The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Red), encompasses Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
A Trumpeter Swan on Yellowstone Lake at Mary Bay. The current population is estimated around 30 within the Park. While photographing the Trumpeters, a Grizzly Bear came walking down the beach - another surprise wildlife encounter in Yellowstone!
Male Grizzly #1109 is collared and being studied by park biologists. He's 4 1/2 years old. He found me along the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake.
The 404 bus (aka "Hollywood") is one of eight remaining vinage tour buses operating in the park today. In the mid-1920s there were more than 400 buses - the second largest fleet in the country!
During it's decades away from the park after the original fleet was sold off, Bus #404 was purchased by a Hollywood studio. It became a silver-screen star, most notably appearing in an episode of the television show M*A*S*H and prominently featured in John Carpenter's 1986 cult-classic movie Big Trouble in Little China.
A bull elk silhouetted on a ridgeline is always visually stunning. I was driving along the Yellowstone Lake shoreline before sunrise when I saw him posing for me, Ha! I quickly pulled over and was able to capture a few shots before he disappeared over the ridge. I was really hoping he would bugle, as that would have enhanced the visual interest, but not this time.
I'd like you to meet "Jam", a female grizzly, 6 years old and daughter of "Rasberry". She frequents the Nine Mile Creek region; along the east side of Yellowstone Lake. I was rewarded with 3 sightings of her this trip, and was mesmerized by her for several hours (along with a few hundred other bear enthusiasts).
Is Jam smiling? The behavioral studies of mammals generally use numbers to identify their subjects, instead of names (like "Jam" for instance). The school of thought has been that this convention prevents bias and anthropomorphism. Jane Goodall broke that mold when she assigned names to the chimpanzees that she was studying. She recognized the animals had individual personalities, complex social structures, and emotions. Her work revolutionized the scientific community, and led to the acceptence of "Sentience" in animals. Now, it's widely accepted that animals have feelings and sensory awareness.
More Jam? Yes, who doesn't love Jam? As Shakespeare said "the eyes are the window to the soul". What I see is intelligence, in ways that are likely beyond our perception.
A small island supporting a lone tree within the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake. The scene caught my eye as I was driving by, so I pulled out to capture the moment.
Here's my new travel rig, Ha! It was actually in the Gros Ventre Campground in the site next to me. Unfortunately I didn't get to see or meet the owners, but use your imagination!
I spent 3 nights at Cathedral Park in Grand Teton observing the orchestra of elk bugling and competing for herems of cows (females). The low light and distance are the main challenges to photographers. I captured this image my first night along with some video. The bull had a herem of 15 cows and was working hard to fend off competing "satellite" bulls.
The Tetons and forest adjacent to Cathedral Park. The Elk move into the forest during the day, as it provides shade and security. On my second morning here, I heard bulls bugling just beyond the treeline and decided to stalk them with the camera! My goal was to get a photo of a bull with the Tetons in the background!
So I didn't think think through my stalking plan, it was a quick decision and I set off. Yes I was successful (sort of), creeping within 40 feet of two large bulls. But this one discovered me as he moved directly towards me. The photo op was too close, and the bull spooked, so overall a failure from my point of view.
As the sun begins to set behind the Teton Range, backlight illuminates these cottonwoods at the base of Blacktail Butte. This year, the aspens lost their leaves early, but the cottonwoods were spectacular!
I spent an afternoon visiting the National Museum of Wildlife Art, just north of Jackson, WY. It's an impressive museum and well worth the price of admission. Here's a bronze sculpture honoring Grizzly female #399 - she was a famous & inspirational bear known for her intelligence and ability to raise her cubs among the dangers posed predominately by humans.
Natl. Museum of Wildlife Art, Oil on Canvas, "Antelope", 1954 by Georgia O'Keefe. One of my favorites on display, it grabs and holds me - but why? O'Keeffe wrote about the painting,"...it is so differrent than the other things and I think one of the best." Antelope emphasizes the organic relationship between bone and earth.
The 65 foot long Buffalo Trail Sculpture outside the museum. This is a bronze statue compilation which was completed by Canadian Richard Loffler in 2012. It's scaled at about 1.5 times the size of real bison.
"The Epitome of Regal" - that's a description of bull elk I heard long ago and its stuck with me. Two sounds in nature permeate my soul like no others - the elk bugle and the wolf howl. They ring out to me, "we're wild and we belong!"
I finally got the shot I've been after for years!! A Bull Elk wanders the meadows at sunrise below the Tetons, towering 7,000 feet above him! These 3 peaks are known as the Cathedral Group - Teewinot, Grand Teton, and Mount Owen.
Jackson Lake Dam is undergoing some rehab this year, which required the lake itself to be mostly drained. When I was driving north along the lake shoreline, I noticed this scene which popped out to me. I was really wishing for some puffy clouds but was stuck with clear blue skies!
This Grizzly crossed the road in front of me as I was driving north to Yellowstone. The current population within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is around 1,000 individuals, which includes cubs. Human caused deaths acccount for 85% of their mortality (per Yellowstone Grizzly Bears, 2017).
Hyper vigilant of their surroundings, grizzlies primary sense is olfactory (smell). Their sense of smell is 7 times better than a bloodhouds; and 2,100 times greater than a humans. That's why you shouldn't ever have food in your tent in Grizzly country.
Like humans, grizzly bears are omnivores or generalist feeders in which anything that is palatable and nutritious may be part of their diet. In Yellowstone, meat now provides 45% of the nourishment for male grizzzly bears and 38% for females. For comparison, meat provides as little as 3% of a grizzly bear's nourishment in Glacier and Denali National Parks. Adaptation is one of their strengths.
Golden hour descends upon the Lamar Valley, with the angular Pollux Peak in the distance. This was a scouting trip one evening. The image isn't my favorite, but has potential under better conditions - likely in the spring when snow still hangs in the mountains and the river runs full. I'll be back!!
This is one of those "caught my eye" moments. As I was scouting the lamar valley compositions, I walked by this on the return hike to the truck. The setting sun lit up the green lichen on the rocks and Juniper snag. Snapshot with the iPhone.
It's a short off-trail hike to Buck Lake in Yellowstone, and requires basic route finding skills. I was thrilled to find this cow moose wandering the far shoreline, with a stunning reflection. I watched her for an hour, how peaceful!
Something about old signs that just appeals to me...
I found this Bull Bison Skull on a hike this spring. It's off trail, about 3-1/2 miles from the closest trailhead. Someone has leaned it behind a large boulder (a glacial erratic), conceled from view. I stopped by to check on it, and pay my respects. I think about O'Keeffe's "Antelope" painting, and 'returning to the earth', as we all will do, eventually.
Treasures in the Yellowstone backcountry. The park prohibits keeping finds like this elk antler shed, so anyone (willing to explore on foot) can experiece the joy of such discoveries. With the popularity of shed hunting nowadays, finding one like this is exceedingly rare outside of the national parks.
I stumbled across this covey of elk sheds on one of my walkabouts near Lamar Valley. People have obviously gathered and assembled this display, but I wonder how long ago and if it pre-dates the Wolf introduction in 1995. I don't see any newer sheds in the area, so I ponder the history. As I settled in to photograph them, I sensed a presence behind me. I say sensed because the wind was galing, and I couldn't hear much of anything else.
As I turned around to look behind me, a Bull Bison crested the ridge about 50 yards above me. He stopped to assess my threat level (= low, ha!). He slowly moved toward me then veered off in front of the antler display, dropping down to the Yellowstone River for a drink. It was an intimate experience, between us, and I can't help but marvel at his strength and resilience. Is that translated in the photograph?
So Color or Black & White - which do you prefer for this majestic Bull Bison?
This is one of my favorite photos, probably related to the moment and experience itself, which felt magical. Of significance, was that it occurred in the backcountry - no one else was there! Maybe some relation to a kind of vision quest.
Tower Falls, as viewed from the rim of Specimen Plateau - a solid hike! Bighorn Sheep frequent this area but I didn't see any on this day! I was also hoping to see a Kayaker 'send it' over the falls, but guess I missed that today, damn!
