I’ve just returned from a quick 3 day trip to Yellowstone National Park, my first this spring. It has been a very snowy winter and a cool wet spring here in the Greater Yellowstone Region. It’s been very difficult for me to access the park since the opening of the east gate on May 6th. Avalanches on Sylvan Pass have kept the pass closed most of the time since then. The road from Cody to Cooke City to access the northeast gate was also closed due to snow.
Grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park feeding on a vole
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This young grizzly bear was photographed near Roaring Mountain last Thursday afternoon. He spent most of the afternoon and evening feeding on grass and digging up voles in the meadows along the road. If you look closely you can see the vole in the mouth of the bear. Park regulations prohibit you from being to close to the bears and I was very happy to have my EF800mm F5.6L attached to my Eos 1DmkIV allowing me to get some nice frame filling images of this fine-looking grizzly. I spent nearly 4 hours observing and photographing the bear and was able to bring home some fine images.
Cow bison defending calf from wolf
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On Friday morning I came across this scene at Mary Bay east of Fishing Bridge along the northern shore of Yellowstone Lake. This unidentified collared wolf was testing a small herd of bison that had several newborn calves. The wolf would try to approach the calves and would be quickly run off by one or more of the bison cows. They’re very protective of their young. Eventually the wolf gave up and began mousing in the meadow. It’s very difficult and dangerous for a single wolf to try to take a bison calf. A full pack of determined wolves might have better luck.
Running bison calf in Yellowstone National Park
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There were plenty of bison calves in the park. New ones were showing up every day. The calves make entertaining photo subjects. The newborn calves orange-colored fur stands out nicely against the green grass. The calves love to play and chase each other providing the photographer some great action to capture.
Rocky Mountain Bighorn Rams
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Near the Yellowstone Picnic area just east of Roosevelt Junction a bachelor group of Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep rams was visible nearly every time I went by. They were even doing some fighting and head butting. As summer arrives and the snow in the high country melts these rams travel up Speciman Ridge to high elevation to summer. The ewe’s were not far away on the nursery cliffs along the Yellowstone River giving birth to their lambs.
I’ll be returning to the park for a longer trip in early June.
