Tag: Badgers

Springtime in Yellowstone Part 1

Obsidian and her three adorable cubs

This is the first of a multi-post story.  As I began sorting pictures from my recent wildlife photography trip to Yellowstone I quickly realized that I had far too many to put in a single post so I’ve split it into three.

I’ve been fortunate to visit many of our beautiful National Parks over the past few years, but in my opinion, none can compare with Yellowstone.  Our first National Park, Founded in 1872, is little changed and offers a glimpse of what the West may have been like back in the day.  The concentration and diversity of wildlife found in the park can be found nowhere else in the Lower 48.

Yellowstone is immense at over 2.2 million acres.  Its geological variety offers volcanic geysers, deep river valleys and waterfalls, the prairie grasslands of the Lamar Valley, and the rugged giant peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

Spring is the perfect time to visit Yellowstone National Park.  While Spring mornings may be chilly the afternoons can be perfect shirt-sleeve temperatures**.  The Summer heat and crowds can be oppressive.  Fall is a beautiful season in the park but the thing that draws me to Springtime in Yellowstone are the newborns emerging from their dens. Spring is the time to witness the next generation of wildlife as it steps out into the world.  I was there June 3rd -9th and the conditions were perfect.

** Anytime you go to Yellowstone prepare for all weather conditions.  It snowed in the park a week or so after I left.

Before I go further with this report, I want to thank Max Waugh of Max Waugh Photography for all his hard work in making this such an amazing experience.  I was extremely lucky to land one of four spots in Max’s Spring  Yellowstone wildlife photography tour.  After 20-plus years as a professional wildlife photographer,  exploring the park and guiding wildlife photography trips it would be hard to find anyone with more knowledge of Yellowstone’s wildlife.  Thanks, Max!

https://www.maxwaugh.com/

Grizzly Bears

It was a little before 6 am as we rounded the corner approaching the Obsidian Cliffs area of the park when Max called out “Bear”.  Up on the grassy hillside to our left was a sow grizzly named Obsidian after the area in which she lived.  It was still a little dark and a hazy mist hung in the chilly morning air making visibility a little tough.  Eventually, we spotted her three adorable cubs as they followed their mom out onto the hillside.  We had this scene all to ourselves for the first hour before anyone else arrived or traffic became too busy.  That’s the reward for rising at 3:30 am to be on the road by 4:15 am.  It was so worth it!

Remember, click on the pictures to see them in full format.  These guys pegged the needle on the cute meter.

This all happened in the first two hours of a five-day wildlife photography trip.  I must admit I thought there was no way we could top this…. I was wrong.

Black Bears

We found this mamma with her two adorable cubs just off Tower Road.   When we arrived, the momma was in a grassy area below the road with her two cubs up a tree.

Eventually, the cubs came down and followed their mom across the road but not before the cubs became distracted by this traffic cone.

Even in Spring, the traffic can get crazy with “bear jams”.  Don’t be a drive-by wildlife watcher.  We saw more than one person stop in the middle of their lane causing long traffic jams.  When you spot an animal, find a place to pull over and enjoy the experience.

Possible mating pair of Black Bears, one black one cinnamon
Bison

It’s an awe-inspiring sight to look out across the vast Lamar Valley and see many hundreds of Bison roaming the grasslands with their little “Red Dog” calves.  The calves are full of energy running, playing, and chasing each other around.  They are so cute and fun to watch.

It is hard to imagine a time when millions of Bison roamed the western plains and harder still to fathom how they were hunted to near extinction.  In the mid-1880 a conservationist named William Hornaday began a campaign to save the Bison.  In the early 1800’s there were an estimated 30 million Bison on the western plains. By the time Congress made It illegal to kill bison in 1894 there we fewer than 1000.

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The Yellowstone ecosystem is truly a wonder with its diverse landscapes and a wide array of wildlife.   From the apex/keystone predators like Grizzly Bears and Wolves to the grassland grazers like the Bison, elk, and pronghorn Antelope to the Pocket Gophers and Ground Squirrels, all the animals in the park are part of the delicate balance of life that is the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.  It is truly something to be cherished.

For all we saw on this trip, there is so much more to see and I am eager to go back.

Part two of this series will include Fox Kits, Badger Cubs, an adorable newborn Moose calf, and baby Owls.

@BR Images 2023, all rights reserved

 

Wildlife of the Point Reyes National Seashore

I had never heard of the Point Reyes National Seashore until I read an article written by wildlife photographer Daniel Dietrich about the peninsula and the abundance of wildlife that call it home.  One year later I was lucky to find myself walking the grassy hills of Point Reyes with Daniel Dietrich photographing a wide variety of animals while learning about the park, its history, and its challenges. 
Abbots Lagoon
While the initial focus of this trip was wildlife photography I wasn’t prepared for the natural beauty of this park.  Located just 40 miles north of the Bay Area, you feel you are miles from anywhere. The Cypress and Pine forests of Inverness Ridge give way to brushy rolling hills which turn into vibrant green grasslands all sloping down to the white sandy beaches and rocky headlands of the Pacific Ocean where the waves break with their rhythmic thunderclaps upon sand and rock…..It is breathtaking.   
Tomales Point in the distance
That was my feeble attempt to describe the immense beauty of this place.  It is huge at over 71 thousand acres with 80 miles of shoreline and 150 miles of trails to hike and explore.  Set aside as a National Seashore in 1962 by John F Kennedy it has the feeling that it’s frozen in time.  A calm beautiful respite from the hectic outside world.         

Badgers

On the afternoon that I arrived I drove out to the lighthouse to explore the area.  On my way back I noticed this Badger running beside the road.  I drove a bit further, pulled over, and grabbed my camera.  Walking to the back of my car I saw that this badger was still running towards me.  Now this was both good and bad.  Good for photographs but Badgers are considered, pound for pound, one of the toughest, orneriest, most ferocious creatures in North America.  When cornered they’ve been known to fight off predators many times their size.  When this guy got within 15 feet of me, I began to wonder if should climb up on top of my car.  He suddenly stopped backing into his burrow which was no more than 10 feet behind where I had parked.   Halfway into his burrow he stopped and gave me this death stare.  We sat there in a stare-down for many minutes while I took some pictures.  I tried to sweet talk him, but he wasn’t having it.  The look on his face was screaming “One step closer and I’ll rip your leg off and beat you with it!”  Wisely I let him be and as soon as I turned my back he was gone.
American Badger

Bobcats

Bobcats were the animals I most wanted to capture on this trip and with Daniels’s help, we were on one quickly.  We worked our way into a position behind him and walked parallel and slightly away from his track.  Over the course of an hour, the Bobcat became comfortable with our presence, and we slowly closed the gap.  In the end, we were sitting on the grass as the cat walked toward us.  At no point did we alter the cat’s behavior.  We watched him feed on Pocket Gophers.  Pulling them from the ground he would turn around to show us his catch.  This was a crazy wonderful experience.  All in all, I photographed five different Bobcats during my three days in the park. 
(click on any image to view the picture in full format)

 Coyotes

The Coyotes I saw at Point Reyes seemed different from the ones I see occasionally in my backyard game cam.  It might have been my euphoric frame of mind, being in such a beautiful place, but they seemed bigger, more regal, and healthier somehow.  Maybe it’s because they live in such a wild place, hunting for Gophers instead of neighborhood cats…yeah, probably just my euphoric frame of mind.  

Tule Elk

Point Reyes is the only National Park where you will find this subspecies of Elk.  To my eye, they seem slightly smaller and lighter in color than the Roosevelt Elk we are used to seeing.
I was hiking out the Tamales Point trail to catch the sunset from a bluff high above the ocean.  Rounding a bend, I came face to face with this small herd.  I stopped there and we watched the sunset together. 

Feathered Creatures

I have this rule which so far, I have only broken for Yosemite NP.  “Don’t eat your own dust” meaning once I’ve been to a place to explore and photograph, I need to seek out and find new places.  I’m already planning my return to the Point Reyes National Seashore.  It will take many trips to explore the whole of this huge, wonderful place. 
 If you decide to visit Point Reyes, I highly recommend spending time exploring the park with Daniel Dietrich and Point Reyes Safaris.  https://www.pointreyessafaris.com/
 Thanks for reading – BR
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 Copyright BRImages 2023, All Rights Reserved