Oddities of Nature

Have you ever seen something in nature that struck you as odd?  In May of 2009 I saw something that I thought was very odd.  I was driving into Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley from the west and off to my right not far from the Lamar River I saw a large nest atop a dead tree.   My first thought was that it was probably an osprey nest or maybe a bald eagle nest.  I slowed down and pulled over.   I could see there was something in the nest, but it was too far to see what it was exactly.  I decided to grab my big lens and tripod and hike closer to the nest.  After a bit I stopped.  I couldn’t believe my eyes.   It looked like a Canada goose.   I looked through my lens.  It was a Canada goose.

A Canada goose sits in a raptor nest in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley.
A Canada goose sits in a raptor nest in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley.

This was a new one for me.  Canada geese nest on the ground, usually in wetlands.  What was this one doing up in a raptor’s nest?  Maybe it had learned the hard way that eggs laid on the ground in the Lamar Valley don’t last long.  I checked every day for over a week and there was always a goose in the nest.  There had to be eggs there.  Will the eggs fare better in a raptor’s nest at the top of a tall tree?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Furthermore, to the best of my knowledge, Canada geese don’t feed their young like birds of prey do.  The goslings will have to get down to the ground and to the river soon after they hatch.  I know some waterfowl species like wood ducks nest in tree cavities and the young drop down to the ground, but this is a very tall tree and the branches extend well away from the trunk, especially in the lower portion of the tree outside the framing of the image.  Finally, how will they walk across all those branches with their webbed feet?

Osprey in Nest at Tree Top in Yellowstone's Lamar Valley
An osprey is back in possession of the raptor nest a year later.

When I returned to Yellowstone in May of this year I looked to the nest as I entered Lamar Valley.  There was a bird in it again.  This time it was an osprey.

I’ve often wondered what happened to the offspring of the Canada geese.  Did the eggs survive to hatching?  If so, did the goslings make it safely down the tree and to the river?  I guess I’ll never know.

Anniversary of Delisting of Bald Eagle

One bald eagle bites another.
One Bald Eagle Bites Another.

Today is the third anniversary of the removal of the Bald Eagle from the Endangered Species List.  This is one of the greatest success stories under the Endangered Species Act.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out this way.

Grizzly Sow and Cubs Out for a Stroll

I had heard reports of a sow grizzly with four spring cubs in the Hoodoos area of Yellowstone.  I went there this morning hoping to see and photograph them.  Four cubs is very rare.

I was fortunate.  There they were.  Unfortunately, they were about 200 yards away and partly blocked by branches.  So, I waited.  And waited.  It was below freezing and very windy.  The wind was really pushing my big lens around, even with me steadying it.  Getting a sharp image was going to be a challenge.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, they moved into a relatively clear area.  I was hoping for a good composition.  Mom and cub 1, the runt of the litter on her back, and  cub 2 were cooperative; but cubs 3 and 4 were not.   This is one reason why photographing people is easier.

A sow grizzly walks with her four cubs in the Hoodoos area of Yellowstone.
Grizzly Sow and Four Cubs, Yellowstone National Park

Life Is Not Perfect and that Includes Yellowstone

THis cinnamon-colored black bear has something wrong with its left elbow. He can't straighten it.
Cinnamon Black Bear, Yellowstone National Park

Yesterday was a good day for bear sightings.   I saw seven black bears and one grizzly.  One of them I know I saw and photographed before because he has a something wrong with his left front leg.  It seems the elbow is locked.  Sometimes he puts it and his whole foreleg on the ground when he walks and other times he puts just his paw on the ground.  Either way he is unbalanced with that locked elbow.  When he goes downhill he just raises his left foreleg and sort of “hops” downhill.

This is the second animal I’ve seen in the last week with a significant problem.  The other was a cow bison with calf.  The cow never put her left hind leg on the ground.  If a grizzly goes after her calf she won’t be able to move well enough to try to fend the grizzly off.

Life can be tough.  I hope they both make it.

Yellowstone, America’s Best Wildlife Park

I’m in Yellowstone.   One of the things I like about it is you never know what you’ll see next.  It reminds me of that line in Forrest Gump when he quotes his mom:  “Life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re gonna get.”  I don’t know of a better place to photograph wild mammals in the United States than here.

One of my favorite animals to photograph (and simply observe) here is the bighorn sheep.  This ram was using this big rock to scratch himself.  He started with his right side; then he did his left side, as you can see here; and finished by with his hindquarters.  If you look closely you can see the hair he left behind on the rock.

For a larger version of this photo you can check my website under “new Images” and/or “Bighorn Sheep.”    www.jimcoda.com