June 4, 2013
Gray Wolf and Black Bear Cub in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Yesterday in Yellowstone National Park was one of the most exciting, and also one of the most productive, days of wildlife photography I've had in North America. It rivaled an above average day in Africa. :) It started off with a black bear sow with two yearling cinnamon cubs followed by a very cooperative badger.

The highlight of the morning was seeing my first elk calf of the season. Well, it was really an uncollared gray wolf from the Lamar Canyon Pack at an elk calf kill. After the wolf finished eating on the main carcass in the grass, it went into the nearby sagebrush and retrieved the head. Then it carried it out of the sagebrush, down along the bank of the Lamar River, swam across the river, trotted across the sagebrush and grassland (above), then crossed the road to head back to its den. I bet the wolf pups were excited to receive that play toy.

Then Jan and I hiked up to Trout Lake in search of otters. It was my first time to the very scenic lake, and also to Buck Lake a bit further in, and it was nice to leave the crowds of the road system behind for a while. We didn't see any otters, but a pair of Barrow's goldeneye (a type of duck) and a yellow-rumped warbler were very cooperative.

Early in the afternoon, I found an active mountain bluebird nest and got nice images of the female, then the male, then the pair together.

The day ended with a second encounter with the black bear sow with two yearling cinnamon cubs in a different location right by the road. The cubs were up and down the trees and the sow went up a tree after one of the cubs and they tussled/played in the tree for a while. It was a fantastic way to end the day!

Canon EF 600mm f4 L IS II USM

The Canon EF 600mm f4 L IS II USM I rented from Lens Rentals is going to cost me a lot of money. I've enjoyed using it so much, and have figured out how to handle the increased physical size compared to my Canon EF 500mm f4 L IS USM, that I purchased my own 600 f4 II today. I also extended the rental two days so that my new lens will arrive when I return the rental. I'm so excited to be able to use this great piece of glass for the long term.