With Yellowstone National Park still being closed (and no opening date yet), we have been spending more time exploring locally outside the park in Montana and the national forests. Below are some of the various wildlife encounters we’ve had over the past week or so.
Finding wildlife outside the park takes a lot more time and luck than inside the National Park. These animals can also be a lot more skittish, since they aren’t as used to people being around. The good thing about that is all but one of these sightings didn’t have anybody else around.
You can click on any of the photos to view full size and see technical info.
The first is this osprey that let me walk nearly right up to him. This was definitelly the closest I’ve been to a bird like this for sure.
This is a great example of how cropping is no substitute for getting closer either through your lens or physically. None of these three photos are cropped, just the last one is trimmed to a 4:5 instead of 2:3 ratio (it was taken vertically).
The pixels on your sensor are a specific size, and the more you crop to frame your subject larger the more you’ll start to see pixelation and/or noise. You can crop up to a certain point, and I do all the time, but there’s a point where the photo starts to degrade noticeably. In general, you want to get as many pixels as you can on your subject for the best detail.
Another common migratory bird this time of the year is the Sandhill Crane that comes here to breed.
These birds are big and fun to photograph with their bright colors and loud calls. I’ve shared a video of these two birds doing their mating rituals below.
Back in Ennis and Ennis Lake we came across several bald eagles, ospreys, pelicans, and this loon out on the water.
Closer to home we came across our first baby bison (red dog) of the year, just outside West Yellowstone. There was only one in this group but probably more to come. Some of the bison that live inside the park boundaries migrate outside the park to the west to give birth, then return to the park interior in the summer.
One of the strangest sightings was this bald eagle feeding on what appeared to be a young bear out on the ice of Hebgen Lake. The fur looked too dark and long to be a deer or elk, but it was too far to really get a good at it.
Ospreys are another common sighting around the water in this area from May through September. They migrate away for the winter and nest here in spring. There are dozens of nests in our area.
Pelicans are probably the last bird you’d expect to see in the Yellowstone area, but here they are. Ever heard of Pelican Creek?
Several of these killdeer were picking along the edges of the lake in shallow water.
Another group of bison is featured below. It could be the same group with the baby above, but it was a different day and area so I couldn’t tell for sure.
Is this baby big, or are the trees just tiny? This area had a wildfire (2007 I believe) and these trees are coming back nicely.
Any kind of bear sighting is pretty rare outside the park boundary, but two together is incredible even at half a mile away. This is only the third location I have seen bears outside the park, and the first on the west side. A couple other bears have been seen just outside of town here as well, but I’ve missed them every time so far.
Thanks for the email. I took a couple of your trips last year and loved it. Looking forward to doing it again. Understand the caution with this virus so may have to wait until next year. Thanks for a great trip last year! I’ll stay in touch. Bill
I started following your posts on Facebook a year and a half ago when I was interested in starting up wildlife photography. Since then I have been diagnosed with CKD and am on dialysis. So I really enjoy your photos since I guess it might be awhile before I get to shoot some of my own. Hoping for a kidney transplant then getting my life back. Thank you for sharing all of your amazing images and stories behind the shots.
Beautiful shots, Trent. Thank you for sharing these with us!
Fantastic photos of the variety of wildlife out there! You are so fortunate to be in that area and have that available to you! Thanks for sharing!
Love the wildlife shots, Trent. Thank you for sharing them.
Thanks for sharing, Trent! The pics of the Sandhill Crane reminded me of my best ever sighting of these amazing birds……when we lived in Portage, Michigan prior to moving to MT! We lived near a relic bog and they would summer there. One year, a pair spent a lot of time with their colt strolling around our neighborhood…..and one of the places they liked was outside my office window…..which meant viewing them from less than 20 ft away! (And the calls at that distance are amazing) The next year, they were back with their yearling. Love those birds.
Trent: as usual you have captured our hearts. Your photos inspire and ignite the desire to get out there and photograph nature. Being in Indiana during quarantine is tough, but it will end and we can return to our favorite haunts. Again, Kudos to you!
Thanks for bringing the wonders back to us Trent.
Thanks for sharing! Especially enjoyed the sandhill crane video. Wish I were there instead of being cooped up in my house because of the quarantine, Since you are near Yellowstone, it will be interesting what you see when the park first opens and if you will see more wildlife than usual.
Wonderful to see these photos. The close up images are especially nice to see. Thanks.
Great shots Trent. It really makes me want to be there. Thanks for sharing. I love baby bison !!!