Whirli… what? Whirligig, yes that’s the name of a geyser in Yellowstone National Park. In fact, that geyser is the pool of water in the center of this image. But it was actually the runoff channel in the foreground that always draws me to this spot. Trying to find a composition where the runoff channel works well in a photo can be challenging though as it runs alongside and then under the boardwalk. Once the sun was above the distant ridge, the backlight of the steam and pool made this a much more interesting scene and one that I was happy to photograph.

This image just kind of screamed “Yellowstone” to me. The huge steam in the left background is from Midway Geyser basin while immediately behind the bison, more steam obscures the closer area behind the bison. The thermally killed trees, hot springs and steam, and of course, perhaps the most iconic wild animal in Yellowstone, a bison, all add up to a photo that show case America’s first national park.

Another hummingbird photo? No, not yet anyway. This is what is commonly called a hummingbird moth, or more correctly a White-lined Spinx Moth. But they do mimic the behavior of a hummingbird in that they feed by hovering near a flower. They then feed through a proboscis, a long straw-like tube, they keep rolled up and extend to get nectar from flowers.

Geothermally killed trees. Canon R5, 200mm, handheld, 1/640 @ f11, ISO 1600

Steam, mist, and some dead trees. These trees died as a result of the thermal runoff from hot springs and geysers in the area. The trees brought the thermal water into their systems and the minerals essentially turned the base of the tress to stone. The bottoms of the trees are white as a result of the minerals absorbed and they are referred to as “bobby sock” trees in reference to a fashion from many years ago.

September in Yellowstone means autumn and autumn means colors! Yellowstone has very few deciduous trees. Aspens are about the only tree that shows any color in Yellowstone and there aren’t big stands of them as there are in other places. But the golden grasses certainly help to make photography magical. It’s still hot here in what has been a very hot year that has seen record heat and drought. As such, the only elk I’ve seen recently disappear into the trees before the sun comes up as they hide from the heat. The bison have moved from Hayden Valley to Fountain Flats as they disperse from the breeding season. This bull bison was by himself as he passed in front of a beautifully backlit thermal feature. The scene was amazing as the sun did it’s magic on the landscape.

The hummingbirds are still here, on September 8, though I never see more than two whereas a month or so ago I was seeing as many as ten at a time. Last year, the date I photographed the last hummingbird for the year was on September 9, so we’ll see if I will have many, if any, more hummingbird days. I’ve felt truly fortunate to have had so many wonderful opportunities to not only see but photograph these amazing birds. I will show more images over the coming months. This was photographed on September 8 as the hummingbird attempted to chase off a mountain chickadee.

^{Back-lit Sunflower. Canon R5, 100mm macro, handheld, 1/2500 @ f11, ISO 1600}

I sure do love the sunflowers that bloom in late summer. I spend a lot more time photographing them than I probably should, but they’re just a lot of fun. I think the things you can do with them and back-lighting can be really creative and I took advantage of that opportunity a couple of mornings ago. I spot metered off the petals and let the rest of the image go as dark as possible. Since space was tight and didn’t have room for a tripod, I was working handheld so using a little higher ISO than I might otherwise but the R5 handles ISO 1600 with ease and noise isn’t a problem.

Hummingbird activity has slowed down a lot over the past couple of weeks but I still have a couple hanging around. They rarely come to the bird bath though. This one did and was bathing it’s tail feathers. I run a drip line to the bird bath and I love the size comparison between the water droplet and the hummingbird.

This is not only the first grizzly I’ve photographed since 2019, it’s the first one I’ve seen. A couple of weeks ago, after walking around Norris Geyser Basin, I drove north. The light was still really low and less than ideal but as I came around a curve, 3 or 4 cars were stopped and this grizzly was walking down an embankment. I don’t usually stop or photograph grizzlies in Yellowstone anymore because I personally feel the huge crowds that result are detrimental to the bears. But since there were only a couple of cars and it was evident the bear was not going to stick around, I pulled over. I use a beanbag to photograph from my car. It’s designed for photography and sits over the window and helps to balance and steady a long telephoto lens. It’s great for wildlife photography because in a moment like this one, getting out of the car is unsafe. You may notice this bear has ear tags. One is visible in this photo. It was also collared. I think many photographers might be tempted to clone out the ear tag but I thought it was an important element in the photo as it told a more realistic story about Yellowstone bears. Whether tagged and collared for research or because the bear has become too acclimated to people, this bear’s life has been impacted negatively by humans.

I’ve had a lot going on lately, not all positive, so I hadn’t posted in a little while. I photographed this chipmunk, a regular in my backyard with a flower. The chipmunk was working it’s way through my flowers and deciding which ones to eat. This one must have been yummy. He later thought about trying to take down a sunflower but thought better of it.