By Mia McPherson, on April 5th, 2012%  Bison bull shedding - Nikon D200, handheld, f13, 1/200, ISO 250, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 135mm, natural light Every day that I spend in the field is always marvelous but it seems especially wonderful during the change of seasons because I feel a heightened sense of anticipation for the first of the year birds, the first spotting of wildflowers blooming or the seasonal changes that wildlife exhibits in behavior or appearance.
After a winter of seeing Bison (Bison bison) with thick winter coats I’ve begun to see them shedding to their summer coats. I photographed this Bison bull two days ago while he was grazing on the tender green shoots of grasses and although he looks very shaggy I know that soon his haunches and hindquarters will be very sleek looking.
I have also recently noticed that I am only seeing bulls, the cows are noticeably absent which means they are seeking quiet locations to drop their calves.
Spring has sprung!
Mia
More Bison images
By Mia McPherson, on March 13th, 2012% Today I thought I would post a few images taken this past week from Antelope Island State Park and the west desert in Tooele County. Feathers & Fur.
 Coyote in morning light on Antelope Island- Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in Right before I photographed this Coyote (Canis latrans) it had eaten four Voles from the base on a wild Sunflower. I couldn’t get any decent images of it then because it was well hidden behind the Sunflower stalks but when it wandered towards the other Coyote I could see in the distance it stopped and looked towards me where I had a relatively unobstructed view.
 Male Horned Lark in Tooele County - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/2000, ISO 640, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light Yesterday I was in the west desert in Tooele County with high hopes of seeing and photographing Golden Eagles, Prairie Falcons, Ferruginous and Red-tailed Hawks. It wasn’t to be though, I think the strong south winds were keeping them hunkered down. The one Red-tailed Hawk I photographed was just a bit too far away to create decent images where the details were plainly evident. I still didn’t go away empty handed because this male Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) posed for me briefly.
 Pronghorn Doe on a hilltop on Antelope Island - Nikon D200, f10, 1/1000, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x Tc at 400mm, natural light I love Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana), they are beautiful, graceful and I photograph them at every opportunity. I sure thought this doe looked stunning against the snow covered mountains in the background while looking at me from a hilltop.
 Loggerhead Shrike calling, Antelope Island - Nikon D300, f6.3, 1/1250, ISO 640, +0.7 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light I have been seeing more Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus) calling from the tops of bushes and trees lately and have also been seeing them pair up. This one was calling in the early morning light and quite loudly too! They are such handsome birds.
 Frosty Bison on Antelope Island - Nikon D200, handheld, f11, 1/250, ISO 400, -1.0 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 90mm, natural light I had hoped to photograph Bison this winter where the where the foreground and background was all snow covered in beautiful, dramatic light. With the “Winter that Wasn’t” that didn’t happen. I did create some images though were the Bison had some frost on them. Maybe we will get one final snow before spring pushes Old Man Winter out the door. You just never know!
Mia
By Mia McPherson, on March 6th, 2012% Certain species of birds ride on the backs of Bison and feed on the insects they find in the Bison’s fur; European Starlings are among those birds.
 European Starling landing on a Bison's back - Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/1000, ISO 400, -1.0 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 130mm, natural light This image not only shows a European Starling about to land on the back of the feeding Bison, it also shows another bird flying past the Bison’s leg. The Bison was too close for me to use my Nikkor 200-400mm VR lens so I quickly grabbed my backup D200 with my 18-200mm VR attached.
 Flock of European Starlings with a Bison - Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/1250, ISO 400, -1.0 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 120mm, natural light It isn’t unusual to see European Starlings or Brown-headed Cowbirds riding on the backs of Bison while on Antelope Island State Park, at times there might be 20+ birds on a single Bison’s back. Usually I see that from a distance so yesterday I was glad that the Bison and birds were closer to me than normal.
 European Starlings with a Bison and its tongue stuck out - Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/1250, ISO 400, -1.0 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 120mm, natural light The Bison do not seem to mind the hitch hikers on their backs, I am not sure they even notice the birds. The winter coat of this Bison is beginning to matt up on its back and shoulders, soon that fur will be shed and used by many of the birds on the island to line their nests. Loggerhead Shrikes seem to use the fur often as nesting material.
The top of a Bison’s tongue is a grayish color as shown in the photo above.
 Bison licking its nose with European Starlings on its back - Nikon D200, handheld, f8, 1/1000, ISO 400, -1.0 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 130mm, natural light The underside of a Bison’s tongue is dark brown on the edges and a light bubble gum pink in the center as shown here.
This Bison and the others nearby were easily approachable while staying within the confines of a vehicle and I prefer it that way. I can stay safe.
The other day I saw a photographer out walking through a grassy area of the park to get closer to some grazing Bison. He was strolling through an area where he should not have been, that side of the park has signs that state clearly to ”Stay on the Trails“ and he was putting himself at risk trying to get closer to these wild, unpredictable animals. Before I left the area though I saw one of the Park Rangers slow down next to his vehicle as the guy slowly made his way back to it. I bet he was educated very quickly about the dangers of what he had been doing and got told to stay on the trails.
Mia
More Bison images
By Mia McPherson, on February 20th, 2012% This Bison bull still has his thick winter coat but it won’t be long before he will shed it and his haunches will appear much sleeker.
Bison bull grazing in winter grasses
Nikon D300, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 640, -1.0 EV, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light
It tickles me to be able to photograph wild Bison. Bison were hunted heavily in the 19th and 20th centuries and by 1884 they were in danger of becoming extinct after the population plummeted to a few hundred head.
In 1899 James “Scotty” Phillip purchased five head (including one female) in an effort to preserve these majestic animals from extinction. At the time of Phillip’s death in 1911 the herd number was estimated at between 1000 to 2000 animals.
Around the same time period two Montana ranchers, Michel Pablo and Charles Allard, spent 20 years finding and raising purebred Bison. That herd numbered 300 when Allard died in 1896. ¹
Had it not been for men and early conservationist like Pablo, Allard and Phillip and their efforts in preventing Bison from becoming extinct we might not see them freely roaming in State and National Parks throughout the western United States.
Mia
More Bison images
¹ Wikipedia
By Mia McPherson, on January 26th, 2012% As a bird and nature photographer there are always images that I dream of getting, sometimes it is of a certain species or a specific setting. Some of those images I have been fortunate enough to create, others; not yet.
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) hitching a ride on a Bison
Nikon d200, f8, 1/1000, ISO 400, -0.7 EV, Nikkor 18-200mm VR at 170mm, natural light
Since moving to Utah in the summer of 2009 I have wanted to get some images of a Bison standing with the Great Salt Lake in the background. I had gotten them grazing on the hillsides, rolling around in a wallow, with calves, near the rocks and laying down but I hadn’t gotten the images I wanted with the lake clearly visible in the background.
Patience does pay off because two days ago I was able to get a series of images of this Bison with the Great Salt Lake clearly in view plus I had the added bonuses of having the snow topped Wasatch Mountain Range in the distance and a European Starling hitching a ride.
So, on to my next “dream” shot, I wonder when it will happen.
Mia
* It isn’t uncommon to see Brown-headed Cowbirds or European Starlings perched on the backs of Bison.
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Photographing a Tricolored Heron from a tidal lagoon
Focusing on Wildlife Contributor
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