May 26, 2022 | Wildlife Photography
Dunlin captured by D5 / 800f5.6AFS
This flock of Dunlin is a perfect example of spring brilliance in birds. They molt into their spring brilliance, the males that are, to woo the females, and then their feathers fade away slowly to fall. When they arrive back from migration is when you want to find them. That’s now! Resident birds are a little easier since you know where they are. In either case, find them and photograph them. This flock of Dunlin is a great example of the variety in spring feathers from no color to full-on spring brilliance. It can really make your photos pop when you find that color. Now the time, go get ’em!
May 19, 2022 | Wildlife Photography
Yellowstone Grizzly Bear captured by Z 9 / 800f5.6AFS
Everyone knows that Grizzly hibernates during the winter. This means that seeing them in snow would be rare as they are asleep normally when there’s snow on the ground. In the winter, they also have their thick, luxurious coats. If you’re lucky, you can catch them just before they go into their winter dens or when they just come out. We were fortunate to find them just when they came out but most of the snow was long gone. Got the great coats but no white. So when this Griz came down the hillside and it started to snow, I was hoping to get at least a feel of winter. I took the long odds and slowed the shutter speed down to 1/40 to blur the falling snow. I knew you’d only see it in front of the dark side of the griz. While it was a great idea, it sure didn’t translate! If you look really really hard you will see a couple of white streaks in its face, but that’s it. At least I got the eyes sharp.
May 12, 2022 | Wildlife Photography
American Black Bear captured by Z 9 / 800f5.6AFS
Yellowstone has a very well-earned reputation for bears, Grizzly, and American Black. Back in the 40s, large garbage dumps in the park attracted hundreds of Black Bears. Bleachers were built at the dumps for folks to sit and watch the bears feed on the garbage. Cars would park along the road and hand-feed the black bears in those days, it was a total mess for the black bears. Fast forward the clock to last week. Someone thought that they too should try to feed, hand feed a bear that the Techs have come to call Phantom Lake Bear. It was explained to her that feeding bears is not only illegal, is very dangerous (she was reaching out of her car to feed the bear) but really bad for the bear on so many levels. This story was being told to me by a Tech as he explained the bear had a bad limp because it had been hit by a car! He is a gorgeous bear, should heal but bad habits have been started.
May 7, 2022 | Wildlife Photography
Yellowstone Grizzly Bear captured by Z 9 / 800f5.6 AFS
That’s why they have that distinctive hump, to answer the question, “What’s under here?” That huge muscle is the perfect digging machine! Out of its den for only a short while, this 400lbs Griz is in a meadow in Yellowstone looking for quick, easy fat to put on after a long winter’s sleep. Last night, it was finding its meal under Bison Biscuits. Under that moist fertilizer were two prizes, grubs, and tubers. He had a good old time digging under nearly every single biscuit in the clearing, at times digging kinda deep and others, laying down on the rich find directly under the flipped biscuit and lapping it up.
You might be wondering about the look of this Griz. This is a classic looking North American Griz as Lewis & Clark encountered. Still, in its thick, rich winter coat, you can see the “silvertip” or “grizzled” guard hairs for which it received its common name. It was a killer evening watching one of my favorite parts of our treasured wild heritage!
May 6, 2022 | Wildlife Photography
American Black Bear captured by Z 9 / 800f5.6 AFS
First morning of our annual Yellowstone Spring trip and had numerous Griz & Black Bears, Pronghong, Snowshoe Hares, Sandhill Cranes, Bald Eagles, Gray Wolves and so much more! Though there is snow on the ground, spring has sprung and I can bearly contain my joy!
May 5, 2022 | Wildlife Photography
White-tailed Deer, doe & fawn captured by D6 / 180-400VR
It’s that time of year when the next generation is greeting the world for the first time. Birds and mammals young are incredibly vulnerable in their first hours. Predators know this and this time of year, are on the lookout for them. Actually, they are on the scent for them. Our footsteps, the path we make if we aren’t careful can lead a predator right to our subject. So, be careful, watch your step!
