I’ve been seeing a lot of fox lately, both in and out of the park. It’s not necessarily unusual as at this time of year, young fox kits are going fast in the den and both parents are working hard to keep themselves and the kits fed. This fox decided to take a nap near the pullout where I was photographing it last week. The light was low but I was able to get some useable images by pushing my ISO up to 2500.

We’ve had more snow over the last two weeks of April than we had from mid-January through the end of March. But that’s good because we certainly can use the moisture and the wintry weather isn’t stopping nature from bringing on Spring. I saw a photo of a newborn bison calf earlier this week, though I haven’t seen one yet myself. And the bears, both grizzly and black, are out and about. I saw this grizzly on one of my first days back in the park and was fortunate enough to get a few photos from the car before it moved about 200 yards out. Even at that distance, caution needs to be taken when viewing bears as they can travel great distances very quickly.

I write a lot about migrations, particularly those of birds. In part it’s because birds travel incredible distances when it comes to migration. I think one of the reasons I find birds so interesting is due to the fact that you never know when you might see something new. I’ve waited a long time to see a gray-crowned rosy finch. Earlier this week, I finally was able to add this species to my life list. These birds nest primarily in Alaska, but they also call the highest elevations of the Rocky Mountains as their summer home as well. If you’re lucky, you may see one as you drive over the Beartooth Highway near Yellowstone National Park. With the recent winter like storms we’ve received this week, these birds have been spotted throughout the area foraging for food. Once more spring-like weather returns, they’ll head off again to their alpine summer ranges.

Besides photographing some birds in the backyard, I haven’t photographed since some time in mid-March. I’m hoping to get back out a bit in a few weeks, but for now I’m still posting some older images. Since my last two posts have been baby animals, I thought I’d continue that trend today. I haven’t heard of any bison calves being seen yet this Spring but it’s just a matter of time. Yesterday I did my first presentation since 2019 and bison were a popular topic. The audience was my daughter’s pre-K class and they were perhaps the most enthusiastic audience I’ve ever had.

During the summer a few years back I wanted to get up into the mountains and photograph the wildflowers. Momma grizzly and her cub were up there too but for a different plant. When the clover is grown, it is a preferred food of wildlife as it is high in protein and mom was teaching her cub to find it and eat it. This photograph was taken from the side of the road with a small group of people and with a long telephoto lens. While a lot of grizzly, or brown, bear images are taken in various Alaska national parks away from the roads, those are typically under highly controlled situations. It certainly isn’t wise to hike away from the roads or to get close near the roads as bears can be highly unpredictable.

It’s April and that means it’s time for babies to start appearing in the meadows and forests. Among the first babies to start showing up are bison calves. This one was photographed a few years ago and in April a bison calf sighting is possible though still a bit rare. By May these little ones will be running and playing all over the place. Bison are certainly one of my favorite photo subjects but also one of my favorite wild animals and it’s such a privilege to see these incredible animals. They can be dangerous though, as can all wild animals, and even this little guy was photographed from my using a bean bag to support a long telephoto lens.

This was the last fox image I was able to photograph this past winter and was also the only image I was able to get as this fox just kept going in the “wrong” direction. I had hope it might stop right here in this late day light, but he/she just kept on going. It won’t be long until kits start emerging from their Spring dens but for now, I thought we could close out winter with this image.