What Can Be Seen in 8 Hours in Yellowstone

3 Grizzly Bears, 4 Wolves, Bison, Elk and Mule Deer.

It all began as a moose photography trip to Grand Teton National Park. I spent 4 days camping, searching and hiking to photograph bull moose. Always hoping to find a full grown adult moose either in the water or out in the sage with the mountains in the background. That didn’t exactly pan out. I found plenty of moose but not where I wanted them. So goes nature photography. I made the decision on day 5 to drive to Yellowstone. In particular Hayden Valley. Travelling into Yellowstone in October means small crowds. There was only 1 other car at Fishing Bridge!

Now heading to Hayden Valley I started to get a little amped. Hayden Valley has been the scene of many incredible nature observations and I had an idea I was about to experience more of them. Moving into the Mud Pots area I passed many bison and quite a few humans visiting the Mud Pots. Shortly thereafter I could see many vehicles parked in a pull out just north of Sulphur Caldron. I’ve seen quite a few grizzlies in this area on past trips and instinct told me there’s a grizzly near the Yellowstone River.

As I drove toward the pull out I could see a grizzly bear on the east side of the river! I parked, grabbed my gear and headed toward the people pointing all kinds of cameras toward the bear. I set myself up where the light and angle was best and there I stood along the Yellowstone River with numerous other on lookers for 3 hours. The bear was digging in the grass/sage mix. I’m guessing for tubers and maybe a rodent or two. I know what you’re thinking and yes we were viewing the grizzly from a safe distance. One thing I learned was this grizzly was not fond of full grown adult bison. On more than one occasion the bison got too close to the grizzly bear and the bear high-tailed it away from the bison.

Around 3pm I figured I should get greedy and try and find another bear or some elk so I headed toward Cody Wyoming where I was to spend the night. Just south of Yellowstone Lake in an area of peaks and valleys was another grizzly bear! I’d like to tell you I found this one but there were 3 or 4 cars pulled over looking down into a valley. I personally don’t like to point my camera down at animals so I decided to keep moving. Within 3 minutes 3-4 other vehicles were stopped on the roadside looking at a pack of wolves. They too were down an embankment so I kept heading toward Cody. This is a beautiful drive. I drive slow so it was very nice to have almost no traffic.

Maybe 30 minutes had passed, could have been 40 but I knew the light was going to be gone soon. In this valley the sunshine was minimal and my brain went to “it would be nice to get a shower and a bed”. Moving downhill on Hwy 14 a truck was pulled over onto the median. An arm was waving out the window. I slowed to a crawl, a grizzly bear was in the ditch 5o yards away. It began to cross the road right between me and the other truck and into the minimally forested west side of the road. Here’s where good fortune happened. Just ahead was a right turn. I arrived there in seconds along with the other truck and then another. Basically we were all hoping this bear would walk towards us. And it did! I had almost no time to remove the 1.4 extender on my camera but I got it off in record time and hit the hammer on my  camera.

I just had one of the coolest nature experiences in my life. A grizzly at short distance with me and the other 2 guys safely in position to capture the scene which you can see below.

Moving once again slowly down Hwy 14 to find the grizzly I gave up after a few minutes and drove towards Cody. Along the way and in the dark I could make out the silhouettes of quite a few elk at lower altitude and I soon found a shower and a bed in Cody Wyoming.

Hayden Valley Grizzly

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Beauty, Nature, Hiking, Photography

Antelope Island in March is Better Than Advertised

I like to drive. I had decided years ago that one day I’d drive to Antelope Island to photograph the wonderous swarms of birds that migrate thru this area each spring. March 2025 was the time. I did this drive in two days. Day one from Minneapolis St Paul to Casper Wyoming where I had the second best burrito I ever ate!

Day two was a scenic drive from Casper to Antelope Island. It had snowed an inch or so over night. This area is where the high prairie meets the mountainous region and the snow added an element to the drive that made the landscape glow. The drive from Casper to Rawlins was among the most scenic drives I’ve ever made and if you are driver you need to put this route on your list. In addition to the scenic beauty this land is full of antelope!

Arriving at Antelope Island around 3pm the lake was still and I could see thousands of birds on the water. American avocets mostly but also a mix of various ducks and other shorebirds. I set up camp on site 1 at the Ladyfinger campground located on Ladyfinger Point. I chose this site because it appeared more remote and less like a KOA campsite. My site was excellent, tucked into the brush and away from the one other camper who was there. I do have to warn you this area is very busy at sundown because of the incredible views of over the lake and mountains to the west.

I did some scouting and made a decision on what the next day would provide for entertainment in nature. Great Salt Lake was shy of water on my visit and the shorebirds and waterfowl I wished to photograph were well out into the lake. Too far for photos so I made my rounds looking for other photography opportunities. What I found were incredible numbers of western meadowlark along with horned larks, long-billed curlew, northern harriers, burrowing owls, ravens, chukar, spotted towhee, jack rabbits, bison and antelope.

Waking well before sunrise I made the 20 minute drive to Fielding Garr Ranch a noted historical spot that also features the opportunity to see barn owls. This drive has a snowed capped mountain to the west and Great Salt Lake to the east. Pretty cool. Unfortunately I did not see a barn owl but on the way there were numerous rabbits, bison, antelope, harriers and grassland birds. On the way back north I stopped to photograph horned larks and western meadowlarks. My next stop was the area with burrowing owls and long-billed curlew. This is near the visitor center. I wanted to photograph them in the morning light before heading out a nice hike on the Buffalo Point Trail.

I spent 3 days on Antelope Island looking for nature and hiking the trails that were not very crowded for such a beautiful place. In the absence of opportunities for waterfowl and shorebirds I spent much time hiking and photographing the species that were in front of me as they say. In the end the absolute beauty, eye candy as I refer to it was so captivating I found myself more than satisfied with my experience despite not being able to photograph shorebirds and waterfowl. I highly recommend a trip to Antelope Island. And for this who prefer to fly it’s just a 30 minute drive from Salt Lake City.

Birds viewed on Antelope Island March 2025.

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The Owl Irruption Continues In Northern Minnesota

My 6th trip was the best.

Goals unachieved I once again made my way to Northern Minnesota in search of owls. This time I was pretty sure I knew where at least one great gray owl was. Not to my surprise the famous great gray owl of Two Harbors was on display for many photographers to watch and photograph. This particular owl was actively hunting for the crowd but it was not the featured act on my trip up the north shore.

Pulling into the parking lot at the Two Harbors boat landing I was among the last nature geeks to arrive. This day was mostly cloudy and I felt no need to leave my house at 4am. There were 27 owl enthusiasts (yes I counted them) pointing cameras at this great gray owl who was hunting from a small pine not far from the boat landing. Some had long lenses while other still employed short range models and cell phones. I’m not a big crowd guy but I couldn’t help but jump into the fray shooting images over the crowd from a distance with my 500mm lens. This was cool but I was here to watch and photograph the majestic beast hunting voles. I wanted flight shots. Throughout the morning the great gray owl moved about from perch to perch always working into the significant wind. Using that knowledge I continually attempted to predict the flight of the owl. This tactic proved to be somewhat productive. Owls don’t always fly where you think they will.

Having a long lens employed is both an advantage and at times a disadvantage. The long lens allowed me to track the owl over greater distances and away from the group of photographers. The disadvantage was this owl was jumping up vertically from fence posts to pounce on voles and my long lens didn’t allow for me to effectively get these images from a distance.

I stayed with this owl for a few hours but it never really went where I was predicting it would go. Most of my good images were on perches which is cool but not my number 1 goal. I had been up the north shore numerous times this winter and I had found numerous owls including the rare boreal owl weeks before so I thought…should I  look for other owls?

Making a move from the famous Two Harbors owl was a risk I was willing to take. I made the decision to get some lunch and try and find another great gray or two.

Like a fisherman would do I headed to search an area I was successful in weeks earlier. Driving the county roads in St Louis County for a while I had an instinct to go to an area that was hot in early January. I found a great gray owl on this drive but it was not in an area conducive to flight photography so I bailed and returned to the Two Harbors owl. The crowd was now much smaller maybe 8 photographers and it appeared the great gray had moved off into the woods. Pondering the opportunities before me I decided to drive back to owl number 2.

Upon my arrival owl 2 had moved. I began my way down the road hoping to find owl 2. Found! And now it was in a more favorable place for a photographer. Owl 2 was perched not far from the road and obviosly hunting. This would be the beginning of what I now know was the single greatest hour of bird photography I’ve ever experienced. Owl 2 was actively hunting from perch to perch as the sun was settng and it offered me the chance to take a zillion images at 20 frames per second. I had an idea that I might have some excellent images of owl 2. One squence had me make a corret guess in it’s flight path and at that moment I was pumped thinking these shots will be what I was aiming for.

Now having seen my images that sequence was not exactly as imagined, good but not excellent. What I did find was a series of images that set apart from any other sequence I’d ever shot. I think what happens is you get so lost in the moment. Concentrating on holding the camera while following the bird as best you can takes away from thoughts of framing up a shot. It’s nice to get lost in bird photography and sometimes you get rewarded.

Below are some of my images from February 22, 2025 and day I won’t forget

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Short Eared Owls a Minnesota Birders Quest

The ever elusive short-eared owl had been spotted not far from my home.

Being a bird aficionado since forever I was notified of a short eared owl 20 minutes from my home. It took me a few weeks to go and find this bird. I’m not sure why because I hadn’t seen a short eared owl in over a decade and this species was definitely on my photography radar.

And so it began on October 26, 2024 a bird quest that I didn’t necessarily see coming. Driving to the area I was thinking if I could just see some shorties that would be great and any decent images were a bonus. Upon my arrival at about 4pm. I saw a short eared owl meandering over a field of grass. Within minutes I saw another one. Now I’d not been to this place before and since I love exploration of new nature spots I took a hike to the highest ground I could find. I figured I could get the lay of the land and watch for short eared owls from that high vantage point. Up on the hill I could see a short eared working a field quite a distance away. I was, as always, hoping it would fly over to my postion and look me in the eye at 50 feet. Of course this wasn’t to be but I continued to observe the happenings from that hill. From the hill there were other hills to the south. Remembering back to my school days I told myself these hills were eskers or were they drumlins? I figured that out with a quick visit to Google. These hills are indeed eskers as I viewed them. In any case the first photography opportunity came to me as a pair of owls came from behind me and flew directly overhead. Over the next 2 hours I viewed a few short eared owls in the distance and my opportunity to photograph them was practically none. But a flame had been lit.

On October 27, I again made the drive to “the owl spot”. This time I planted myself in the field where the owls had spent most of their time the day before. On the 27th the owls preferred the eskers as their hunting grounds. A few did hunt over the field and I snapped a couple of long range shots for grins.

Over the next few weeks I found myself at the “owl spot” about 9 times. Each time I had the luxury of going earlier. I did this with full knowledge that short eared owls prefer to hunt just before dusk. The owls just emerge from the tall grasslands almost like a magic trick 45 minutes before the sun goes down. But this is not always the case. During most of my treks to the “owl spot” the sky was a bit gloomy with only a peak of sunlight here and there and owls were active as soon as I arrived. Active, but not necessarily active near me. Being a bit impatient as a general means I began hiking the numerous trails each day hoping at some point an owl would fly right in front of me in the right light. My strategy was to hike a bit and hold in a spot for 10-15 minutes than make a move. I did this consistently over the course of 2 weeks. This strategy proved to be successful at some points and not so much at others. Often an area I left minutes before had owls right where I wanted them. But I wasn’t there.

The short eared owls move aggressively searching for voles and mice and they might move a mile in just a couple of minutes. I knew holding a spot might work but my need to move around was ever present and it was rewarded a few times. In fact I hiked that land over 30 miles in a single week. Such was my pursuit. I had a few fine images of these beasts but just as in fishing I had to better my previous best efforts. This continues to be a challenge that will once again undertake today. In fact I’m not going to rest until I get the images I hope to snap. But it’s not just about the photography. Many of the images are fresh in my mind, the deer in the field, the rough legged hawks, the young man carrying his bow and the majesty that is an open grassland, mostly wild, offering up tremendous views and an almost supernatural feeling of exuberance.

Over the course of two weeks I met other people on a similar quest for owls and nature experiences. Many carrying cameras with long lenses others just out for a stroll unknowingly in short eared owl habitat. I had days with zero clicks of the shutter on my camera. On a few days I had 600-700  shots to work thru. On one particular day I actually walked to my truck with the knowledge that I had clicked some worthy images…at least B level. But what I always walked to my truck with was an appreciation for nature and gratitude that I had spent a few hours in the almost wild grasslands of Minnesota.

Short Eared Owls

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Rare:Piebald Whitetail Deer with Pink Nose

I like to fancy myself as a nature afficianado with solid observational skills. Coming home from a recent trip to scout for white tail deer I opened my whitetail deer catalog in Lightroom and made a brief scan thru the 216 images I had marked with stars to be looked at later as potentially good images. Nevermind the other 2644 images in that folder. Although I’m sure there are some good ones yet to be found. I stumbled on a few images of a piebald whitetail deer buck. This got me thinking about this animal. It also had a pink nose. What I found out with a little research; piebald bucks with a pink nose are indeed very rare. Too bad I snapped his picture a couple of times then went about finding that big bad boy buck that surely was lurking somewhere in the woods.

According to the website deerassociation.com piebald deer have a rare genetic disorder that produces deer with white patches on their body. Sometimes these patches are almost unnoticable and others are almost white. Some deer with this genetic disorder are not well and have a variety of other symtoms that may lead to an early demise. Upon further digging it appears that the piebald condition is seen in less than 1 percent of deer, Even less in piebald deer with pink noses. And further down are piebald bucks with pink noses! Damn! I’m now kicking myself for not taking the time to better photograph this rare best!

In my reading I found out that piebald deer are not as rare as albino deer. Albinos are 1 in 30,000 and piebald 1 in 1,000. For me this stat is odd because I’ve observed at least 8 albino deer in the last 20 years and 1 piebald. Below are a couple of  images I hope you’ll find interesting and somewhat rare.

Piebald vs Albino Whitetail Deer

Other posts 

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Crex Meadows: a Birding Destination

Loacted just north of Grantsburg Wisconsin Crex Meadows Wildlife Refuge is a 90 minute drive from the Twin Cities metro and during the fall it’s a mecca for sandhill cranes and trumpeter swans. Add in some bonus waterfowl, raptors and tweety birds you can spend a few hours or more enjoying this wildlife refuge for free.

My recent trip was driven by the need to do some additional practicing with my new camera. I was attempting to get multiple sandhill cranes landing in focus and sharp at sundown. My practice didn’t exactly produce the optimal image but I’m moving in the right direction.

After driving thru a good part of the refuge I found a large group of sandhill cranes along with quite a few trumpeter swans, great egrets, some mallards, a few pie bill grebes and some unidentified shore birds on Main Dike Road. This is where I’d do my practicing. This area offered many opportunties to photograph the birds in the fading sunlight.

Sandhills were loudly milling around in the hundreds in the marsh with groups flying in from the days feeding grounds constantly. Enjoyable to witness and fun to photograph.

I also took a bit of time to photograph the trumpeter swans. If you’re into trumpeters this a a good photography spot offering small water and good late day sun angles. While working on the trumpeters a lone pie bill made it’s way feet from me. So close I couldn’t focus my camera. I even spoke to the bird asking it to please move back a bit and into the golden hour light on the calm reflecting water. The pie bill didn’t listen but it heard me after and after a while, working on points for style, the grebe moved out of sight.

If you’re looking for a day trip birding consider Crex Meadows. It’s worth it.

Additional Resources

Friends of Crex

Wisconsin DNR

Crex Meadows Imagery

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Rocky Mountain National Park

Where Beasts and City Come Together

I like to drive. And I like the mountains. I took my truck, my camera, my camping gear and some food on a road trip to Rocky Mountain National Park in late October. This was a trip of a few surprises including elk in folks front yards and a early season snow storm that closed the Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine visitor center which I love but could not drive.

The drive to Denver was a 15 hour trip. Easy peasy. After a nights stay I traveled to Estes Park to enter Rocky Mountain National Park. Waiting for me just before the gate were a few mule deer and a herd of elk! I had to stop and snap a few shots. My go to destination is the Glacier Creek Meadow for the simple reason that I’d found this to be a great spot to photograph elk. But on this trip the elk were not there in numbers nor close to photography range. I did stumble upon a coyote and a few mule deer and that would have to suffice.

Day 2 was a driving day throughout the park looking for likely photographic opportunities. A saw a few big horn sheep then it started snowing. Since Trail Ridge Road was closed I settled on a hike on the Lumpy Ridge Trail. In heavy snow I left my camera gear behind and began hiking the trail in what is now heavy snow. I found this enjoyable. Nobody else was on the trail and it gave me a different appreciation of snow fall. I know folks are probably not hoping for hikes in a snowstorm but it really was a scene I’ll not forget.

On the next day I once again photographed the elk that were still grazing around just before the park entrance. This was for whatever reason the go-to area for elk photography. The highlight of this day was the snow. This day was bluebird clear and the early morning light on the freshly fallen snow was a delight to the eyes. The park did an excellent job on the roads and I leisurely drove the roads to higher elevations to take in the view. At the end of the day I once again photographed the elk by the park entrance along with some mule deer. Bull’s were more vocal as the light dimmed and I attempted to video this with my less than desirable hand held video camera.

In leu of camping I stayed the the Rocky Mountain Hotel and Conference Center. The price was right. Must be an October thing. Waking up early I was surprised by the number of elk walking the city roadways in the surrounding neighborhoods. Elk were literally eating on peoples porches! A quick stop to get a roll and a coffee I went see the Stanley Hotel for a moment then back to Bear Road and the Glacier Creek area.

Now at my destination the obvious opportunity photography wise was to capture the icy creek in it’s snow covered beauty. I stayed the right there for at least an hour sipping my semi-warm coffee and eating my donut. Not another soul was there and there was no wind and if there was sound it was only the gurgle of the creek water rolling over the ice. I’m not much of a landscape photographer but hopefully my photos give you an idea of what I experienced.

I’ve been to Rocky Mountain Park in summer, it’s beautiful and busy. This October trip was really an early winter adventure thoroughly enjoyed. If you are considering a trip to Rocky Mountain National Park my thought is just go. You’ll enjoy the place immensely. And if you go in October you’ll encounter lower traffic and lower prices for lodging! Oh did I mention the pizza at Antonio’s Real NY Pizza!

Rocky Mountain National Park Imagery

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Glacier National Park: Logan Pass in August

Visual beauty of flora, fauna and landscape.

A road trip from Minnesota to Glacier National Park is a memorable one and the first stop on our trip was Logan Pass. To get there we entered the park at the Saint Mary entrance and shortly we were on Going-to-the-Sun Road. If you’ve never been on this drive it’s a must do for a nature lover. Going to the Sun Road takes you through some incredible scenery and straight to Logan Pass.

Ignoring the Logan Pass Visitor Center we headed straight to the Hidden Lake Nature Trail. This trail offers incredible scenery and abundant nature in the form of flowers, birds, marmots, ground squirrels and of course mountain goats.

Logan Pass is located on the continental divide. It’s named for Major William R. Logan the first superintendent of Glacier National Park.

Logan Pass receives a mountain of snow each winter. Going to the Sun and Logan Pass is only open during the summer. Please make sure your visit coincides with the road being open which is typically is from Memorial Day Weekend to October 15.

Logan Pass is at 6642 feet above sea level and it will require a bit more from you physically to hike the area. For families with young children you can easily take the Hidden Lake Nature Trail to the overlook.  This is about 1.5 miles. For others who wish a more vigorous hike the area provides a more remote hike along the Garden Wall.

Hiking to the overlook we spotted many marmots in the rocks and mountain goats grazed in the grassy areas. Hiking further there were more mountain goats cooling themselves on the remaining snow. This short hike offers an array of captivating views from mountain meadows to incredible vistas.

Initially you may think Logan Pass is a quick stop and it can be, but if you are enamored with the beauty of mountains then you may find yourself spending many hours enjoying this area of Glacier National Park.

The Seen at Logan Pass

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The Stalker of Prairie Wetlands

Common to Western Minnesota and North Dakota

A driving adventure through the pothole wetlands of Western Minnesota and North Dakota will produce many species water birds. Ducks of many species, Redheads, Canvasbacks, Ruddy Ducks, Pintails and Grebes (Western, Eared, Red Necked and Pie Billed). On this trip I was after shorebirds. Avocets being the target to go along with other shorebirds sure to be present where Avocets roam.

The area I chose was north of Cleveland, North Dakota and northwest toward the tiny town of Robinson. This area features the Chase Lake WPA and many other waterfowl production areas. For birders this area is a must visit. There are endless potholes, lakes and grasslands to view  birds. For bird list folks you can stack up the species easily. Twenty Five plus bird varieties is a given including some elusive species like Wilsons Phalarope and Prairie Falcon. For photographers the area offers up boundless opportunities to click the shutter to your hearts consent.

My visit was in early May and it took me a bit to find avocets. Passing numerous likely spots I finally landed on a pothole that I believe only exists in spring and it dries up as summer goes on. I saw 2 avocets in this pond along with a few willets, blue wing teal, killdeer and a bunch of Wilson’s Phalarope.

In full camo I entered this wetland armed with a tripod and my camera plus my ever present butt seat. The birds scattered a bit but over the next few hours they settled in and began to go about their business of feeding and courting. I always wish for perfect conditions on the North Dakota prairie but windless days with filtered light are hard to come by. Below is sampling of the imagery I captured on this fine spring day.

Avocets of the North Dakota Potholes

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