On our first day in the park, we immediately saw a Northern Pigmy owl, it was up on top of a tree, and it was not very close. It was the cutest owl I ever saw. These owls are the size of your fist, and I have heard that they eat prey that is 3x their size. The temperature was -27 degrees Fahrenheit that day and it felt cold but not terribly cold as the winds were not howling.
Northern Pigmy owl
During the week with my first group, we endured biting cold temperatures as low as -38 degrees. It also snowed one day, and we were all very happy about that but one day the wind blew mercilessly, and we froze our ***** off!
These Bison were captured in -38 degree weather.
Our sightings included over nine moose, some still with paddles. A herd of Bighorn sheep, and a herd of Pronghorn. Elk and large herds of Bison, a few Red fox and some Coyote. And of course a few trees.
I loved his hairdo as he searched for food
We also came across a wolf sighting and it was the Moliie pack, several of the locals were there including Rick McIntyre. For those that don’t know who Rick is, Jane Goodall referred to him as the ultimate guru of wolf behavior. He has authored several books on the Yellowstone wolves.
Rick was friendly and very generous with his knowledge. He pointed out one of the black Mollie wolves that had just rejoined the rest of the pack, near Lamar Valley. I was thrilled to get a shot of the wolf even though it was far away.
We stopped a few times for some landscape and even made time to photograph a few Magpies along the way. A special thank you to our attendees for being such nice people and hearty photographers.
Overall, our Yellowstone adventure was very rewarding and fun. I hope my images reflect the spirit of the park and the brutal conditions that the animals must endure to survive the winter. Plans are in the way for a return photo adventure next year.
PS- a special thanks to our seasoned driver Michael Zajac, who managed the icy roads with confidence. Stay tuned for part two!
