I had to stop. The rut was on, and bull bison are potentially very dangerous at this time, but the headgear stuck to this big fella's horn was too funny. And I couldn't shoot from the car - had to circle him on foot to get a better angle on the morning light.
I moved slowly and stayed at a respectful distance, and he seemed okay with that. Maybe he had already taken out his frustrations on the sagebrush. When I was leaving with the shots I wanted, he decided to have a nice roll in the dust. By then he was mostly in shadow again, so I left him in peace. What a monster! I would have loved to see him in action, but there were no rivals in sight. Not sure why he was so far from the main herd (several kilometres). Maybe practicing for his old age...
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Plains Bison American Bison Bison bison Buffalo wildlife animal mammal ungulate male bull mature iconic icon shaggy beast dominant rut rutting season summer wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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Yesterday I promised an icon, and here he is. I saw this big Plains Bison twice in May. The first time he blocked the Ecotour Road for several minutes, standing sideways to display his bulk, not inclined to move for a mere Toyota or the SUV that was coming in the other direction.
After a while, it dawned on me: he's blind! Sure enough, when I look at the hi-res photos, his eyes are milky-blue. Here in Grasslands there are no predators that can take him down, so he should be okay until winter. He may be able to see shadow and light (who knows?); he can get around. The food is good this summer.
I made this shot the second time I found him, this time well off the road. This time, on foot, I gave him plenty of space. The light was soft and bright, ideal for bringing out the detail in his dark coat. In the background: the Broken Hills.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Plains Bison American Bison Bison bison Buffalo bull male aged blind solitary powerful iconic icon spring wild prairie Broken Hills Grasslands National Park SK Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024
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Last in the Winter Wildlife image series, and first of three photos shot that same morning. I had no expectations that this shot would work. Through the viewfinder, I could see no detail at all in the bison herd; their dark shapes were barely distinguishable from each other and from the frost-covered ground. I shot seven frames, then said to my friend George, who was rolling video, "This isn't going to work. I'm going to the coulee edge." (Yes, we were on foot; I don't shoot everything from the rolling red Toyota blind!)
The coulee was behind us. The first light from the rising sun would be on it soon. That light would peak half an hour later, as the sun came up behind me.
In processing the bison images, I pulled a surprising amount of detail from the shadows. I underestimated what the D850 sensor could capture in RAW; you can see their breath hanging in the cold air. It has been a long, long learning curve, starting 60 years ago when I bought my first 35mm camera, and I'm still learning - for which I'm grateful. I shudder to contemplate the day when I have nothing left to learn.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2024 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Plains Bison American Bison Bison bison Buffalo herd wildlife animal mammal ungulate dawn winter hanging breath cold hoarfrost pre-dawn glow pano panorama looking east wild prairie Top Dogtown Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2024 Explored WPD24Animals
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It wasn't the rut - for bison, that happens in July and August - but it was a serious round of testing. These two adult males are mature but haven't entered their prime years yet. Status within the herd is a prime concern, as becoming dominant will earn them mating privileges... eventually. So this is testing, and they put some effort into it.
When the tussle began they were surrounded by a mixed herd of young and older bulls, cows, and calves, all of which cleared out to give them room (and to clean up the background for photographers). George the filmmaker was rolling video, shooting out the passenger side; I got out of the car for my shots. They weren't close, so I tightened the crop - upscaling with ON1 Resize. It went on for several minutes and was pretty exciting.
Only three more shots in the Wildlife In Transition series, then onto something different. The Polar Vortex has been brutal for about a week and I have declined to participate, so I'll be digging into older files for a few "extreme winter" shots.
No one who follows my image stream will be surprised to learn that I photographed these big boys in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Plains Bison Bison bison American Bison Buffalo bulls males fight fighting testing dominance status two wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023
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Driving into Grasslands via the north gate lifts my spirits, without fail - even after many hundreds of trips. After a few miles of crossing an upland plateau, the road drops into the Frenchman River Valley, which I also enjoy. But that first stretch is amazing. Deep coulees open up on either side, providing spectacular backgrounds to any wildlife seen there: deer, pronghorn, coyotes, badgers, prairie dogs, burrowing owls... and bison.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2023 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Tags: Plains Bison American Bison Bison bison Buffalo wildlife animal mammal ungulate herd on the run iconic wild prairie Grasslands National Park Saskatchewan Canada copyrighted James R. Page 2023
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