Tule Elk

Bull Tule Elk with Baling Twine Caught in Antlers

Photo of a bull tule elk with baling twine caught in his antlers.
Tule Elk Bull, Limantour Herd; Point Reyes National Seashore

This 7-point bull is the largest I’ve seen so far this fall in that portion of the Limantour herd that uses the D Ranch near Drake’s Beach.   About an hour after this photo was taken I saw him again and he was limping.  I think he had been a in a fight.  What I want to point out in this photo, however, is that he has some baling twine caught in his antlers.  Here is a closer view of the baling twine.

Close-up photo of a bull tule elk with baling twine caught in his antlers.
Cropped photo showing baling twine caught in antlers; Point Reyes National Seashore

Baling twine and baling wire, which are used to bale hay, cause many unnecessary injuries and deaths each year to wildlife.  Animals manage to get their legs, talons and other body parts tangled in it.  To read an article about its dangers click here.  The next time this bull scrapes ground cover some of it will get caught in the twine and some of it may cover the animals face, including its eyes.  Depending on its breaking strength, it may also tie the bull to a fence or a piece of vegetation that the bull can’t break or it may hold two bulls together when they try to break from a fight.  Tensile strength is in the hundreds of pounds.  Other species, such as ospreys, are attracted to it for nest-building material.  There are reported cases of ospreys being killed when flying with a long piece of it dangling from their talons.  The trailing piece gets caught in a tree limb as a bird flies over it and the bird dies either immediately or over a long time if it can’t free itself of the twine.  If it makes it into the nest it can cause death there as well.  To see what can happen at a nest site click here.  It reminds me of monofilament fishing line which thoughtless fishermen discard.  Monofilament is even used for some baling products.  If you see discarded baling twine please collect it and dispose of it properly.  Included in that is cutting it into small pieces so it doesn’t become dangerous again on the surface of a landfill.

Baling twine is now being manufactured that decomposes over time.  While this is a step in the right direction, it doesn’t break down for over a year.

Coyote

Coyote, Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of a coyote staring at the camera.
Coyote, Pt. Reyes National Seashore

I photographed this coyote on my last trip to Point Reyes.  The photo was taken just before noon.  Seeing a coyote midday is fairly unusual, especially for the summer months.  They are crepuscular (active during dawn and dusk hours) and nocturnal.  That doesn’t mean you will never see them during daylight hours.  It just means that they are less active then.  I believe there is a seasonal aspect to it as well.  I see far more coyotes during the daytime in winter months than I do during summer months.

I spotted this individual while driving back from the Pierce Point area.  I stopped slightly past the coyote and had to hand-hold for this photo.   Not my first choice with a big lens.

Owl

Great Horned Owl, Point Reyes National Seashore

Photo of a great horned owl sitting in a barn window.
Great Horned Owl in Barn Window

I went out to Point Reyes a couple of days ago.  The elk rut has started, especially with the Limantour herd.  The Tomales herd seems to lag behind the Limantour herd in antler shedding, antler re-growth, mating and calving.

On my way to check on a part of the Limantour herd I saw this adult great horned owl.  I was pleased to find it roosting where it was.  They’re hard enough to find and most of the ones I find are in trees with distracting backgrounds.

Badger

Badger Cubs at Play

Photo of two badger cubs.
Three Badger Cubs at Play, Yellowstone National Park

I checked this badger den for the better part of two weeks in May of 2009.  For a couple of days one of the cubs was often seen with this bit of fur or skin in its mouth.  I don’t think I ever saw them more than about 10 feet from the mouth of the den.  Yet, a coyote managed to capture and kill one of the cubs.  I don’t think they had learned to fear anything up to that point.  Some of life’s lessons come at a steep price.

Badger

Mother Badger with Ground Squirrel

Photo of a mother badger returning to her den with a ground squirrel in her mouth.
American Badger, Yellowstone National Park

Several photographers, including myself, waited for an hour or more for this mother badger to return to her den.  It was close to sundown when she returned with this live ground squirrel.  She was moving through the sagebrush at a fast pace.  The conversation going on got me distracted from what I was doing.  I hadn’t increased the ISO as it got darker.  The result was that I shot this at 1/320th of a second.  The badger is just bordering on being blurred.

Badger

Badger, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of female badger at her den.
Badger Mom at Her Den

In the spring of 2009 this mother badger and her three cubs were very popular photo subjects in Yellowstone.  Her den was fairly close to the road.   She crossed the road often and I worried that she’d get hit.  I don’t think she ever did get hit, at least at that den site, but an awful lot of wildlife is killed on Yellowstone’s roads each year.

Other Mammal

Yellow-bellied Marmot, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of a yellow-bellied marmot.
On the Lookout at Sedge Bay

One of the things I’ve noticed about myself at Yellowstone is that I no longer just focus on the species that are most sought after by photographers and other visitors.  I’m thinking, of course, of things like bears and wolves.  Oh, sure, they’re still at the top of my list, but I’m interested in all the animals now, including the rodents.

I photographed this marmot across the road from Sedge Bay. The rock outcroppings there hold a good population of marmots.  I learned a lesson that day.  Make that two lessons.  I had stopped to shoot marmots and just grabbed my 500 lens and tripod.  I left the 100-400 on another camera body in the truck.   After shooting for a while this marmot turned its back to me, stood up and gave a warning call.  Others chimed in.  I didn’t have a clear line of sight to what they were upset about, but decided I had gotten what I wanted and hoisted the camera/tripod onto my shoulder and turned around to head back to my truck. It was then that I saw a black wolf walking midway between me and my truck which was parked about 40 to 50 feet away.  It disappeared into some trees.  Two mistakes.  I should have looked in all directions when the marmots started calling and I should have brought the 100-400 with me.  As I got to the truck I saw a white wolf heading into the trees going in the opposite direction of the black wolf.  It had been the one behind the marmots.  I followed it in the truck, but lost it.  Next time I’ll be prepared.  Yeah, right.  I’ve said that before.