Watching wildlife in Yellowstone is not easy at least for Bears and Wolves. Elk tend to hang out in the grassy dividers between roads at Mammoth Hot Springs and Bison cross the roads in front of you everyday. (Please Please don't get out of your car in those situations, Bison are incredibly tolerant but they have their limits and people have been gored) But the Wolves and most Grizzlies are far way from the view areas. When we first went to Yellowstone and got up early to watch wolves we stumbled upon the "wolfers". The original Wolf Project had over 100 volunteers who were used to note the location...

Yellowstone provides important habitat for many migrant species whose home turf is getting tough and sparse to live in. A number of the birds we've seen were a surprise to see because we don't necessarily associate them with being in the wilderness. Two such species are the Sandhill Crane and the Pelican. I think of the Pelican as a sea shore bird and, indeed, its characteristic pouch is designed to scoop up surface fish and water and drain the water out before swallowing. But some have found a home in Yellowstone in the summer. On the other hand, the Eagle symbolizes the wilderness. Next...

Light is everything for a photographer and we talk about the magic hours of the day. The early morning and early evening light are called the golden hours because the light is always low in the sky and tends to be a warmer color. But storms provide a great opportunity to get magic light just about any time of the day. Light rays peeking through stormy clouds provide dappled light on the landscape and can light up and highlight one subject or another. Next entry in diary

On Monday, July 30, our friends, Kelly & Enrico, who had graced us with their visit, headed back to North Dakota via the Beartooth Hwy, Red Lodge, and Billings. We had gone on a wonderful hike along the Cache Creek Trail the day before they left. They dropped me off at the Billings International Airport. My mom had recently fallen and I needed to return to Hayward help her and evaluate her condition. I hadn't had time to process all the images I wanted to post on the blog before I left. Below is one of the images from another morning at Slough Creek, showing the richness of the creek environment...

It has been said that every photograph that could be taken has already been taken. I don't think that is true but every serious photographer seeks to find a vision of their own. A style to separate themselves from the millions of images already taken. I found that abstract art photography was my vision. When it comes to wildlife photography I am a hack. This summer I realized that good wildlife photography requires very expensive equipment that lets you reach out a long way to get an image but it also requires great dedication to being out there most of the year. Good wildlife photographers...

We took a wonderful hike on the Cache Creek Trail from the footbridge trailhead today with our good friends Kelly and Enrico Sassi visiting from Fargo, ND. Super nice light as the clouds rolled through. The wild flowers were in great form and the Bison gracious enough to allow us passage through their turf. Next entry in diary

The wolf in Yellowstone is a case study in the interconnected relationship of animals and habitat. Before the Wolf was reintroduced in the 90's the elk exceed the holding capacity of the land. They were overgrazing which caused the landscape to degrade and erode killing trees. When the wolf was introduced the Elk population reduced to a stable level and the landscape returned to balance. How Wolves change Rivers We saw this herd of about 200 members in the Hayden Valley. Next entry in diary

The Lamar Valley was sans wolves today so we wandered over to Slough Creek and found a Black Bear foraging along the Lamar River in Lamar Canyon. Black Bears are omnivorous and come in many stylish colors besides black, including blonde, cinnamon, brown and the Alaskan Glacier Bear which is blue-grey. Yellowstone has both Black Bears and Brown Bears (grizzly) but the reproduction rate of the Brown bear is much slower than the Black Bear. Grizzly bears used to be found all over America but now, in the lower 48, they are found only in the greater Yellowstone greater and Glacier National Park....

When we get tired of the crazy tourists abandoning their cars in the middle of the road or pointing the wrong direction in the lane, we go to Slough Creek for a quiet morning watching birds. The slough is one of the few wetland areas in this part of the Park. We've seen Avocets, Eagles, Great Blue Herons, Peregrine Falcon, Sandhill Cranes and this pair of American Coots feeding their chicks. This morning, just as we were about to head back to the campground, we saw a coyote ambling along the creek. He came real close and I was kicking myself for not having the camera with the long lens set up on the tripod....

We drove part way up Lulu Pass today to get views from on high. We saw an incredible display of wildflowers (photos to come later...) and views of surrounding peaks that we can't see from down in the valley or from the campground. The photo above is a panorama comprised of four photos "sewn" together. The two jagged-looking peaks on the left are Pilot and Index. Pilot is just over 11,700 feet high. The road to Lulu Pass is one of the highest roads in Montana and the pass tops out at 9,846 feet. I intend to try riding my mountain bike up Lulu Pass road. It will be a tough ride! Today was another...