2020 Moose, two

Monday morning started off well with this bull following a cow and calf.  The cow and calf headed to the river and we followed. Eventually the bull followed then to the river.

 

 

 

Then another bull crossed a bit further downstream followed by yet another cow and calf.

 

 

 

While this was going on an additional two bulls crossed upstream (behind us). I didn’t get any photos of them worth keeping.

Tuesday morning was bit slower with just a couple of bulls moving around. The younger bull went  down  to the river when a larger bull came by.

 

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2020 Moose, one

The moose have arrived!  These days I’m up and out by 0700 and back to the trailer about 10 am, getting in lots of steps following the moose. This year,because  of  the  high  number  of   cars parked in the overflow area (really the amphitheater parking lot) they seem to be spending more time between the campsite loops and the river or at the river. Usually the grove by the amphitheater is a regular hangout for them.

Early  morning (once the sun is up) provides nice light and sometimes tender moments cam be seen.  Once a bull comes around the cow is distracted by him and often the calf is left to catch up when it can. Sometimes crossing the river isn’t enough, the bull follows and the cow takes to the river again.

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2020 Moose story

Out for a morning stroll

A lot of my pleasure being out here is simply watching the animals interact. Every once is a while I get to watch a story play out and even manage to capture it with my camera. On a recent morning a handsome bull was walking along the river. He crossed then returned

On the north side of the river a cow with her calf lures him back

to the north side (near me). Lo & behold, a cow & calf had been feeding in the willows.

He’s mature enough to know she’s really not ready for him so he laid down for a bit. Then two younger bulls, full of themselves and not a

The big bull was up and waiting to greet the two younger bulls.

lot of sense came around. The lady in the photo was taking a serious risk for want of some photos.

After a while the big bull crossed to the south side of the river and one of the younger bulls pursued the cow without any luck. I left while that was going on. She was not happy and while the observers

Lordy! That kid is coming this way!

(including me) were high up on the banking I knew we were not making it any easier on her simply with our presence.

All photos ©jeanclarkphotography.com

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2020 Moose and calf

One recent morning there was a moose cow with her calf right in the middle of the loop where I was camped. I’d seen her before much further away and had not gotten any close-up shots. Getting close to a cow with a calf is rather foolish I think since they are super watchful and protective. This time I was able to be close enough for some really nice images without her being stressed. My telephoto lens helps so these are not cropped much. There were RVs all around the loop and those do not make for pleasing backgrounds! However the spot I found worked out very  well.

If you look at the gallery you will see all the images in the order in which they were taken.

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2020 Teton Moose

The campground has been full every night with folks even in the overflow area. The moose have been slow to come in but a couple of mornings ago one bull was near my trailer so I got some nice images of him. The bulls will rub their antlers on shrubs to remove the velvet, and sometimes as a show of strength or threat, I think. The recent snowstorm means a lot of loose branches on the ground which look rather like bushes to them. This fellow picked up one branch, shook it loose them found a much larger one but didn’t get tangled up with it.

A couple of mornings later there was a cow and calf nearby. I’ve found it difficult to get nice images of a cow and calf but this morning it was worth the effort.

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2018 Beaver Dam Farewell

Before leaving the beaver dam I spent a bit of time taking images of it and the creek.

Departure day and what do I see when I looked out the back window of the trailer at 0630 but a moose cow and calf next to the pond in addition to two of the beavers working. I grabbed the camera and went out, staying well back from the water. She spotted me and was leery, disappearing into the bushes quickly. She eventually came into sight as she left the area.

As I kept scanning to see her I spotted another cow and calf way across the area near the tree line.

The beavers continued to work on the dam, unimpressed by the moose or me. If I were to rate camping spots this would be at the top, simply the best and the one I’d love to return to some day. 

© Jean Clark, 2019, email for Terms of Use

2018 Spring in Yellowstone

Tetons in early May

The route I regularly take to Yellowstone means passing through the Tetons, this trip was no exception. Looks like they had a good winter and the later snow added to the cover.

The drive into Yellowstone is always interesting and it was a great day for it.

 

Mammoth Hot Springs cg is  good place to use as a base for visiting Lamar Valley.  The Bison calves are old enough to be easily seen, they’re often called “red dogs” at this stage. I was surprised to see the Pronghorn Antelope so frequently. In the past they have seemed pretty skittish but not this year. Of course there were some bears out, but they were generally so far away a spotting scope was needed. I did see  sow with 2 cubs,and took a few images,but they are greatly cropped.

There were quite a few elk cows around but it did’t look like they had started calving yet. Back in the campground one elk cow has been chasing people around. Turns out she has good reason to be concerned, she has a very new little wobbly calf. She was very near my trailer when I took a series of images yesterday. She’s moved to the far end of the campground but i’m always on the lookout inn case she comes back this way.

After seeing some bears but too far away to photograph decently i decided to invest in a good spotting scope. I figure even if I can’t photograph the critters I’ll be able to watch them, something I really enjoy. Once I settled in the one I wanted I found  for a little more I could  get an attachment to take photos with my iPhone.  Mind you nothing has arrived yet and there will be a learning curve. The photos I get, if any, will be fun ones, not serious stuff. It should be interesting as the trip progresses.

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© Jean Clark, 2019, email for Terms of Use

2014 Teton Moose in Gros Ventre

I moved from Yellowstone to Grand Tetons NP on Sept. 8. From then on my main computer really started giving me problems, freezing up, etc. I thought I could coax it into working until I got home. Ha! Then I discovered the backup’s battery wouldn’t take a charge. Took about a week to get at least 1 laptop working and another week to get the software to process my images (I shoot RAW which complicates things).

When I first thought about stopping in the Tetons for a while I found out that the foliage is at peak around the 3rd week in Sept. so I was hoping to see some color along with some moose. This fine fellow and his lady friend were out and about he first morning after I arrived so I was able to get some very nice images.
As the week progressed another, younger bull showed up and I was able to capture some really interesting images of the two bulls sparring. It is a very slow motion sort of thing. They go at it for a few minutes then take a breather then do it again. With the exception of the two images that I put captions on I never saw either bull exhibit noticable superiority or defeat.

Later in the week a cow with a calf dropped by, along with a potential suitor, but I never got any nice images of the bull.

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© Jean Clark, 2019, email for Terms of Use

Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Jan. 22, 2013, I took a couple of fellow Casita owners from TN to one of my favorite places in the area. The wildlife park has many inhabitants, be they furred, feathered or have fins they are all interesting to see! The mammals include but are not limited to Bobcats, Panthers, Bears, Fox and the manatees. Birds of all sort reside there, some permanent residents due to injuries, others come and go. The park regularly rehabs a wide variety of critters (out of public view for the most part). I’ve included some of the photos taken on this particular visit and they are a tiny sampling of what I’ve taken on my many visits. The manatee photos were taken from the viewing platform that overlooks where the Homosassa Spring run flows into the Homosassa river so there are “wild” manatees rather than permanent residents. More photos are on my website, http://www.borderbrae.com.

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