Reader Bob Fritz has stepped up and sent some great photos of bison from out West. His notes are indented:
Anyone who has been to Yellowstone is likely to have encountered the American Bison (Bison bison). They freely roam throughout the park, and frequently block traffic on the roads. People are warned to keep their distance, but often get too close and bison attacks do happen.
Here are some photos taken over various trips to Yellowstone National Park.
Bellow to impress your mate:
And a lick also helps.
Is this how we all look after the lockdown?
Competition for mating privileges:
Casual stroll through the parking lot and traffic.
Mother and calf:
Shedding the winter coat:
One last encounter as we leave the park:
Magnificent. I would love to see one.
If you are in the Chicago area, you can head out to Fermilab –
https://www.fnal.gov/ecology/wildlife/site/bison_field.shtml
A bit further out is the Nachusa Grasslands –
https://www.nachusagrasslands.org/
and the Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie –
https://www.fs.usda.gov/main/midewin/home
An old Tribune story about these three bison sites –
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/chi-ugc-article-bringing-back-the-bison-3-places-to-see-biso-2015-07-11-story.html
These are really impressive animals. Wild, but so used to humans in the park.
I’ve seen them like this in Yellowstone and also one fenced in someone’s yard in Moab (we named her Brunhilde) who was shedding. We fed her carrots and took some of the moulted fur to send to a friend who spins. In Yellowstone a bunch of young, giggly, Japanese teenage girls were getting waaay too close to the bisons with their cameras.
Brunhilde the shedding pet bison. I am dying of laughter, “Ho jo to ho ho ho!”
I’m really drawn to bison bellows. For some reason they strike a chord with me.
Sadly never heard Brunhilde sing or bellow. Last time we were in Moab she was gone, hopefully to greener pastures.
“People are warned to keep their distance, but often get too close and bison attacks do happen.”
From my observation, the same with black bears in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Our college bio club camped in the Smoky Mountains. A friend and I slept outside in the open. Noise told us a bear was raiding the garbage cans, and some people started yelling to drive them away. The bear ran right past us in our sleeping bags, and in the dark I could hear him breathing hard as he rushed by. A tent would be safer.
Wonderful photos – the mother and calf is really special.
Great bison pictures! We were in Teddy Roosevelt national park when a herd of several hundred thundered down a hill in front of us. Impressive creatures, the ground shook.
Isn’t TRNP gorgeous!? Stumbled on it while driving across the country once and returned a couple of times.
“Is this how we all look after the lockdown?”
Too close to home!
Amazing photo! I have never seen a bison in my life.