Monday Morning Stretch

After a family filled weekend it is time to get back to normal. What better way than a stretch, although walking might be a little slippery. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Coyote hunting Bighorns

It is rare to see a chase or hunting sequence in Yellowstone. Most of the time the animals are eating, eating, or just plain eating. A fellow visitor told me a coyote was hunting these bighorns but I said "No, they are just in the rut." He had witnessed a coyote chase one of the sheep over the cliff a few years ago.  Once again humbled in Yellowstone.

The Challenge

This young ram was smart and did not accept the challenge of the much bigger and older ram. Perhaps he had a headache from the last time he accepted the challenge. These guys were a side show to the main event happening above them.

Attack from Above

These rams have no rules, if one can be attacked it will be even from above. I guess in love and war (and perhaps politics) anything goes. Most wildlife sightings are from the road in Yellowstone and as you can hear I was not alone witnessing this spectacle. I was lucky to see multiple battles between rams from relatively close range.

Technical: focal length not always recorded but less than 900 mm most of the time using a set up of 100-400mm lens and 1.4 teleconverter on a C100 that has a crop factor.

Head Butt

I tried to catch this iconic action several times but always missed it because  the real action between mature rams above them was so intense. These guys were playing in there own sandbox while the big boys were sharing their genes. This is what you see on TV but in reality is not the focus of energy during the rut.

Technical: contact slowed to 25% real time

Otter Family Portrait

Every time I drive by a bend in the Lamar River I look for these guys. This time I drove past, backed up, and identified a rock otter (from the same lineage as a stump bear). Then I noticed these guys swimming in the water. My next hour flew by! Video captures their personalities and activity better than stills, you will see more of these.

Weasel and Rabbit

 

It's camera trapping season again! This location was good for skunks and rabbits last spring so I thought I would try it again. No skunks so far but the weasel was a real surprise. This a summary of a week's worth of activity. Hope to have more when I check it again. I usually wait at least a week between visits to minimize my scent.

Technical: slow motion at 50% was used for a couple short intervals of weasel activity