Mammals? You want Mammals? Well alright then...

...and now for something completely different...

For all you out there (and I just KNOW you're out there) who are not bird aficionados by nature, I will now acquiesce and discuss the plethora of the non-avian fauna to be found in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. (In other words; Here's your mammal fix!)

Say (for instance) you are more a fan of fur than of feather, and wonder where you would possibly find the creatures of your favorite persuasion; in short, they're EVERYWHERE! Get up early on any given day, get in the car and drive in any direction keeping an eye out for the other cars that are stopped along the road. If you see one car, stop, get out with your camera, walk over to the nearest tourist and ask, "What do you see?" (providing it's not already obvious). Two things I have noticed about human nature are; people want to be the ones who discovered something and to share that information with others, inserting into the briefest of conversations, claim for said discovery, and that people want to be included in the moment and share the hysteria of all cool/interesting/one-of-a-kind things. Only the noblest among us wouldn't jump at the chance to take credit for something perceived as "special" in the way of a discovery, even the most simplistic and meaningless; and furthermore, why else would anyone purchase one lottery ticket for a buck for the totally enormous (no way in hell could you crack the odds) grand prize drawings? To be a "part" of something really cool/interesting/one-of-a-kind, right? But take heed of this little courtesy tip; Park OFF the roadway please! I was driving down the road when a buffalo herd decided to cross in front of the cars and walk next to the shoulder. I stopped and waited as is intelligently safe and so did the cars in the oncoming lane. The beasts moved on and so did I, but the car facing me just SAT there. The driver had gotten out and was now shooting pictures of the behemoths while allowing his idling car to clog up the only lane! The beeping and honking that ensued would have been enough to shame even the most die hard selfish motorist into moving, but not this guy. He seemed oblivious to the cacophony that was raging in his rear view mirror...(sheesh!...must have been a foreigner, or a guy from Chicago) Damned if he was going to let this Kodak moment get away from him...screw the world! It's just that moments like that, remind me of one of my all-time worst motor vehicular pet peeves; right turn on red, without even touching the break! Most drivers I have witnessed never even slow down to make that turn at a red light, let alone come to a complete (law abiding) stop. They proceed as if it was their God-given right to whip around the corner come hell, high water, or the unwitting pedestrian who happens to be nimbly attempting their cross. But I digress...

OK, back to hairy mammals...the 4-legged ones. The list of ones "accidentally" seen by this birdwatcher are; Bison, Grizzly bear, Coyote, Red fox, Marmot, Mountain Chipmunk, 13-lined Ground Squirrel, Uinta Ground Squirrel, Pika, Mountain Goat, Pronghorn Antelope, Moose, Bighorn Sheep, Mule Deer, and Gray Wolf. Seeing these (admittedly magnificent) creatures while birding, is akin to watching a fight and a hockey game breaking out to me; the Birdstud, but I did manage to use a few digital images on them (just for practice, mind you). I even had to wait out a buffalo who decided that where my tripod and scope were sitting was a great place to loiter. Mr. Coyote graced my path with a stop and drop. He looked a bit ill at ease as I pointed my camera in his direction just as he squatted.

The moral of the story here is that Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons have much to offer everyone who fancies animal life of all kinds...just be kind, pull over and let EVERYONE enjoy their vacations, puleeze!

Now Kids, Don't Try This At Home!

The reckless adventurer in me, made me do it. (honest!)

A day trip to the Midway Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park, WY located on the Firehole River between the Upper and Lower Geyser Basins was the perfect destination for the day's activities. Home to the Grand Prismatic Spring and Excelsior Geyser, it was definitely worth the drive from our home base in Canyon Village. The Grand Prismatic Spring is by far the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, and is thought to be the third largest in the world. In 1871, the Hayden Expedition named this spring as such because of its beauty, and artist Thomas Moran created water-color sketches mirroring its "rainbow-like" colors. Now, a geyser basin isn't exactly where a person is going to find a cornucopia of bird species, let alone any living creature other than the numerous boardwalk shuffling, deluxe motor coach disembarking, tourist. I took a chance anyway and strapped on the old Bushnells, and slung the Fuji Finepix 5200 around one shoulder, hoping for a chance to capture an image or two of a "frequent flyer

Other than the occasional Raven of which their were few, hopping along the tall grass next to the Firehole river bank and an overfly of an American Robin, apparently birds had no reason to visit the barren, boiling, roiling, landscape. I was lamenting this fact while traveling the plank pathway when things got interesting. Up ahead standing in the center of a loop of walkway two furry behemoths stood. The heat from the nearby spring and the smell of sulphur clashed with the bucolic backdrop against which the mighty bison are usually seen and photographed. "What the heck," I thought. "Why not take a couple of photos myself and maybe even a video, after all, I was not seeing any birds, and they were just standing there..."

The rest of my family (and anyone else within my reach) seemed to have vacated the immediate area for the opposite side of the loop from the drooling, snuffling, leviathans. I however did not see the mass human exodus as I was busy peering into the viewfinder of my camera at one of the beasts. I had set the device for a digital movie and was dutifully training the lens on an approaching bison. The dark brown, hoofed giant clip-clopped its way up onto, then lumbered slowly across the boardwalk as I panned. An excited warning shout from several family members barely registered in my head as I reasoned I had maintained plenty of distance from the subject of my feature film. I did too, from THAT bison. I had nearly forgotten its "buddy" and what it may have decided to do at that moment. before I knew it, too stunned to move I swung the camera around into the (far too near) face of the copy-cat friend as up onto the wood it clambered and across, it bulldozed to the other side as the high pitched squeals from the witnesses to my near-miss collision, sounded the alarm in my preoccupied brain. "Whew, that was close!" exclaimed someone. "He's nuts!" echoed somebody else. I'm thinking; "That was dumb, Joe."

Yeah, I guess that proves the old axiom; Better to be lucky than good!













Birdstud Takes Charge!