Morning in Yellowstone National Park. It’s a time to start a new day, and a time to catch up with old friends to see how they are doing. It doesn’t matter that the ones catching up are elk, for they miss their friends, too What struck me about this scene, however, is the calf next to its mother. Standing there, not quite patiently, yet not ready to leave her side, either. Still, it is inquisitive and it can’t wait to get about its day.

Elk are social animals, with the females choosing to live in loose herds, while male elk typically live alone or in small bachelor groups. Being social, they are friendly to each other, and watch out for each other. The morning ritual is an important one, for many reasons.

Yellowstone National Park is home to approximately 20,000 elk in the winter, and up to 30,000 elk in the summer months; its pristine environment and habitat are perfect for the animals that live there. Here, the bends of the tributary that later flows into the Yellowstone River afford a perfect place  for water and forage, and, importantly to these elk, a perfect place for the morning meeting.

Shortly after this moment, the calf received its wish, and it was off into the day’s adventure.

Small Footsteps

There is, perhaps, nothing so incredible for a parent than to see their little one take their first footsteps. And, perhaps, there is nothing so incredible for the little one as taking that first footstep into the world and the adventures that lie ahead of them.

In Yellowstone National Park, during the month of June, this tiny vignette is repeated across the park every day by all manner of creatures, from the smallest to the largest inhabitants. Mothers everywhere watch their young find their feet, gather them up, and stand for the first time. From there it quickly progresses to walking, running and then keeping up with their parents.

This particular photo to me is exceptionally poignant. Taken extremely early in the day, it is a small moment in a baby elk calf’s life… he is clearly so proud, so happy and so eager to climb the mountainside to see what wonders await him at the top. His mother, meanwhile, just looked up from her grazing to carefully and proudly watch her youngster, exactly in the manner that all mothers carefully and proudly watch their young depart on their first adventure. It matters not who you are, for all parents experience that moment and it reinforces how wonderful, how incredible and how awesome our world is. Proud footsteps!

Peek-A-Boo Mustang

Deep in the heart of the Monero Mustang Sanctuary there exists a small watering hole. It isn’t really a big watering hole, really, but it does include the most important bit: water. It also includes another important bit: a berm that partly shields the water hole from the surroundings. And where there is water, the wild mustangs will come. But these are wild mustangs. Although familiar with humans, they are not accustomed to the human hand and certainly not in the mood to be domesticated. So, they maintain a good deal of caution around us (rightly so, too, since many of the mustangs in the sanctuary have been rescued from human abuse) and sometimes are not in the mood to be seen.

This is La Vieja, a mare caught peeking over the berm next to the water hole, just to see what, or who, was out there. The “who” of course was myself, camera in hand, capturing the moment. We looked at each other for a brief moment, acknowledging each other. That moment was brief and La Vieja turned away from the berm for that much needed and ever so pleasant drink.

Postscript: Just a couple of days after this photo was taken La Vieja became a mother to a wonderful filly. You can bet that both of them are now at the water hole, playing peek-a-boo.

There are different sizes of this photo available at our portfolio. Peek-A-Boo Mustang is available for purchase, as well, and you can have this print framed and delivered right to your door.