Trip Reports: April 2010 - Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
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Baby bisons. Always a delight to see in the spring. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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So tiny. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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After taking a break for lunch we returned to the spot of the bison kill hoping to see some wolves. We arrived around 3pm and were expecting to wait a few hours before seeing anything. Before we even had our tripods set up these three wolves came running down from Bunsen Peak. I believe these three wolves are part of the same pack we saw earlier in the morning. There was a grey, a black and another gorgeous white wolf. The light was horrible for taking photos, mostly due to the heat waves rising up from the ground, but its never a bad day when you're watching wolves. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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The white wolf. From this angle it looks like someone let their dog loose in the park. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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The three wolves wasted no time. They started to feed immediately. Of course they would take breaks every now and again to chase off the pesky ravens. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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The black wolf seemed to be the most annoyed with the boldness of the ravens. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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More chasing. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Eventually the black and white wolf moved off away from the kill, apparently with their appetites filled. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Yum. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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The white wolf went off and laid in a patch of snow. I wish this had happened closer. Such a beautiful scene. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Ready to go the next morning. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Wildlife photography requires a lot of seat time in the car. Photo courtesy of Paul Raymaker. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Pronghorn. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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A nice sized bighorn sheep ram modeled for us for a bit in the evening. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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A nice pronghorn walking through sagebrush.
* This photos is available as a limited edition fine art print *
Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Collared coyote on the prowl. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Another shot of the same ram with some nice late evening light. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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A close up of the mighty ram Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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We came across another black bear.... horrible shooting conditions but still great to see! Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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A bald eagle soars above us on a nice blue sky day. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Bison profile.
* This photos is available as a limited edition fine art print *
Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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A lone coyote walks up a hill in Yellowstone. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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We only saw one grizzly on our trip. It was in the middle of the day with horrible light, but grizzlies are one of my favorite animals so I was happy. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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A group of bighorn sheep move through a valley with a bison. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Lamar Valley bison. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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The last morning of our trip we headed back to Swan Lake Flats hoping to see wolves again. The wolves never showed but we were greeted with an unbelievable sunrise. It was a beautiful morning with the amazing light and fresh dusting of snow.
* This photos is available as a limited edition fine art print *
Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Skies on fire over bunsen peak. Everywhere we looked there were amazing skies. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Bunsen peak sunrise again. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Yellowstone... a truly amazing one of a kind place. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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By late morning we gave up on the wolves. Paul and Ian had to get back home anyways, so we headed back towards West Yellowstone. On our way out we saw a bull moose running along a ridge. A very pretty scene. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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The same bull moose a few moments later. It took a detour from the mountain and came out of the woods right in front of us. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Paul and Ian headed back to seattle and I started on my way back to Colorado.... Mountain roads are tough on windshields. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Sunset in the mirror in Utah. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Last light over the Wasatch Mountains. Life is good. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Desert sunrise outside of Moab. Almost home. Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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Home sweet home! Photo © by Nate Zeman.
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I made it back to summit county and no surprising to me, there was about a foot of fresh snow blanketing the mountains. Gotta love spring here.
All in all it was a great trip. It's always fun to get a chance to shoot with my friends. Can't wait to go back!
Photo © by Nate Zeman.