1810_0714 Moose
I've been seeing Moose in recent trips into Grasslands (the national park on my doorstep). They are nowhere to be found during the hot summer months, when tourists fill the single campground and the noise and activity level predictably rises. In fall and winter, however, I am usually the only human prowling around out there. And I'm quiet. And I have moments like this.
By the second week in October, the rut is over or nearly so. The big bull (in the middle) was sticking close to the cow, browsing on the bushes, when he became very focused on the dense thickets. A moment later, a second, smaller bull appeared. The big guy moved to head him off, keeping his bulk between the smaller moose and the cow. Then, across the field, a second cow showed up with her calf, and the smaller bull decided to check her out - and I shot this frame. For a few moments we had five moose in view. Pretty exciting!
I was accompanied by a friend who shoots video. We had approached the first two moose using available cover. It helped that a river ran between us; the animals probably felt secure behind that barrier. They were aware of us but paid little attention. I was shooting with the Nikon 200-500 mm that morning, and the 36 mp D810 body allowed for a moderate crop with no perceptible falloff in sharpness.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
1810_0714 Moose
I've been seeing Moose in recent trips into Grasslands (the national park on my doorstep). They are nowhere to be found during the hot summer months, when tourists fill the single campground and the noise and activity level predictably rises. In fall and winter, however, I am usually the only human prowling around out there. And I'm quiet. And I have moments like this.
By the second week in October, the rut is over or nearly so. The big bull (in the middle) was sticking close to the cow, browsing on the bushes, when he became very focused on the dense thickets. A moment later, a second, smaller bull appeared. The big guy moved to head him off, keeping his bulk between the smaller moose and the cow. Then, across the field, a second cow showed up with her calf, and the smaller bull decided to check her out - and I shot this frame. For a few moments we had five moose in view. Pretty exciting!
I was accompanied by a friend who shoots video. We had approached the first two moose using available cover. It helped that a river ran between us; the animals probably felt secure behind that barrier. They were aware of us but paid little attention. I was shooting with the Nikon 200-500 mm that morning, and the 36 mp D810 body allowed for a moderate crop with no perceptible falloff in sharpness.
Photographed in Grasslands National Park, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission © 2018 James R. Page - all rights reserved.