Nice shot. The little tinge of blue at the top helps give this shot a cold, winter feel while the light on the wolf and the grass gives it just enough warmth to let you know the fall sun is still around.
This photo makes me sad. The Mollie's Pack killed the beautiful white Alpha female and Alpha male of the Hayden Pack last Tuesday. I know it is nature, but I grieve their loss. Five of their pups had survived, but if you shot this in Hayden Valley that means Mollie's Pack is still in the vicinity and their days are probably numbered.
-I did not see the fight between Mollie and Hayden I was a day late (ahh I hate the obligations of work....) however on Thursday the two packs were seen, Hayden to the South Mollie to the North. You could hear the howls on both sides of the valley, We watched the pack cross the river and head towards Hayden valley which retreated out of sight.
The killings are sad, from what I have heard the wolves were the poster 'child' animals of the wolves in yellowstone and the most famous out of them all. One thing to add to the 'this is nature' thought is that one of the Alpha's killed was wearing a radio collar
They are fairly heavy devices (Im stretching to remember but someone said 1.5 kilos but do not quote me on that) with large battery's and a transmitter and many of the 'wolf' watchers I spoke with blamed the death of the Alpha on the affect of mobility from the collar. They think it might have limited its defense and being able to reach back to bite the attacking wolf. It would of been more of a fair fight if the animal was not wearing the collar
The same observer said the collar has been dead and inactive for a year now...
The animals did not react to us, They surrounded us, walked past us and played. We were simply not of interest to them, Shortly after the first picture was taken he sat down and made himself comfortable for a few minutes. shortly after he looked out into the distance and the whole group got up and moved up the hill quite quickly. About thirty seconds after they moved a convoy of photographers wolf watchers and even a ranger showed up. They must of head them coming.
They must of had a kill recently or the blood on his face is from the death of the Alpha's I included a 100% crop to show this.
Interesting comment Nathan. As a veteran Yellowstone visitor and photographer I never even thought about how the collar might affect a wolf. I was one of the first to photograph the Hayden couple a few years ago before they were even considered a pack or the alpha female had a collar. I never photographed her after her collar was added and am further saddened to find it might have hindered her survival. There is hope that the Mollie's will leave the pups and the rest of the pack alone and they can regroup over the winter. My understanding is that the pups were still alive as of yesterday, so there is hope. I'll tell you this wolf you've so beautifully photographed looks very large. The Mollie's are known for being one of the few packs to favor bison as prey, I'm not surprised by the size and noticeable strength of this wolf. Excellent photographs!
Great shots..man .....you got the wolf well...
I was there the same weeeknd but I htink I only got to see the Mollies running...
I feel so sad for the Hayden's
I hope they pups survived and will run the pack next springs.(maybe not the next spring)
I think mother nature knows the best...and it is par tof wildlife...
I hope to see what happens next to Haydens as the world turns
