Trip Report: Yellowstone, May 2011
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Unfortunately, many sections of the park were closed during my visit due to avalanche danger and rock slides. Closures included the Lamar Valley, one of my favorite areas in the park.
This grizzly bear was my first encounter after arriving at the park. This bear was really fun to watch, as he was fairly close to the road, aimlessly wondering through a small valley, doing a lot of digging as he went. This would be a common theme for the bears I saw in the park, most were either digging through the dirt, or eating grass. Not exactly what you thinking of when you picture a big carnivorous bear, until you remember that they are omnivores just like us.
The entrance to the Old Faithful Lodge. I really love this place and it represents many great memories of family vacations.
Watching this bison herd cross a river was so beautiful. Adults and calves, bounding through the stream, side by side, as light snow began to fall. How picturesque, right? Unfortunately, I totally blew it! I don’t know why, but I couldn’t decide if I needed the extra focal length of my teleconverter or not, as the herd was widely spaced along the river bank. So I ended up taking it on and off about a thousand times, missing all the action. Getting a nice shot from this event should have been a slam dunk, but it was my first day and I think I just got a little over excited… Luckily, the trip had just begun.
Another beautiful grizzly bear, eating grass and digging. In spring, grizzly bears will dig up pocket gophers in areas where they are abundant.
Weather in the Yellowstone region is extremely unpredictable. You could be in one part of the park where it would be a full on snowstorm, then drive to a different section, take your jacket off and relax in the sun. The bison in the park didn’t seem to notice the wild swings of weather.
Motherly Love
In early spring, elk calves are a primary target for predators like grizzly bears. I spotted this mother and calf in an open area, without many places to hide. The two were skiddish and you could see the sense of panic in their eyes. Before fleeing, the mother elk gave the calf a quick lick goodbye, as if it might be its last. I hope it wasn't...
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I really loved shooting wildlife in the snow. It’s something that I don’t get to do very often, takes some skill, and can result in dramatic images. The low light forces you to use shutter speeds much slower than normal, and the big puffy snowflakes really cause a distraction for autofocus. So often, I would be capturing images that I thought were in focus, but were actually focused on snowflakes just in front of my subject. This grizzly made for a perfect subject to practice my technique.
One of the great parts of spring is watching all the new life in the park.
A small coyote searching for a snack.
This is an image of a missed opportunity. Yellowstone is known for its large crowds and traffic jams whenever an animal of interest gets near the road, especially in the summer. All too often, I would become overly frustrated with the crowds on Memorial Day weekend, not because of the number of people, but because of the lack of etiquette when viewing wildlife. I couldn’t count the number of times folks would see an animal while driving, stop their car, get out, and run to where the action was. With their car abandoned in the middle of the road, a line of 15 vehicles would be stuck behind them, unable to get by to find a proper place to pull off the road. By the time the people would come back to their car, the viewing opportunity was gone and the people waiting in line were left wondering what was just up the road. Just a bit of advice if you are going to Yellowstone and haven’t been there before; please be aware of those around you, everyone is visiting the park for the same reason. Everyone wants to see wildlife just as much as you do, so please simply pull off to the side of the road. Okay, I think I am done ranting...
A male Pronghorn chasing some does. Normally I see Pronghorn frequently; however, these were this was the only group I saw in the park.
Just me and the Malibu, cruising through the park.
Black Cinnamon
A cinnamon bear, subspecies of the American Black Bear, strolls along the Madison River. Observing this bear was one of my favorite encounters during my visit to Yellowstone this year. With the river between us, both the bear and myself could comfortably focus on our intended tasks; for the bear, eating a delicious dinner of grass with a side of grubs, and for me, taking taking photos of a bear eating a delicious dinner of grass with a side of grubs.
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More dramatic Yellowstone weather.
