Same morning as yesterday's post. The old corral is reputed to have been part of the famous 76 Ranch that thrived across a huge swath of southwestern Saskatchewan from the 1880s until the 1920s. The brutal winter of 1906-07 that decimated cattle herds, followed by the Homesteaders Act of 1908, combined to spell an end to the open range. Subsequently the enormous ranches - including the 76 and Turkey Track - were broken up into smaller holdings.
Fast forward a hundred years, and we have today's national park. Species have vanished - and in the case of the Plains Bison, been re-established - and some introduced plants such as Crested Wheat Grass have altered the habitat by squeezing out native plants. Things change. The prairie cannot be returned to a pure, natural state, but it has long been the objective of Parks Canada to return it to the healthiest possible alternative. And so, visitors today have a wide range of wildlife to photograph, sweeping landscape vistas, fabulous dark skies at night, and reminders of both the old ranching and homesteading days and the indigenous people who left tipi rings, bison drive lanes, and other traces of their presence.
It is a privilege to be able to walk these hills, coulees, and valleys.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2022 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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The Black Angus is the cow of choice in these parts - by far the most common breed seen in the local pastures. I pulled onto the road side and shot out the passenger window; I've always liked this little scene with the old concrete bridge. Once, driving past this spot, instead of cows there were three coyotes. I didn't have the camera with me that day.
Appearances notwithstanding, it wasn't especially cold that day. We are now entering the season of deep cold, with some very frigid nights coming (in the minus-thirties), so I hope these cows have a nice warm barn for shelter.
Photographed near Cadillac, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2019 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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All the world's a stage, and whoever designed this set went overboard with the graphics! Some black angus cows were grazing the wheat stubble fields; in the months following harvest, spilled grain can sustain a lot of animals, including deer, pronghorn, and migratory birds. Unfortunately, agriculture on a massive scale like this reduces biodiversity to nil, and the conversion of wild prairie for mass production of grains is almost complete.
Very little has been set aside. Prairies contain the most altered ecosystems in North America. In some places less than 1% of the original landscape remains untouched. I am aware of this every time I set foot in nearby Grasslands National Park. A hike up into the buttes and hills there immediately makes clear the tradeoff we have made: suddenly, dramatically, you are surrounded by native plants, wildflowers splashing colour on the hillsides; you hear the clicking, buzzing, and whirring of insects; you notice animal tracks and scat everywhere; little ground nesting birds flush from beneath your feet; and you have to be alert lest you step on a rattlesnake or sit on a patch of prickly-pear cactus. This is why I moved to the prairie ten years ago.
The surrounding farm and ranch lands are not without their charm, of course, even though I often see them as a zone to be gotten through en route to something better. I was doing exactly that one day in early winter, while keeping an eye open for wild critters, when I noticed the cows - and especially their setting - and had to stop. I really appreciate the 200-500 lens for moments like this, when I don't need maximum pull, as it allows me to compose images more precisely in the field. Closest isn't always best.
Photographed near Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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There are still working cowboys out here, using actual horses. Look at this kid: born to ride, loves his job. Three of them were moving a herd of cows to a new pasture the old way, on horseback. It would have been a scene out of the Old West, but one of them had a cell phone. I jumped out of the car and braced my 500 mm on a fence post. Always fun to shoot action like this!
Photographed near Val Marie, Saskatchewan. Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2016 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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It's a low paying, physically demanding job, and the weather is often bad, but when the prairie hits its sweet spot - gentle breezes, green grass - and you're there on horseback, it may be the best job on earth. This young fellow was working with two others that day, moving a herd of cows from one pasture to the next. They all seemed to be having a great time.
Photographed near Val Marie, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2016 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
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