before following the cow and calf up the hillside and disappearing.

The downslope migration had begun in late October in Yellowstone as the Bison herds headed down from the higher elevations to places in the park where the snows aren’t as deep in winter and the Bison have an easier time foraging for what little sustenance is available. This calf stuck close to mom as she followed the rest of the herd.

The morning mist and the gorgeous color of the sky made for a glorious sunrise in Yellowstone National Park a little over a week ago. This is the sunrise that was accompanied by the equally glorious song of the Wapiti Wolf Pack making this an unforgettable memory of Yellowstone.

This shadow of a black cat crossed my path yesterday and I thought it made the perfect Halloween image. Happy Halloween!

I was late leaving for my walk yesterday morning and a few minutes after I left, the phone rang. It was Truman. “Where are you?” he asked. “I’m almost to Sun Park Lane,” I answered. “Well, get over here. There’s a Beaver in Angler’s Cove and I think it’ll still be here when you get here.” I considered turning back, getting my longer lens and driving over but I figured it would be gone when I got there. I was wrong. It took me about 25 minutes to walk the mile and a half to Angler’s Cove and the Beaver was still there, perched on a submerged rock, grooming. Every so often it would stand, scratch its belly, swim a few laps under the bridge, and return to its grooming spot. It spent the better part of the morning there. I stopped in to check about 1 PM when I was out on an errand and it was still sitting on the same rock sunning. I hope it’s not a sign that the Beaver is ill. It didn’t seem distressed or in pain but it spent some time scratching. Right now, here at Sun City Lincoln Hills, they are doing warfare on the Beavers, including removing their dams from the creek that runs along Ferrari Pond Trail. I suppose that’s because they might have some deleterious effect on the golf course so naturally they have to go (she said facetiously).

It was mid morning when we encountered the Great Gray Owl near Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. He moved a couple of times while we watched him. This was by far the best view of him because it was unobstructed and the background was subdued. He faced the bright sun and never fully opened his eyes when he did face the sun. I don’t know if he was considering moving to his daytime roost because he was sleepy or if he was just squinting in the sunlight. The entire hour or so we watched him, including when he moved from a perch to the ground to two other perches, he had a long piece of grass or straw that appeared to be stuck either at the edge of his beak or embedded in the feathers next to his beak. It’s visible in this image if you look closely and even the shadow of it appears as a line on his breast feathers. I guess he had no feeling of its presence because he didn’t try to shake or scrape it off.

It was an unexpected treat to visit Jackson Lake and the Grand Tetons on my recent trip to Yellowstone National Park. Mount Moran loomed, reflected in Jackson Lake, with a few misty clouds surrounding its base. It was a chilly October morning and we watched in amazement as two young women in swimming suits dashed across the rocky beach and with little hesitation, jumped into the water. I’m not sure what the temperature was but the average temperature for the day, according to the National Weather Service, was 23 degrees. We were not tempted to join them, preferring to absorb the sunshine and the spectacular view.

On our last morning in Yellowstone last week, we headed to Fishing Bridge where we had intel that the area was a Great Gray Owl’s hunting ground. When we arrived, a group of photographers had already gathered and the Great Gray Owl was perched on the limb of a pine tree surveying the meadow below. I was shooting vertical so when it took off, the owl was immediately out of the frame. It landed on the ground a short distance away and I quickly swiveled the camera back to horizontal so I was ready when it took off again. I got several flight shots, a first for me with a Great Gray Owl. I was concentrating on the bird and I didn’t even notice the fence in the background until I looked up as the owl flew to another limb in a tree behind me. I wish the fence weren’t there but at least it is the typical Wyoming buck and rail fence that I first discovered, and actually fell in love with, in the 60’s when I worked in the Grand Tetons so to me it is an acceptable “hand of man” for a wildlife photograph.

What a week in Yellowstone! It started off with a bang. On our first morning, after photographing some incredible black and white landscapes, we visited the place where last year we came across a small pack of Coyotes feeding on an unidentified carcass. It was just off the road that leads to Yellowstone’s Petrified Tree. Feeding there, across from the tree, were three Moose, a bull, a cow, and a calf. We watched for a while and the snow started to drift down and the cow and calf walked up the slope, quickly followed by the bull. The snow flakes are visible as they drifted down in front of the dark shape of the bull Moose. It was a very special treat to see the bull, the cow, and the calf all together. I had the 2X teleconverter attached so the widest focal length I had was 360mm so I was unable to capture the entire family as a group, so I grouped them in this post. We revisited the site a few other times during the week but the Moose were not to be found again.

When those big bulls come lumbering through the sage in Yellowstone, you’ve got to take notice. We waited across the road while this Bison bull munched on the grasses. After fifteen or twenty minutes, he decided to cross to the other side of the road, perhaps expecting greener pastures. The lone bull garnered slight attention because there was a herd up the road and most cars opted to stop for the larger herd. But he stopped traffic when he decided to lumber across. It’s always fun to watch these massive creatures in Yellowstone. They command respect. When he crossed the road, we were too close by park rules (minimum distance is 25 yards) so we had to get back into the vehicle. Of course, the shot on the asphalt road was not the kind of shot we wanted so we were content with the shots of the bull walking through the sage.

Oh, That Sunrise Serenade! Yesterday morning’s sunrise at Alum Creek in Yellowstone was one of the most gorgeous sunrises I’ve ever witnessed. It was 20 degrees and the mist from the water and the nearby thermals hung low in the sky, surrounding the trees and making the scene mysteriously magical. But what made it even more magical and memorable was the accompanying serenade from the howling Wapiti wolf pack a mile or so away, better even than Glen Miller’s “Sunrise Serenade.” It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it.

Coyotes are great mousers. When they’re focused on something in the grass, nothing seems to deter them from their mission. This Coyote was determined to get the vole, or whatever was hiding in the grasses but it came up without its intended meal. After searching briefly around to try to spot the elusive critter, the Coyote continued across the meadow and out of sight.

That old adage, “red sky at morning, sailors take warning” predicts impending bad weather. Whether or not that is the case, the fact remains that morning red skies are spectacular. And, a morning red sky like yesterday’s that lit up the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park was an example of a spectacular sunrise. There was indeed fire in the Hole!

The Federal Government shutdown has not closed our National Parks. No one was manning the North Entrance under the Roosevelt Arch in Yellowstone National Park yesterday morning when we entered but the park was open and there were other visitors there besides us. The best part is that we discovered an official park greeter in the Lamar Valley at a rest stop. Its boxy, rather robotic looking frame stood, hands on hips, its trash door face sporting a smile and dressed with a jaunty tie that appears to indicate “no P”, rather ironic for a rest stop. I’m not sure of the significance of the pair of shoes, one resting on its shoulder and the other at its base. Perhaps someone didn’t want to disturb the smile. Later in the day, the robotic greeter had returned to its original intended purpose, that of a trash dispensary. The frost had melted away and with it, the pleasant greeter. And, I have to give a shout out to Moose for pointing out this Carolism that I somehow didn’t notice when we arrived at the rest stop. Perhaps it was because I had to use the facilities and if I’d seen the “No P” sign, I’m not sure what the consequences might have been. 😱

I’m back in Yellowstone National Park. Despite the government shutdown, the park is open and the critters await! I photographed this Coyote on my visit here a year ago in October. We came across a small pack of Coyotes feasting on a carcass on a berm at the side of the road. They kept constant watch on the surrounding area, perhaps because they were concerned that whatever killed what they were feasting on might return. Considering the red tinge to the fur on its face and muzzle, this Coyote appears to have had its feast and was on guard duty.