Posts in Category: American Bison
Yellowstone! Big boy bison
American Bison: Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — We were pulled off the road, photographing an active herd of Bison in a little dip in the hills below the road, when we turned to find this bull on the ridge behind us, and uncomfortably close. He had snuck up on as he came down off the plateau behind. The slope between us on the road and him on the ridge was steep enough so we were not worried he would come down on us…he would have to turn either left or right to find a path down to the road, and eventually did that. But not before giving us a great view. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Red Dogs
American Bison: Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — Though it was very late in the season, I was surprised to find a few Red Dogs among the Bison herds. Bison calves are born with reddish brown, sometimes almost orange, coats, and are “red” for a few months after birth. Calves are generally born in April and May, so these must have been late calves. They are precocious, and are on their feet and can keep up with the herd within hours of being born. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! The business end
American Bison: Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — As I mentioned before, Bison are eating machines, head down and sucking up grass 90% (well at least 80%) of daylight hours. Catching one with its head up for a photo requires patience, and a while to spend with Bison. Eating is the business of bison, and this is the business end. Sony a6700 with Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Not a zoo
American Bison: Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — It is easy to come back from Yellowstone with way too many photos of bison. When we first got there we could not find Bison. We saw only one or two in 2 days in the Hayden Valley, where they are generally plentiful, and none in West Yellowstone on our one visit there. ?? We assumed they were all in the Lamar Valley, and, indeed we found them there, several large herds. By then, and by chance, chasing a rumor of Grizzly, we found that they were back in sight in Hayden. One theory is that, because of the unseasonably warm weather, they were staying in on the high plateau meadows and not coming down into the valleys. Hard to say. Not a zoo. Yellowstone is not a zoo. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Contentment
American Bison: Slough Creek, Yellowstone National Park, September 2024 — For the most part Bison project contentment. They are eating machines, head down in the grasses 80% of daylight hours…and with their size and weight it takes that to keep them happy…content. That general air of complacency makes their sudden violent outbursts all the more impressive…and makes them as dangerous as they undoubtedly are. I would much rather face a wolf at 20 paces than a bison…and I would never do either intentionally. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii zoom at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone! Study in Bison
American Bison: Yellowstone National Park, October 2024 — This big boy was right along the roadside by Yellowstone Lake in a little semi-thermal depression. He stood up for us when we stopped. Sony a6700 with the Tamron 50-400 Di iii VC zoom at 207mm equivalent. Program mode with my bird and wildlife modifications. Processed in Photomator.
Yellowstone
We did not have any close views of wolves in Yellowstone. They were always well away, often across the river. This is a classic Yellowstone shot. American Bison holding down the top right, two Pronghorns crossing left, and a wolf in the foreground crossing right. They are all aware of each other, but not concerned, at least at the moment. Sony RX10iv at at least 600mm optical, and probably some Clear Image Zoom above that. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Polarr.
Red Dog
American Bison calves are commonly called “Red Dogs” because of their reddish color. They are everywhere at Yellowstone in the spring and early summer…not so much in early September…but this must have been a very late calf. These photos were taken well after sunset, as in the last light of day, using Sony’s Anti-motion Blur mode to make the most of the available light. We were stopped on our way back to Lamar Buffalo Ranch by the main herd of Bison crossing the road and I had lots of time to get a window down and photograph Bison in the pasture below the road as we waited. Sony RX10iv at 600 and 100mm equivalents. Anti-motion Blur mode. Processed in Polarr.
Digiscoping Yellowstone Bison
I am just back from 5 days in Yellowstone National Park, where Melissa Pinta and I taught a ZEISS digiscoping workshop for the Yellowstone Forever Institute. These are from our first wildlife encounter in the park (not counting the Elk on the lawns at the entrance in Gardner). We were headed for the Lamar Buffalo Ranch where the workshop was to be held and came on this small group of American Bison in the beautiful light of late afternoon. As we watched, the sun came over the group and we had to unpack the ZEISS Harpia spotting scopes and tripods from our luggage and set up…it was after all, a digiscoping weekend. 🙂 The first shot is with my Sony a5100 and the 18mm equivalent ultra wide before the cloud moved, and the second shot is digiscoped with the ZEISS Harpia 85mm and the Sony a6500 with the 20mm f2.8 (kindly provided by Sony for the workshop). The two images were taken from the same spot. Digiscoping, for those unfamiliar with the term, is the art of taking a photo with a digital camera through the eyepiece of a spotting scope, generally using some kind of mount or adapter to hold the camera (even your phone) centered over the eyepiece. ZEISS provides such an adapter for Mirrorless Camera Systems, like the Sony aXXXX series. The equivalent focal length, and magnification, can be much greater than you can get with a conventional camera lens, and, of course, especially if you use your phone, it is quick easy once you have the scope set up to just grab an extreme telephoto view. The way I do it is still Point and Shoot…since I let the camera do all the work of exposure and final focus. 🙂