The Wild Photographer

Mountain Mammas Art Show - Stanley, ID

2010-07-15T21:28:00.003-06:00

I will be participating in the Mountain Mammas Art Show in Stanley, Idaho this weekend. I have done this show off and on for over twenty five years. Stanley is one of the most scenic places in Idaho. If you would like to see my photos and booth come to Stanley this weekend. I will be next to the road and will have many, many wolf photos for sale.

Northern Flicker - Young Male - Donnelly, ID

2010-07-08T22:02:00.005-06:00

This young male Northern Flicker looks out of the nest hole while waiting for his parent's to deliver a meal. It will be his last day in the nest as the entire brood will leave the nest the next day to start living on the wing.

The stump and the bird are lit from the blue sky overhead, giving the whole bird a blue color cast. I liked the effect so I didn't change it.

Northern Flicker - Adult Male - Donnelly, ID

2010-07-07T09:31:00.005-06:00

This male flicker has just returned to his nest with food for his family of young birds. The adult flickers seem to be bringing ants and ant eggs to feed their young. They bring a crop full of food and regurgitate it into the open mouths of their hungry offspring.

Northern Flicker - Donnelly, Idaho

2010-07-06T08:37:00.006-06:00

A pair of Flickers made a nest hole in a stump in my yard. They conveniently made it just at the right level so that I can sit in my blind and photograph them and their youngsters. This aggressive young male is waiting for the next delivery of food.

Wolves In Oregon

2010-06-04T16:53:00.002-06:00

I just called the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for information concerning wolves near Joseph, Oregon. I talked to a person by the name of Michelle Dennehy(503-947-6022). She was very rude and told me they didn't want anyone near the wolves. They just issued permits for the ranchers in the area to shoot some of the wolves. Maybe she didn't want me to get photos of them killing wolves.

Druid Wolves on Elk Kill - Yellowstone National Park

2010-05-27T10:45:00.006-06:00

The last known member of Yellowstone's Druid wolf pack was killed this week near Butte, Montana when it was observed trying to kill a cow. It was black and may be one of these two wolves. It was radio-collared, infested with mange mites, and starving.

The Druids were plagued with mange and radio collars. When I took this photo, there were 14 adult wolves in the pack and seven of them were collared. Stressing mange-infested wolves by chasing them with helicopters and darting them during the collaring process, has to rank right up there with the killing of Macho B, the jaguar in Arizona, when he was snared and collared last year, as a crime against wildlife.

Shortly after I took this photo, a helicopter flew over the area. The wolves all hid in the sagebrush, obviously very frightened and stressed from hearing the helicopter. This should not happen in Yellowstone.

The Yellowstone Wolf Project has been going on for 16 years and has outlived it's usefulness.

Wolves in Yellowstone have decreased from 174 a few years ago to under 100 this year. This is a classic example of studying animals to death.

Wolf Pup on Log - Yellowstone National Park

2010-05-12T08:59:00.003-06:00

This wolf pup is trying to get a better look at me by coming out on this log. Wolves are very agile and I have seen them walking on logs and down timber without falling off.

Golden Eagle With Grouse - Yellowstone National Park

2010-05-07T17:39:00.004-06:00

This Golden Eagle has just killed a grouse and is preparing to take it to a secluded place to eat it. The grass and other vegetation is tall enough that the eagle was having a little trouble taking off with his catch.

Wolf In Snow - Yellowstone National Park

2010-05-05T17:28:00.004-06:00

I panned with this wolf and the background is blurry and shows motion. I wish I could say I planned this look and everything came out perfect. Actually, I was using a new camera body and I am lucky that I even got a photo. I had only taken a few photos with this camera when the wolf showed up. I was still learning how to set the ISO.

Wood Duck On Ice - Boise, Idaho

2010-05-03T11:25:00.003-06:00

I have moved to my summer residence west of Donnelly Idaho and the snow has finally melted enough to get my trailer hooked up to power. I should have waited a month before I moved up here. It still seems like winter. It is raining right now.

I maintain three Wood Duck nest boxes along Cascade Lake which is 165 paces from where I am posting. There have been two pair of Wood Ducks investigating the nest boxes and I hope another pair shows up so that all three boxes get used this year.

Crossing The Yellowstone

2010-04-18T11:39:00.002-06:00

A herd of Bison wade across the Yellowstone River on a misty fall morning.

More Starfish- British Columbia

2010-04-16T08:56:00.003-06:00

Here is another photo of the starfish I encountered on the Canadian coastline. This is just one section of the clam bed they were feeding on.

Secret Places - Starfish, British Columbia

2010-04-15T08:53:00.003-06:00

I found this place on a small inlet in British Columbia. There was a large clam bed that became exposed at low tide and there were thousands of starfish left high and dry as they fed on the clams. I was the only person that stopped to take photos and the local natives thought I was strange to be out taking photos of starfish. Some of the native women would sit on the nearby bridge and watch me wander over the clam beds with my camera.

There are some special places that I don't share the location of. This is one of them. A biological supply house could decimate this spot.

Wolves- Family Squabble - Yellowstone National Park

2010-04-14T08:45:00.005-06:00

A wolf pack consists of a mother and father and their offspring. After the pups start following on the hunts, the largest wolves eat first. These two adults are arguing over an old Bison kill. Neither wolf was injured and the smaller female was back trying to get her share seconds after I took this photo. The pup lying in front was eating the hide, hair and all. This pup disappeared a week or so later and I think he may have starved to death.

Grizzlies drove this pack of wolves off of this Bison kill ten days before and the wolves didn't find much left to fight over when they returned. Grizzlies were taking the kills away from this pack each time they killed an elk or bison, and they were having a hard time getting enough food.

Circus Bear - Yellowstone National Park

2010-04-13T07:53:00.003-06:00

This Grizzly bear is rolling in a Bison wallow. Bears often remind me of large dogs and this is no exception. This bear was making himself all smelly where bison had urinated. I have watched dogs do the same on dead fish and other smelly objects.

Desert Bighorns - Colorado River, Moab,Utah

2010-04-12T07:47:00.003-06:00

I like Desert Bighorns. These beautiful animals are often found in beautiful country.

Bighorns are the easiest of all wild animals to approach and photograph. They are very confident of their ability to escape a human on foot and as such are vulnerable to a hunter with a long range rifle. Their color makes them hard to see at times, but their white rumps always give them away if one takes the time to watch.

One on the bighorns in this photo is handicapped by an invasive radio- collar. Present day researchers are enamored with this high-tech approach to studying wildlife and are responsible for the death and harassment of wildlife worldwide in their over-zealous need to know every aspect of these animals lives.

Pinyon Jay - Colorado River, Moab, Utah

2010-04-11T08:30:00.003-06:00

I like jays. They are quick to show up at campsites if they think there is food to be filched.

Oxbow Bend - Grand Teton National Park

2010-04-10T12:59:00.002-06:00

This is a great place to see moose and otters. I don't take a lot of scenics. I leave that to those folks that tote those large format cameras.

Grizzly And Bison - Yellowstone National Park

2010-04-09T08:02:00.003-06:00

This young Grizzly is about to find out that he can't rely on reputation when it comes to young Bull Bison. The Bison Bulls were not impressed with this Grizzly and chased after him and seemed to enjoy showing the Grizzly who was the boss.

New-Born Bison Calf - Yellowstone National Park

2010-04-08T09:11:00.004-06:00

This little guy arrived while snow was still on the ground. I saw him a few hours later with two wolves trying to catch him. His mother and one other bison cow kept the wolves at bay until the three of them caught up with the rest of the herd (over a mile from the birthing site) which drove the wolves away. The wolves actually caught hold of the calf on two different occasions, but I saw him nursing his mother after they were back in the main herd, so I think he survived OK.

Cattlemen in wolf country should take a lesson from this. Putting polled or de-horned cattle out on the range is poor policy. Let those cows grow some horns and they will defend themselves from wolves. Domestic sheep and hornless cows have no place on public lands. They require that too many predators be killed to keep public land ranchers in business. If you can't co-exist with the wolves, stay the hell home.