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Secluded Valley Overlook, Northern Range, YNP
January 01, 2010
Not the most dramatic image for the 1st Picture of the
Week in this New Year... The purpose for this image is
to show the lack of snow pack as of January 1st in
Lamar Valley (a.k.a., Secluded Valley). Right now, the
snow is thin and grainy like sugar. Snowshoes are not
necessary to walk around as you will sink right down to
the ground level.
A winter storm is "in the works" as of today, but as I sit
here in Gardiner at an elevation of 5,200', there is no
snow. Hopefully our winter will show itself soon
enough! Happy New Year Everyone!
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Cold Beaver, Yellowstone National Park, WY
January 11, 2010
Most of this winter season a lone beaver has been seen
near the confluence of the Soda Butte Creek & Lamar
River. In this cold early morning, the beaver was not too
active... Occasionally floating downstream, looking like
a log coated in fur, it would submerge below the ice for a
few moments only to show it's nose and eye.
The most recent survey, conducted in 2007 suggests
that there is an minimum estimate of 750 beaver in the
park in 127 colonies.
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Winterscape's, Yellowstone National Park, WY
January 18, 2010
Winter changes the landscapes of Yellowstone. The
above two images represent moments where one can let
the imagination play for a while. You can see grasses
covered in hoar frost, or you can see ancient marine life
forms crawling towards the water.
Mouse over this image to see a winterscape of the
Lower Geyser Basin.
It could be alien pods lying dormant under the snow
pack, or just what it is, snow built up around rock
formations.
It's fun to let your imagination run wild now & again...
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Orange Mound Spring, Mammoth Hot Springs, YNP
January 28, 2010
One of my favorite features on the Upper Terrace
section of Mammoth Hot Springs. This feature has
been wonderfully active in recent past.
Mouse over the image for a different look at this hot
spring.
It is 4 in 1 ~ terrace, cascade, cone as well as a fissure
hot spring.
Winter has set in which makes this even more
spectacular!
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Midway Geyser Basin & Bald Eagle, Yellowstone
Nat'l Park
February 9, 2010
The elements on this day brought together a wonderful
view of winter in Yellowstone. Excelsior Geyser
Crater in Midway Geyser Basin, once a 300' high plume
of hot water is currently a pool of extremely hot blue
water, surrounded by a snow-filled landscape. Fire & Ice!
Mouse over this image for a view of a bald eagle along
the Gibbon River.
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Alone in Winter, Yellowstone National Park
February 20, 2010
The harsh contrasts of winter in Yellowstone show
themselves at random moments... In Hayden Valley, a
lone lodgepole pine tree awaits it's next rub by a
passing bison. Marks along the tree's trunk tell us that
a bison did leave it's mark in previous months, but now in
February, the tree stands alone surrounded by
untracked snow.
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Weight Change, Yellowstone National Park
March 1, 2010
Bull elk start too drop their massive rack of bone about
this time of year.
The heavy antlers that extend from the skull of this
large ungulate shed each year, only to grow again for the
next season. This bull had nearby buddies who had just
recently shed their extra weight and as he tossed his
head back in a look of defiance, I wondered if he too
just wanted to lose some weight!
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Glowing Hot Springs, Upper Geyser Basin, YNP
March 10, 2010
For my last night in the park's Upper Geyser Basin
during this winter season, I stood quietly among the
thermal pools by moon light. After 10 p.m. I was hoping
to capture a night eruption of Old Faithful Geyser. As
I waited, I turned towards the Firehole River and
exposed a 22 second shot of a spring that I illuminated
with a small headlamp. It appears to have the glow from
below, but in actuality the straight rising steam helped to
hold the light above the pool as the surface went into a
rolling boil.
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St. Patrick's Day Grizzly Bear, YNP
March 17, 2010
My first bear sighting in 2010! While driving over the
Yellowstone River bridge near Tower Junction, we
spotted a grizzly bear to the south. Upon closer
inspection he was meandering uphill towards the
Yellowstone River Picnic Area. Thankfully no one was
taking a lunch break at the time! We watched the bear
for over an hour. As most male bears emerge first from
their winter slumber, this big boar was lazily lumbering
from one spot of shade to another, yawning every few
minutes.
Mouse over this image to see the bear sticking his
tongue out while taking a big yawn!
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Oregon Sights, Spring Break Trip
March 31, 2010
After 2,700 miles of driving, my wife Lucy and I saw
much of one state and little of the other two (CA and
ID). From Gardiner, we drove through Idaho to get to
Oregon. We x-country skied the rim of Crater Lake,
stood next to a 10' wall of snow pack, mountain biked
some single track thru oaks dripping with mosses, visited
an ancient Redwood grove in Northern California,
camped in the rain of the Oregon coast, telemark skied
Mt. Bachelor, and drank a few good micro brew beers
along the way. In all, the nine day "spring break" trip we
did to Oregon was worth every moment!
Mouse over this image for a view of the Oregon Coast.
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Lower Lava Creek Falls, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, WY
April 11, 2010
A back country waterfall, not visible from any roadside,
but just a short distance away. The lower falls on Lava
Creek is visible from the trail, but from a far... To get
this angle, one needs to bushwhack over talus slopes, up
and over down logs and in this time of year, either muddy
and/or still frozen ground. A beautiful waterfall if I do
say so! I am not sure what to estimate for it's size...
Maybe 25-30 feet?
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Grizzly Sow & 2-yr old, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, WY
April 11, 2010
Bears in Yellowstone are out-and-about!!! On this
particular day I watched six grizzly bears. Two were
large bears interested in an elk taken by wolves. The
second two grizzlies were wrestling on a snow field in
Lamar Valley, my guess is they were siblings out
enjoying the afternoon... The third two were those seen
here. A mom and her 2-year old. These two were near
the High Bridge by Mammoth Hot Springs.
There was also a confirmed sighting today of a sow
grizzly bear with FOUR cubs-of-the-year seen on
Swan Lake Flats, just south of Mammoth Hot
Springs!!! That is rare as well as early for momma bears!
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Transitions, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, WY
April 30, 2010
Spring is the season of transitions. Here a bull elk has
recently shed his antlers, beginning the new growth
almost immediately. As with the elk, the spring weather
too is full of transitions... The lower elevations are
turning green while the higher hills melt the winter
blanket of white into the soil and rivers. Precipitation in
the form of snow can still fall from the clouds, even into
June! Soon this bull elk will have a nice summer coat, a
full set of new antlers and the valleys will be lush and
green - but the snow looks like it might hold on just a
little longer.
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Canyon Wolf Pack, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, WY
May 6, 2010
The Canyon Wolf Pack has been the most habituated
wolf pack in Yellowstone. They seem to not be too
alarmed while in close proximity to humans... They are
not approaching in an aggressive way, but will walk near
roadsides, cross the road near people, etc... Luckily
they have not been handed human foods, hopefully with
the influx if summer visitation, it stays that way. So far,
the pack is doing normal wolf things, but it happens to
be near people. Should this behavior be considered
habituation or a new way of adapting in a world filled
with humans?
Mouse over this image for another view of the same
wolf. 1st image is on an elk carcass near the Boiling
River. The 2nd image is on Swan Lake Flats.
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Twin Lakes Wolf & Elk Saga, Yellowstone Nat'l Park,
WY
May 18, 2010
A saga of patience and persistence unfolded in a small
pond between North and South Twin Lakes. Two
wolves (possibly from the Quadrant Wolf Pack), a black
and collared gray were seen chasing this cow elk into
the water. As the gray patiently waited, the elk
struggled to figure out her options. The black wolf
stayed back, hidden in the timber, howling...
As the afternoon weather changed to hail, sleet and
rain, lightning and thunder, the wolves moved out of sight
and the elk stood at the waters edge.
Mouse over this image to see another view of the gray
wolf.
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Bear Family of Five, Yellowstone Nat'l Park, WY
May 30, 2010
As this is not my typical sizing for an image, I think it
captures the elements.
An unlikely sight for Yellowstone, here you see a sow
grizzly bear who has four cubs-of-the-year (coy)! She
is doing quite well spending time near Swan Lake Flats
and Bunsen Peak south of Mammoth Hot Springs.
She has been successful in capturing elk calves for
food and the 4 are typical cubs...sleeping, wrestling,
nursing, etc. It is not likely that they all will survive, but
none the less, this is a wonderful time in their lives (as
well as for the 2-legged kind who enjoy watching bears in
the wild)!
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California Condor & Sea Otter, Coastal California
June 21, 2010
I just returned from a trip to California, where I drove
the coast from Laguna Beach to Marin County north of
San Francisco. Near Big Sur on the sheer cliffs of
Highway 1, we were blessed with a once-in-a-lifetime
sighting! With less than 200 California Condors in the
wild, we were circled by 4 for about 15 minutes! So
close you could smell them! Just about 10' over our
heads we watched as #99 and three others caught the
coastal currents! #99 hatched in April of 1999 in the
San Diego Wild Animal Park.
As he was raised in captivity, he is now fully wild and a
proud father of 1.
Mouse over this image for a look at a wild sea otter near
Morro Bay.
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Grizzly with 3 cubs & Coyote, Alum Creek, Hayden
Valley, YNP
July 2, 2010
This week's picture was a wild moment, but a far off
shot. Shooting at a distance, without a tripod at a
moving target can be difficult. This sow grizzly had 3
cubs-of-the-year she was protecting, while eating on an
elk carcass in Hayden Valley. She left for a few
moments and a coyote came in for a treat of elk meat.
The sow didn't want to relinquish the meal to the
scavenger, so she charged back in to defend her food
source. I enjoyed how the largest of the 3 cubs struck
the same pose as mom, head down, staring, defending
the food & it's siblings. A lesson learned early in life!
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An Evening With Grizzlies, Dunraven Pass, YNP
July 12, 2010
An evening excursion to the northern side of Dunraven
Pass, just might include a wonderful grizzly bear sighting!
On this particular evening, a sow grizzly with her 2
cubs-of-the-year (coy) were bedded in a 1988 burned
area. She stood, made her way across the road towards
the wildflower meadows that you see in this image. The
later evening light was spectacular on the meadow & the
bears. She is becoming quite tolerant of people, and I
hope that this does not prove to be a downfall for her
or her cubs future. So, cross your fingers for this bear
family & for your Dunraven sightings!
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