2412_1356 Plains Bison & Magpie
I have more luck approaching bison bulls on foot than cows... maybe because they expect to dominate, and therefore are not as fearful of a puny human intruder. Idle speculation; who knows what goes on in their minds...
At any rate, these two Plains Bison paid no attention to me as I slowly moved within photo range and walked the prairie dog town parallel to them for a brief time. Bonus: a Black-billed Magpie flew over and landed on one of them. At the time I didn't notice the other's tongue was out. They lick their noses constantly, removing dust and debris and keeping it moist and receptive to wind-borne information.
The sun was behind them and to the left - three quarter backlighting, but soft enough to keep the contrast under control. It's difficult to believe that those short, dried grasses provide enough sustenance to power such gigantic bodies through a long northern prairie winter, but they do.
Somehow, encountering wildlife on foot and coming away with a good shot is more satisfying than shooting from the rolling red Toyota blind. I will continue to do both, of course, as the situation dictates, but for the next few days I'll be uploading only shots made away from roads, shelter, and safety. To do this successfully, you have to appear innocuous to the critters, and evidently I do.
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.
2412_1356 Plains Bison & Magpie
I have more luck approaching bison bulls on foot than cows... maybe because they expect to dominate, and therefore are not as fearful of a puny human intruder. Idle speculation; who knows what goes on in their minds...
At any rate, these two Plains Bison paid no attention to me as I slowly moved within photo range and walked the prairie dog town parallel to them for a brief time. Bonus: a Black-billed Magpie flew over and landed on one of them. At the time I didn't notice the other's tongue was out. They lick their noses constantly, removing dust and debris and keeping it moist and receptive to wind-borne information.
The sun was behind them and to the left - three quarter backlighting, but soft enough to keep the contrast under control. It's difficult to believe that those short, dried grasses provide enough sustenance to power such gigantic bodies through a long northern prairie winter, but they do.
Somehow, encountering wildlife on foot and coming away with a good shot is more satisfying than shooting from the rolling red Toyota blind. I will continue to do both, of course, as the situation dictates, but for the next few days I'll be uploading only shots made away from roads, shelter, and safety. To do this successfully, you have to appear innocuous to the critters, and evidently I do.
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.