Wednesday May 29. Day 7

Share your latest adventure in Yellowstone.

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Nordwil
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Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2017 11:41 am
Location: Massachusetts
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Wednesday May 29. Day 7

Post by Nordwil »

Coffee at the cabin and packed our gear again for last full day in The greater Yellowstone ecosystem. We planned to stay around Mammoth but the lure of the Lamarr Valley overruled and off we went. We skipped the tower run and headed east a beautiful ride but nothing event full. Not much down Slough Creek, although the grizzly and two cubs were sighted in the same area as yesterday’s kill. We continued on to pebble Creek and turned back west. One more run down Slough Creek. The sandhill crane was ever vigilant on the nest and we shot some pronghorn and birds. We continue to Little America where a black bear and two cubs were feasting on an elk calf high on the hill. Again the mom elk stayed present on the ridge crying in distress. We took a quick drive to Tower Falls, then back to Little America and washed a cinnamon blackbear grazing just before the picnic area. (Okay, we didn’t actually wash him, he seemed clean enough. We did watch him for a bit. I’m still catching the errors and correcting or pointing out the major ones). We headed back to the Black Bear on the Elk calf and set up the scope. After watching for a while we took off to Mammoth and then north to pray Montana. Just before Mammoth we stopped for a couple of sandhill crane’s But they walked off into the distance. Off to Chico! We spotted Osprey again before exiting the park and north of Gardiner we saw more Osprey and a couple of what I believe were immature bald eagles soaring above the Yellowstone River They seemed large for juveniles, but definitely had not yet developed the white head and tail. Before pulling off the highway, we pulled into a gas station to pressure wash some of the mud from fishing Bridge off of the white SUV. We checked in to Chico hot Springs and then drove into old Chico and down cemetery road where we finally got to shoot some mountain bluebirds! Continuing north on E. River Rd. we saw mule deer in the dandelion fields. Time to head back to the hotel for a soak and some dinner.
Last edited by Nordwil on Thu May 30, 2019 12:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.



obradallen
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:27 pm

Re: Wednesday May 29. Day 7

Post by obradallen »

Thank a lot for taking the time to share your trip with us!
Brad



yellvet
Posts: 224
Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2017 5:54 pm

Re: Wednesday May 29. Day 7

Post by yellvet »

Rick, had I known that you and your family were going to be in the Greater Yellowstone, I would have invited you to stop by for a visit. Today was absolutely gorgeous and every critter in our area was out and about, enjoying the warmer, sunny weather. We had 6 whitetail yearling fawns frolicking in our yard this morning, as were George and Greta (mated goose couple), a second goose couple that I wasn't familiar with and Max and Margie (our annual mated sand hill crane couple) and lots of migrating birds. Even our annual tree swallow couple were back building a nest in the birdhouse near my clothes line. The bald and golden eagles, coyotes and red tail hawks were also down by the River, looking for an ez breakfast. So the next time you bring your family to Yellowstone and there's not much wildlife activity going on in the Park, let me know. You've got a standing invitation to come for a visit with your family. Hubby and I live in the Upper Stillwater Valley near the Stillwater River, in the extended protection zone of Yellowstone, so we get all the same wildlife.

Now for a short gear update. I just got a new Feisol CT3402 tripod to supplement my Mighty Low Boy tripod and my heavy aluminum Manfrotto. I've spent over 25+ years sitting in the tall grass and sage brush shooting low angle wildlife shots with heavy tripods and super telephoto camera setups. And, as much as I love the dramatic and personal intimacy of being eye to eye with the animals, this past year I've been finding that once I sit down, it's getting harder and harder for me to get back up on my feet. My doctor said that this is a bi-product of one of my health problems AND my age. :o But since I'd rather not end up on the dinner menu of a hungry animal, I bought the Feisol so I could stand more and for those times when I might need to make a fast exit. The CF Feisol is only 2.5 pounds but has a load capacity of a 40 pounds. The leg locks are super EZ to turn and there's a hook under the plate so you can add more weight, if needed, when it's windy. The maximum height is 47 inches and the minimum height is 6 inches which should be good for both low-angle wildlife and macro photography. Being a little munchkin, the height is perfect for me with a 9" gimbal head attached. So I think the Feisol is going to be a good tripod for me. It's super light, EZ to set up and it's super EZ to take down and carry. It worked like a charm in our kitchen. But I'm going to give it a full field test along the River tomorrow. I'll let ya know how it works in the field. So far, so good. I hope you're going to post some pix, Rick, that you took with your 300mm f2.8 lens. Can't wait to see 'em. Bet you got some fabulous shots of the osprey and sandhills. Hope you and your family had a good time in the GYE and a safe trip home.



Nikon_nerd
Posts: 117
Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2017 4:06 pm

Re: Wednesday May 29. Day 7

Post by Nikon_nerd »

Thanks for sharing your trip reports with us. Looking forward to the photos!



Dorothy
Posts: 201
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:45 pm

Re: Wednesday May 29. Day 7

Post by Dorothy »

I'm really enjoying your reports. Thanks so much for sharing, and I'm looking forward to the photos, too!



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