Posted July 18, 2024
First Light Rewards!
The photos on this page were taken over two short mornings in mid-July. They were taken during a relatively short window between 6:00 am and 8:00 am, but that’s when the light is rich and saturated. That’s also when I can expect (or at least hope) to see the most wildlife.
During the summer months, I have to set my alarm for around 3:30 am to be able to be in a good location for sunrise. That allows for a shower, a quick breakfast, and roughly an hour drive up the Big Thompson Canyon. It’s a dark drive over winding roads! RMNP requires timed entry permits to enter the Bear Lake Corridor, so it also takes a bit of additional planning.
My wife and I have been in Colorado two full years now. Time flies! The prior 36 years were in Jackson Hole, WY where I photographed a lot of moose. Most of the Teton moose were taken along the river bottoms or in the sage flats. I seldom had a chance to photograph moose in lakes or ponds, as seen in many of the photos on this page. I am enjoying the change of venue.
tI spent my first morning at Sprague Lake inside the Bear Lake Corridor. On that morning, there were two cow moose that had one calf each.
One of the two cows exited the lake within minutes of first light. The other duo hung around about ten more minutes before they began heading to the shore.
A cow moose feeding in a lake is a special event, but I love being able to capture the interaction between two subjects.
Many people will tell you that a mother moose and her calf are dangerous subjects. That’s true, but many of the moose in Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Teton National Park are accustomed to humans. This calf’s mother probably stood in the same lake when she was the same age.
Shoot away! When conditions are great, I tend to take a lot of photos. When back at home in front of the computer, I can pick the best of any series of shots. One usually jumps out of the group. Also, I usually look for catch light in their eyes.
This photo features a couple of Rocky Mountain National Park’s peaks. For the most part, this is a “record shot”. I usually focus on wildlife first (when they are out) and landscapes when the light is appealing. I figure the mountains will always be there, but the wildlife opportunities are unpredictable and precious events. I took this photo on my way to Sheep Lakes, roughly 30 minutes away. On the first morning, I found two small bull moose leaving the area as I drove up.
On my second morning, I drove to Sheep Lake first. I spotted this bull as I drove by the scene. It was still quite dark and about all I could make out was a large brown shape. As the morning progressed, I was able to start taking photos in the “cool” morning light.
Eventually, the warm light blanketed the area. It looked like this bull moose was going to head to the safety of the willows, but instead, reentered the lake and fed for another half hour. Two additional bulls joined him. They were smaller bulls, so I spent most of my time photographing the larger one. Wildlife can surprise you!
I enjoyed watching this bull dip his head completely underwater, then quickly raise his head to devour the mouthful of vegetation. I love the water cascading from his brow tines.
If possible, I would prefer to be taking photos from a very low vantage point along the water’s edge, but signs prohibit walking any closer than the parking and viewing area. A telephoto lens is helpful, but it doesn’t change the angle.
Besides the large mammals, like moose, elk, mule deer, and black bears, RMNP is home to some fairly dependable “critter” subjects. I can usually find a few marmots, picas, ground squirrels, and chipmonks as I travel to and from zones of the park.
This tiny Pica stopped its busy routine to pose for a photo. I was seconds away from catching a mink along a small stream on the first day and I missed a long-tailed weasel by a few seconds on the second day. You can’t win them all.
Many of the mammals are on the move early in the morning. This fawn’s mother and it’s sibling crossed the road in front of me. I was able to pull over and take a few shots from my truck window before they quickly disappeared over a ridge and into the trees. Three or four minutes either way can mean seeing a subject and not.
This is one of about 10 buck mule deer I found standing within a few feet of the roadway as I traveled from Sprague Lake to Sheep Lakes. I took the photo from the window of my truck.
This mother moose and calf spent the initial 10-15 minutes of “first light” feeding in the lake, but scampered into the forest as the sun cleared the eastern ridges.
For anyone interested, I took all of the photos on this page hand held with a Sony A1 body and a Sigma Sport 60-600mm lens. The lens is heavy but I like the flexibility of the super zoom range. It saves me from needing to carry two bodies and lenses on most days.
A bull moose standing in a lake attracts a lot of tourists. The nearby parking lot was almost empty when I arrived. The same lot was jammed packed when I decided to head home. The three bulls put on a great show for the late morning tourists.
It’s only the middle of July, but a few of the bulls are showing good antler growth. They will start scraping the velvet in late August. I’ve been told the moose are harder to find once the rut begins in late August and early September. Hopefully, I can catch these big boys again before that happens.
Additional moose photos and pages.
Bull Moose in a “Tizzy”
Velvet Time in RMNP
Tiny Moose Twins & More!
Moose on Best of the Tetons
I mentioned earlier that I spent a lot of years in Jackson Hole, where I photographed moose with a passion. Click the photo above to view a section of moose from those years.