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.

Successful Hunt

With snow on the ground this morning I'm sharing a short video recorded earlier this month in Yellowstone. This fox spent several minutes hunting while we watched and captured both still and video images.

 

Skunks and Rabbits

Most of the skunks I have seen have been odoriferous road-kills or scavenging skunks around farm buildings. This camera trap gives us a glimpse of their behavior in the wild. Before seeing this I have thought of skunks as omnivorous scavengers but never as predators, especially rabbits. 

Technical: Scenes recorded over about 3 weeks. 

Gotcha!

Insect drama is not as exciting as the drama that unfolds for photographers when they see the charismatic megafauna of Africa or Yellowstone but it is much more common and cheaper to record. A slow walk in the woods or on the prairie will give more than enough opportunities to photograph drama in the natural world. I noticed an upside down flying butterfly and followed it until it landed. Then saw it was in the clutches of a big fly. 

Autumn Drama

I am always looking for a story to tell with video. Predator/prey relationships make a good story even in the insect world. Bill Wallauer who filmed the movie Chimpanzee for the Disney gives some insights into the world of wildlife filmmaking at Google + Photographers

Technical: Filmed with a Canon 7D and 70-200 mm lens