Tag Archives: Antelope

Now Are The Foxes

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Red Fox TryptychClick to enlarge

We are continuing with our semi-annual inspection report that The Institute conducts in Yellowstone National park whether anyone wants it or not. As has been described before this is a very comprehensive inspection of all aspects of the parks operation. We leave no stone unturned, no question unanswered, no oddity unexplained, no lunch counter stool unoccupied.

One of the major checkpoints on our report is whether the performing animals are, well, performing. This is a major area of concern for park management as many of the tourist dollars spent here are dependent on how good a show the park provides. The travelling public, especially those from out-of-town, are demanding to see the various tricks, capering’s, sleight of paw trickery, mimicking, scampering cutely, impressions, demonstrations of unique abilities, ability to sing, dance, and perform acrobatic stunts that television has conditioned them to believe is realistic animal behavior.

Consequently nearly all of the parks inhabitants have their own repertoire of acts carefully selected for their particular personalities and physical attributes. Grizzly bears lumber along in a wallowing gait that makes them an amusing sight when viewed from the rear, even if there is a freshly killed elk calf dangling from its jaws you can’t help but laugh at its distinctive big butt roll, Eagles, both Bald and Golden soar and dive providing an incredible airshow for the gaping wide-eyed tourist. You can’t miss the sound of cell phone cameras clicking away to capture them in all their splendid glory seven or eight hundred feet in the air. The many hooved ungulates such as the buffalo, antelope, elk, mule deer, Bighorn sheep and Black-horned rhinoceros, put on a grazing display second to none, ok, that list was just a test to see if you were really paying attention, there are actually no buffalo in the park.

Using the beautiful four-color brochure that the park hands out to each and every paying entrant into the park that shows the time, location and activity to be performed by the various animal performers we headed to the Hayden valley our first stop, to view the amazing acrobatic maneuvers of Americas favorite small hairy predator, the Red Fox. We got there a few minutes early so we could set up our gear and get good seats as the spaces fill up rapidly once the show gets under way.

Soon, just as advertised, the Red Fox appeared and began to tease the crowd by scampering over logs, peering out from behind bushes and other shrubbery, posing and posturing out in the open for the many folks wanting photo ops, and generally setting the stage for its climatic last act, the Incredible Leaping Headstand with Bushy Tail Salute. It was an amazing performance. As soon as it was over and our performer retreated into the forest behind it, the crowd immediately dispersed, stopping only to take selfies of themselves and their companions with their cell phones and consulting the brochure for the next performance. Some were even seen photographing their brochures, the  ground they were standing on, the road, their car door handles, each other again, the now empty area where the performance took place. Every thing of interest in Yellowstone that might amaze their friends and neighbors back home must be digitally documented before the next amazing sight comes into view.

We were satisfied with the Red Fox’s performance and gave it four and a half stars out of five and went on to the next performance, a yellow-bellied marmot spitting the shells of seeds over the edge of a rock. We were in for a long day, Yellowstone has a lot of things to see and we hadn’t even gotten to the Buffalo shedding exhibit yet.

Note : To those of you tuning in late the following posts will catch you up on preceding events. There is no extra charge for this service we just want  you to be fully informed.

http://www.bigshotsnow.com/the-words-out/

http://www.bigshotsnow.com/announcement-13/

http://www.bigshotsnow.com/yellowstone-passes-inspection/

http://www.bigshotsnow.com/ghosts-in-the-darkness/

http://www.bigshotsnow.com/you-dont-see-that-every-day/

Following the Storm

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Following The Storm2601

Hutton lake up in Wyoming is one of those places that depending on what time of the day or year you view it will determine how you feel about it. During the day it is fairly plain and nondescript with few distinguishing features other than the wildlife and birds that are there for various reasons. The light levels are harsh during mid-day and the vegetation is sparse and low-lying. The birds that you find here are usually passing through to somewhere else, as this is a stopover for many migratory flocks.

The mammals that frequent this area, such as Antelope, coyotes, and prairie dogs are seen more often when some natural event takes place, such as when the antelope drop their calves in the spring. Coyotes are there because they’re everywhere and being opportunistic, take advantage of the food supply as it changes through the seasons. Nobody knows why the prairie dogs are there, one day one shows up and before long they’re all there. The Redtail hawks don’t mind their squatting however, especially when the young unwary prairie dogs are out and playing too far from their burrows.

The low rolling hills that surround the lake continue on until they bump up against the mountains or continue in the opposite direction eastward until they reach Nebraska or any other of the middle kingdom states that claim they have prairie. The wind blows across the hills and lakes endlessly until you find yourself developing a semi-permanent list to one side depending on which direction you’re walking.

But there are moments of unsurpassing beauty here too. When a storm is imminent the wind will kick up into nearly gale force conditions, then suddenly stop, allowing deep dark clouds to roll in close to the earth. So close you feel like you could reach up and touch them. Then the rains will come. Not often but every once in a while there is no rain just the clouds and you, and the view to the horizon. There may be lightning then, but not always. It gets very dark, even in the middle of the day, and ominous thoughts can crowd into your mind. This isn’t a place for the timid.

These conditions can be found in the early spring when this place is reawakening from its winter imprisonment. It’s as if this storm is it flexing its muscles and stretching after a long troubled sleep. The image above was taken in early April around 6:30 pm and it was one of the rainless storms. The wind had been fearsome through the late afternoon and the clouds rolling in kept getting lower and it appeared that soon there would be no space left between the clouds and the earth for humans. It looked to be time to pack it in. To go someplace warm and maybe have supper. Then suddenly the winds dropped as often happens, and in the stillness of the early evening, the sun finally broke through the clouds to illuminate the lake with a golden reflection of the sunset, and a plain somewhat forbidding place was turned into a golden paradise, if only for a moment.

That’s part of the draw of this country, an everyday occurrence can turn into an adventure at the drop of a hat. All you have to do is stand your ground even when it feels like you should be running away for all your worth. The payoff is often golden.

The Maiden Voyage of the Bokeh Maru – Day 4

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Antelope Fawns7604
Antelope fawns Yellowstone

Yellowstone Day 4

Yesterday we had a rather difficult day. Getting into the park was problematic. We lost out hot water heater and although we thought we had solved the problem by flipping the breaker switch it seems that there were other problems with the unit besides the breaker. I sent someone down into the hold, which as you know, is located way down in the bowels of the vessel, to check the water heater visually for any abnormalities. So far he has not returned. That was late last night and the debate that is raging on at this moment is whether to send someone else down there to check on the missing crewman, or to simply abandon ship and try and make their way back to civilization somehow. The fact that one of crewmen swears he heard screaming coming from down there doesn’t help any. I fear for the safety of the Bokeh Maru if any more crewmen desert.

Big Lemon has volunteered to go down into the hold to search for and perhaps rescue our missing crewman but I vetoed that idea as I need him up here to maintain order with these mutinous cutthroats I have left. I heard one of them trying to break into the strawberry locker and after sending Big Lemon to handle the situation I find I am down yet one more crewman. Things are beginning to look bleak indeed. If this keeps up I may have to take a turn at the wheel myself.

Even with the mounting problems of maintenance and low morale we have to keep focused with the task at hand which is gathering information that may be unknown to the traveling public and somehow present it in a way that pays for this trip. We’ve tried t-shirt sales with marginal success in another venture we had here in the park. We’ve tried setting up a food stand next to the highway but people began to demand to know what kind of meat we were serving and that led to disastrous results. It seemed like we had reached a stopping point when ExcuseMeMs presented what may be a trip saving solution.

“Why don’t you try taking pictures. Maybe you could sell some.” See that’s why it’s good to have more than one brain working on a problem. What a great idea. We have a camera. We have the opportunity. We have the desire. It’s like a natural solution. When you sink into the morass of your everyday life and are struggling to keep your head above water and whatever may be floating in it, you sometimes forget that the simple solutions are often the best. When it looked like we finally had a way out of our dire predicament a ragged cheer rang out from our bedraggled crew. At least what was left of them. ” Huzzah, huzzah, huzzah” rang weakly through the cabin as they attempted to lift ExcuseMeMs to their shoulders and march around in celebration. She wasn’t having any of that however and Big Lemon had to step in with his truncheon to help them regain their decorum. I’m beginning to change my opinion about ExcuseMeMs and think she may turn into a valuable member of the crew yet.

It’s easy to have a plan but difficult to implement unless you have strong leadership abilities. Where to start? What to shoot? I immediately set lookouts fore and aft to report if they saw anything alive. Soon reports began to drift down to the control room of live things that could have their pictures taken. The excitement was palpable as report after report of wild animals sighted here and there arrived. Many of them had to be discounted as they were sightings of mosquitos or road kill or people dressed in animal costumes walking along the road, but soon we hit the motherlode.

Every spring in Yellowstone National park a strange ritualistic event happens. Animal groups or more specifically female members of those groups, spontaneously begin to divide in two producing exact copies of themselves, apparently just because they can. Here is an example of this process, well, the aftermath of the process, the dividing thing has already occurred. This female is obviously experienced at this as she has been able to do it twice at the same time. The image above shows two of these clone-like small creatures doing what appears to be their main activity. They run back and forth constantly until they return to the mothership for what appears to be a refueling  operation, then they run some more until they fall exhausted to the ground to rest. Then they begin the process all over again. This is an endless occupation for them.

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antelope fawns nursing

The adult is shown cooperating in another part of the process by providing an unknown substance to the two offspring. Not much is known about this process, at first we thought this to be some kind of simple refueling process but it appears to be more than that and we intend to look into to it further at a later date, but we do know that it involves the transfer of a liquid that the young appear to accept readily. Do not be alarmed they are not hurting her. This is apparently a natural act.

We are not sure how well-known this phenomenon is but we intend to introduce it to the general public as soon as we return to the Institute to see what the reaction is. If it is favorable we’re going to slam them with a full press campaign. T-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, bumper stickers (“Got Milk?” No wait that one has been used already.) Anything that will pander to their voracious need for souvenir lust.

Exhausted with our efforts of shooting these small but cute creatures we feel that we have completely exhausted the opportunities for photographs in Yellowstone National Park and are preparing to move on the morning tide to other places that may have exploitable events. Ringing the Get Aboard bell so those scavenging out in the fields can get aboard we make ready to begin a new adventure tomorrow.

P.S. As we were leaving this guy flagged us down and asked to be included in our presentation. We weren’t that excited about him but he gave us two field mice and a vole so we took his picture. He seemed so depressed we didn’t have the heart to reject his offer.

RedFox5324Red Fox

Nearly New

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YS07-0601-8195-Editclick to enlarge

I was driving along near the Yellowstone Picnic area in Yellowstone National Park, which is a notorious hangout for antelope mothers-to-be in the spring when I noticed this antelope doe acting in a furtive, downright sneaky way. Since antelope are normally pretty straight forward animals not given to furtive, sneaky behavior, I figured she was up to something. She gradually moved over the crest of the hill and out of sight. Since I was on the lookout for sneaky mothers I immediately pulled over and climbed the hill to see what was going on. I had no sooner crested the hill and located her when I saw her give birth and the second fawn hit the ground. It happened so fast that I didn’t even have a chance to get my camera up. She had already dropped the first fawn as I was fumbling about trying to get my camera gear together. It seemed like only seconds later she had both of the new twins up on their tiny little hooves ready to move in case there was any danger. If you look closely at the fawn on the left you will see the umbilical cord dangling. These babies are nearly new. I was far enough away from them that I wasn’t alarming them, I know it looks close but that is due to the miracle of the ‘long glass’ of the telephoto lens, but she was antsy because there had been coyotes around and they are able to take down an antelope fawn without any trouble. The average antelope fawn weighs between 5 & 8 lbs.  at birth and the average adult coyote weighs 25 to 45 lbs. so there is little contest if the coyote sees the fawn. However, antelope moms are the tigers of the ungulates when it comes to coyotes. On a previous trip I watched a coyote stalking a fawn when the antelope doe spotted him. She chased him, easily running him down and nearly killed him by trying to step on him with her sharp hooves. At one point she caught him, rolled him over and before he could get back on his feet she had trampled him several more times. I mean she handed him his lunch. He got away but only just. That coyote is now mostly hunting ground squirrels. The moral here is if you are a coyote don’t mess with antelope babies. Mom will clean your clock.