This morning, heading to Bearclaw Bakery for cinnamon rolls, we spotted this Red Fox who wanted to show off his breakfast catch. We decided to make an early evening trip into the Lamar Valley to see what we could see and catch the early evening light. A large herd of bison had gathered near the river and we watched them for awhile as they slowly moved through the landscape. The rut takes place in July and August and we're beginning to see more and more activity amongst the bulls. Next entry in diary

We took a day to do the grand loop through Yellowstone. We headed down the Lamar Valley to Tower Junction and then up Mt. Washburn. This is the early morning light looking back from Mt. Washburn north. Next was a bit of watching for wolves in the Hayden Valley where we struck out. We moved on to photograph the Grand Prismatic hot spring near Old Faithful. We headed back to the Lamar Valley via Fishing Bridge and the Hayden Valley again. In the Lamar Valley the setting sun painted the valley with beautiful warm light. We were awed watching a large Bison herd crossing the Lamar River,...

In the Lamar River Canyon, linking the Lamar River Valley with the area called Little America, we stopped for a view of a well-known Osprey nest. Such a striking bird with their eye-mask of brown. On the way to viewing the Osprey nest, we encountered a herd of bison crossing the road and heading into a large meadow. This handsome bull was showing a group of younger bison the way. Next entry in diary

We were lucky to spot 926F of the Lamar Pack this morning next to the road. Difficult shooting conditions at 5:35am but a rewarding image of her gnawing on an elk leg. Next entry in diary

Bison mate in late July through September. The males live alone until mating season and come together with the females with the dominate males selecting a group of females to mate with and to defend. The younger males start sparing to establish dominance early. Next entry in diary

Spotted 3 Black wolves from the Junction pack heading east, toward the bison carcass, coming off the Jasper bench. They seemed to be in a playful mood. Next entry in diary

Another resident of the Lamar Valley are the Pronghorn Antelope. They look like something imported from the African continent but they are natives to North America. Their striking colors make them very easy to spot but their speed is too much for the wolves most of the time. Next entry in diary

Although wolves have always been native to the Yellowstone area they have been the subject of extermination attempts by misguided humans in the past. Various diseases that can kill canids were released into the Yellowstone area eco-system that decades later still affect entire litters of pups. From 1995 to 1997, 41 wild wolves from Canada and northwest Montana were released in Yellowstone National Park. The Lamar Valley was the original location for the release of Grey Wolves to the Yellowstone National Park to repopulate wolves that originally were native to Yellowstone.  In general, wolf...

We celebrated the fourth of July by visiting one of the countries most valuable assets, Yellowstone National Park. An act of Congress signed into law by President Ulysses Grant established the park in 1872. Members of Congress were inspired by the works of artist Thomas Moran and photographer William Henry Jackson who joined a 40-day geological survey in 1871 to document the Yellowstone area. The Lamar Valley, in the northeast part of the park, has been compared to the Serengeti. That might be a bit of hyperbole but it is the only place in America where you can see thousands of grazing herd...

To get to know the area we drove up the Beartooth Highway 212 to 11,000ft to Beartooth Pass. It is a breath-taking drive and we saw Mountain Goats at the top of the pass. On the way to Beartooth Pass we passed through a beautiful valley featuring the stunning Pilot Peak. Next entry in diary