Tenacious American Bison | surviving in all sorts of harsh conditions
In the past six months or so, I’ve had the opportunity to photograph nature and wildlife in the Yellowstone National Park. This post is about the American Bison and their ability to survive in all sorts of harsh weather conditions. Sometimes called buffalo or American buffalo, their scientific name is bison and they are not closely related to buffalo.
In winter in Yellowstone, visitors must be accompanied by a guide, and with good reason. With the tremendous amounts of snow, traveling in a snow coach with a guide is vital. Some of the main roads are groomed, but groomed really only well enough for the snow coach or a snow mobile to travel. I found it very beneficial to have the services of a guide/driver so I could just sit, watch, and be ready to photograph whatever came our way. Sometimes that was landscape, and sometimes it was a wild animal. All amazing, especially the bison.
These first few images were taken in January under very cold, snowy conditions. With grasses and food sources buried under the snow, the bison move their heads from side to side, pushing the snow out of the way hoping to reveal a food source. Often they were seen in small numbers, but just as often they were solitary with heads swinging side-to-side searching for food. Back and forth, side-to-side, pushing the snow away to reveal dry grass, a food source.
Returning in Spring
In May when I returned, a lot of the snow had melted and more ground was exposed. Some of the grasses were beginning to grow and food seemed to be more readily available. But, it still felt like winter with cold temperatures and an occasional rain/snow.
May is also when the babies are born. Bison have a gestation of 9 1/2 months. Think about that. During the harsh winter with meager food available to them, these incredible creatures are pregnant, growing their babies. It’s remarkable to me how they can survive in all sorts of weather conditions including freezing rain and deep snow, and still manage to give birth to healthy babies in the spring.
And, aren’t they adorable?
Testing out those new legs!
The safety and comfort of the animals is paramount when shooting wildlife and of great importance. We photographed primarily from the vehicle, or more than 100 feet away from the animals using our longest lenses. Most of these were taken with my Canon 100-500mm lens and in some I used an extender making the reach 700mm. Some were cropped in a bit, too.
Every year in Yellowstone, people get too close to the animals. Sometimes the animals tolerate it, but other times they do not, lashing out against the humans. I cannot blame the animals. We are guests in their environment, their homes. Remember to always put nature and the well-being of animals and environment first.
You can read more about survival in Yellowstone here: Bison | Surviving Winter
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As a published, featured northern California fine art photographer living in the greater Sacramento area, I specialize in fine art landscape and still life photography. My style is authentic, fresh and personality-driven. I offer several educational opportunities including workshops and photography mentoring. You can learn about them by going to SERVICES. While currently living in rural northern California with my husband and a couple thousand walnut trees, I post regularly to Instagram.
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