Uploads from Jeff Clow, tagged wildlife

A Fall Encounter in Banff

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 06:13:07 -0800

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

One of the real pleasures of visiting Banff National Park in the fall time period is the simple fact that all the berry bushes are alongside the roadway....since the forests are too dense for them to get enough light.

Couple that with a sizable population of grizzlies in search of berries prior to hibernation, and there's a good chance to have a bear encounter right alongside your rental car.

I had left our rented cabin just before dawn and there was a gentle rain and a quiet road ahead of me as I headed up toward Moraine Lake. As I turned the corner, I saw this big fellow about ten feet ahead of me on the right side of the roadway. There wasn't another soul around. I slowed down as I continued to drive closer....and he looked up to me for a second and then continued to gorge himself on berries.

My hands were shaking as I rolled down the passenger window and began shooting with my right hand while my left hand gripped the steering wheel.

I had one foot on the brake and one foot on the accelerator and I found it extremely hard to focus with the one hand holding the Nikon DSLR as the adrenalin surged through my veins.

Just then another car drove up behind me and this magnificent animal raised his head for the briefest moment to see what was causing the noise. I snapped this shot and focused with all my might at getting the focal point right on his eye.

It was truly a moment to remember. Equal parts elation and fear. And even though he never made a movement toward me, I remember thinking that this was a hungry carnivore and I was too darn close...

Too darn close.

A Moose Moment

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 07:24:20 -0800

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

Bull in the Morning

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 07:32:27 -0800

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

A Wild Beaver at Work

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 06:34:30 -0800

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

Face to Face

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 06:57:48 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

On the ferry walkway near Dornans in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.....about twelve feet away.

Too close. Way too close. But what an adrenaline rush when you make eye contact with a big bull.

In Search of Berries

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 06:37:26 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

I spent a week in Grand Teton National Park recently....and I encountered two different bears only on the last two days of my visit.

This young black bear was in search of berries alongside Moose-Wilson Road. I was particularly intrigued by the piercing gaze from those translucent eyes...

(If you have a moment, please press "L" on your keyboard to see this at the much better larger size)

Cinnamon in the Fall

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 07:09:45 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

On my last drive along Moose-Wilson Road in Jackson Hole before returning to Dallas, I was fortunate to encounter this cinnamon colored black bear....

(If you have a moment, please press "L" on your keyboard to see this at the much better larger size)

Fall Moose Portrait

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 13:10:51 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

A friend of mine let me borrow his Nikkor 500mm lens.... and I was able to get this "up close and personal" portrait of this cow moose which we spotted along the Gros Ventre River Road. She was so close that I had a hard time getting her within the frame of the shot.

(If you have a moment, press "L" on your keyboard to see the detail that this lens delivers)

Wild Beaver at Work

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Sat, 28 Jul 2012 10:58:45 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

Fascinating to watch wild beaver at work....they are surprisingly large animals that can handle good sized limbs with their teeth.

Beaver at Work

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 08:09:10 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

Wild Great Grey Owl

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 08:39:58 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

Always feel fortunate to be able to see - and photograph - a great grey owl in the wild. This was taken last week along Moose-Wilson Road in Grand Teton National Park...

Great grey sightings are pretty rare in the Park - I've only seen a great grey twice and I've been going to Jackson Hole a lot during the last ten years.

Dreams of the Old West

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Sat, 21 Jul 2012 08:33:14 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

I've been going to Jackson Hole for ten years now and have never had the opportunity to catch a solitary bull bison in front of the Teton mountain range until this past week.....

Wild Beaver - Grand Teton National Park

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:26:20 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

Timeless Majesty

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 22:48:31 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

To the Clouds

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Mon, 21 May 2012 06:30:47 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

Autumn Bear

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 08:51:20 -0800

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

In all my years of photographing wildlife in Grand Teton National Park, I've never before been lucky enough to find a bear in a tree - until this year.

This fine fellow was in search of berries and I felt very fortunate to encounter him surrounded by the colors of autumn along Moose-Wilson Road....

Banff Grizzly Gorging

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 07:55:24 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

One of the still photos I took through a rental car window of a wild male grizzly gorging himself on hawthorne berries.....the previous upload in my stream shows him in a video that my wife took simultaneously.

I was really hard to hold the camera steady since my adrenaline was surging to new heights!

Grizzly Encounter in Banff - September, 2010

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 14:34:58 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a video:

It pays to check an old flash drive once in awhile.....we stumbled upon this video today while looking for something else.

My wife took this footage from inside our rental car while I was shooting still photos through the window as well. It shows a hungry grizzly we encountered along the roadside in Banff. We were driving up to Moraine Lake and turned the corner to find this fine fellow gorging himself on hawthorne berries. Like many of the grizzlies in the park, he's had an ear tag placed on him so the park service can keep track of his whereabouts.

As you can see, they can consume massive quantities of berries as they prepare for their winter hibernation. And our adrenaline was racing as we sat less than 20 feet away.

Grizzly Encounter

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:55:08 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo:

© Jeff R. Clow

Just after sunrise in Banff National Park and I leave the cabin early to drive up to Moraine Lake before the crowds descend. As I round the corner on the nine mile trip, I see this grizzly alongside the road gorging on hawthorne berries.

My heart starts racing and I slowly drive up alongside. He looks up at me for a second and then resumes his eating. I roll down the window and I pick up my camera and lens and I find that my hands are shaking.

I calm down a bit and point the lens with one foot on the accelerator and one on the brake.....and I begin to photograph this magnificent creature that is less than ten feet away. He pays me no more notice and then another car rounds the corner behind me and he looks up at it for a split second and I get this shot.

I was with him alone for about five minutes - and I realized then that it was probably a once in a lifetime moment. And every time I look at this shot, I remember the soft rain and the sounds he made as he methodically cleaned the bushes of berries...and the feeling of pure, raw adrenaline running through my veins.

Great Egret and Chick

nobody@flickr.com (Jeff Clow) — Mon, 21 May 2012 04:22:08 -0700

Jeff Clow posted a photo: