Bull Bison, Yellowstone National Park
This bull was one of many I saw yesterday in the Lamar Valley. It rained on and off which wetted down the hair on his face and made his eyes more visible.
Pronghorn Rut, Yellowstone National Park
I’m in Yellowstone. I came for the rut. It’s been quite warm and that may have slowed things down a bit.
This buck was busy defending his harem. I observed him for about an hour before sunset and he was kept busy by four other bucks. He chased them all away without a fight. It’s a bit like swatting flies though.
This buck was on a course which would bring him through the harem. He watched from a few hundred yards away and finally skirted around the above buck and his harem. I’m not sure why he didn’t act like the other bucks. Maybe he’d say he’s a lover, not a fighter. But that doesn’t work. In the pronghorn world, the only lovers are the fighters.
Osprey, Tomales Bay, California
I was backing up some images recently and realized I had forgotten that I photographed this osprey last month. I like the background in this photo which is comprised of the hills on the east side of Tomales Bay. The bird is perched on the top of an ornate gate to a dock along the shoreline in the town of Inverness on the way into Point Reyes National Seashore.
Very Young Tule Elk Calf During the Rut in September
I photographed this young calf two days ago at Point Reyes. I am used to seeing calves this young in late April, May and early June, not September.
Bull Tule Elk During the Rut
The rut is in full swing at Point Reyes. This bull had a harem of six or seven cows and a few yearlings and calves near Pierce Point Ranch. He got into one big fight with another bull of about equal size. He prevailed, but these bull elk sure work hard to pass on their genes. I saw a bull limping due to some problem with his left foreleg or shoulder. It reminded me of a limping bull on the D Ranch near Drake’s Beach. He also had something wrong with his left leg or shoulder.
Juvenile Barn Swallow, Point Reyes National Seashore
This young barn swallow and its sibling were being fed by their parents when I came by. As with many critters, especially young ones, they were willing to sit tight when there was food to be had. If not for the food I probably wouldn’t have gotten the photo.
Bull Tule Elk After a Fight
I wrote this post at the same time as the previous one. The point of this one was going to be to show how the bull in that post looked after an apparent fight. In looking over the draft of this post I now realize this isn’t the same bull. This bull’s antlers are “palmated,” especially the right one. Furthermore, I don’t see any baling twine. I guess I jumped to the conclusion that it was the same bull because this big bull was returning to the same 8 cows that I saw the previous bull with in the same spot an hour before. In view of the fact that this is the one returning to the harem, it appears he is the dominant bull in this area.
He was limping very noticeably which seemed to be due to an injured left shoulder. The area behind his lower left shoulder seems devoid of any hair. His left flank may also show evidence of a fight. He was panting heavily for the 10 to 15 minutes I observed him and his mouth was open almost all that time. I assume this bull was in a fight with the bull in the previous post. Even though he was showing signs of stress from what I presume was a fight, he still checked out a couple of cows that must have been close to being ready to mate. Being the dominant bull is a lot of work and leaves the big bulls in a weaker state when winter arrives. Point Reyes is a pretty safe place though for a weakened bull elk. It’s a lot tougher in Yellowstone with the low temperatures, the snow and the wolves.
