American Bison Coming Down the Hill

Generally, life is good.

Giants of the Desert

 

The American Bison return to the pasture after drinking water from a large muddy pool.

Generally, life is good.

A Dust Bath

 

Taking a dust bath is a very serious business for the American Bison. This is the way to clean themselves, stay cool and take care of their skin. 

The animals look for a dry, dusty place of dirt or sand—often the same spots are reused over and over, forming shallow depressions called wallows. Once the right place is found a Bison begin to roll in the mud, first on one side, then on the other.

Taking a dust bath helps Bison to get rid of ticks and lice.  On hot days, a dust bath cools them down. Dust can help soothe bites and it acts like a natural sunscreen.

and of course, a dust bath is always nice.

Generally, life is good.

Portrait of American Bison

 

American Bison have poor eyesight, especially for long distances. However, they compensate for this with an excellent sense of smell and keen hearing. 

Their limited vision means they rely more on detecting movement and scents to sense danger or find food.

***

I was asked recently: "Are you shooting from a car, or is it safe to be on foot while photographing the bison?"  

Photographing bison is always unpredictable adventure because you never know what's on minds of bison.  Sometimes I stay in my car if bison are very close. 

There are situations when I am walking towards a bison but keeping a safe distance. Generally, photographing bison on foot is okey, but you have to be very careful. These animals can be dangerous and they run fast.

Generally, life is good. 

On the Antelope Island

 

It was an unforgettable day on Antelope Island. A herd of bison was coming down the mountain heading slowly in my direction. Animals were heading towards a big muddy puddle, they needed water to quench their thirst.

Generally, life is good.

Test of Strength

Today I was watching American bison fight on Antelope Island for the first time. I am guessing it was a play fight or these bison were establishing dominance.  

Younger bison may engage in play fighting as a way to build strength and prepare for future battles.  These fights involve headbutting, shoving, and sometimes locking horns.

Bison live in herds where dominance matters. Bulls and even younger males will spar to establish their rank within the group.  

Generally, life is good.

 

Antelope Island as a Storm Approaches - III

 

Generally, life is good.

Mighty

 

American Bison on Antelope Island.

Generally, life is good.

Crossing the Road With Parents

 

I find this procession funny. The young bison is crossing the road with his parents. Everything should be as it should be, the young should be safe.

By the way, I had to wait in the car for this family to cross the road. It seemed that the bison were only concerned with how to get on the other side of the road, but the head of the procession sometimes looked in my direction in an unfriendly manner.

Generally, life is good!

Powerful and Confident

 

Some people confuse bison and buffalo.  Both are large horned animals of Bovidae family.  Antelope Island is home to American bison.

Contrary to the song "Home on the Range", buffalo do not roam the American West.  Instead, they are indigenous to South Asia (water buffalo) and Africa ( Cape buffalo).

The main difference between bison and buffalo is the presence of a hump.  Bison has one on its shoulders, the buffalo does not.

Generally, life is good.

Portrait of American Bison

 The portrait of this bison appeared completely by accident.  

The bison was close to other bison who were not going to leave and I decided to shoot according to the situation. Later I cropped the photo and ended up with a strange portrait which, to my surprise, I liked.

By the way, if you notice the bison has a small RFID tag in one of his ears. This is his permanent identifier and links it to bison's computer records that contain his health information.

Generally, life is good.

How do American Bison Survive Winter ?

 

  

When winter sets in and snowstorms cover the desert in deep snow, bison use their heads as a kind of plow to push away the snow and reach the food below.  

You can see frozen snowballs hanging off the bison's mouth together with grass. These animals feed mainly on grass.

 

During the winter,  bison develop thick, wooly coats that protect them from freezing temperatures and harsh winds.  The bison's winter coat is so thick that it provides such effective insolation that the snow does not melt from the warmth of bison's skin.

I photographed these bison yesterday on Antelope Island. Fortunately, the whole day was sunny and without a snowstorm.

Generally, life is good.

Time to Run

 

Bisons generally don't seem to mind European Starlings who often get free piggyback rides. They are so accustomed to these birds that they almost never pay attention to them.  Starlings feed on the insects they find in the Bison's fur and help the Bison to stay healthy.

Today clouds of Starlings hung over one Bison.  They irritated and almost blinded the animal.  And the bison had no choice but to run in order to get rid of the annoying birds.

 

Slowly but with determination the Bison decided to get rid of the Starlings.

 

The Bison eventually had to pick up speed hoping that it will work.

After running a short distance, the animal still managed to get rid of the annoying birds. The decision to flee was very timely.

Now the Bison can safely continue to graze.

Generally, life is good.

 

Notes to Self. The American Buffalo

We are the most dangerous species in the world. We kill and destroy for our own gain, needlessly and brutally, but we can also one day come to our senses and begin to save what we have almost destroyed.

A few days ago I watched Ken Burts' film " The American Buffalo" about the tragic history of the American Buffalo, which sustained the lives of Native people for generations.

These largest surviving animals that once roamed the Great Plains may have gone extinct in the late 1800s.  They were hunted and killed by white people.  A dead Buffalo was a source of income for whites and one less Buffalo for use by natives. 

 

November 20, 2020. Antelope Island

Before buffalo herds were driven to the brink of near extinction, once upon a time they roamed the continent in numbers of up to 50 million. 

September30, 2022.  Antelope Island

When calves are born they can get up within 30 seconds and soon go with the herd but without their mother they cannot survive.  When you kill a female buffalo her calves will die.  So many females were killed, and so many calves have died over decades of buffalo hunting. 

  

 

June 14, 2022. Antelope Island

The Buffalo were practically exterminated by white hunters for their skins, fur, horns and tongues.

What happened was a disgrace to American people in general. It was unprecedented cruelty and greed.

December 17, 2020. Antelope Island

The conservationists brought Buffallo's population back from a few hundred to nearly 350,000 today.

One day they put 15 Buffalo on the train and brought them west to the Great Plains. It was the largest migration of these animals. 

The buffalo were brought to Oklahoma to their native land, their old home and gradually the population of these amazing creatures began to increase.

September 30, 2022. Antelope Island.

Once upon a time on February 15, 1893 twelve buffalo, 4 bulls (males), 4 cows (females) and four calves were taken by boat to Antelope Island by William Glassman and John Dolly. These animals came from a small private farm in Texas and grew into a herd on the island.

 Now we have about 600 buffalo, and they are well protected.

When you see a buffalo, you see life, you see hope, you see future.

Generally, life is good.

Life of Bisons on Antelope Island - I.

 

The young bisons have grown quite a bit and their coat color has changed from orange-red to dark brown. They are now teenagers  but still remain close to their mothers and follow them everywhere. 

 

Something happened to one this female bison's horns.  Did she broke it or was she born this way?

Bison family.  

The female bison leads the procession.  The young calf follows his parents, trying to stay close.

Family portrait.  

As you can see, the female bison is in the middle.  She has more curvy horns and smaller in size than the bull.  Their young calf stays closer to his mother who will protect him until he grows up.

The mood of bison can be judged by its tail: when it's down and switches naturally, the bison is usually calm.  If the tail is standing straight up, watch out!

Generally, life is good.

On Bisons' Life

At first glance, it may seem that the life of bisons is not very interesting. They are slow, most of the time they are chewing grass, resting or wallowing in the dirt.

But in the spring the life of bisons is different. The mating season begins, the females give birth to calves. 

On the photo above the little calf isn't yet one year old and he will stay with his mama until he matures. 

During spring and summer the days are getting more hot and bisons are getting more lazy. 

It's probably feels good to roll around in the dirt while giving yourself the dirt bath.   

There is not much water available for bisons on Antelope Island to bathe, so over time they figured out that rolling in the dirt can do the same as bathing in the water.  

It's time for milking.  

It took a long time for milking but the mother was patient and the calf was happy.

It seems that the other calf is not going to run and play in the heat.

So, I will run by myself...

Another bather. 

As soon as one of the bisons was finishing his dirt bath, the other immediately began to roll in the sand.  

To photograph a herd wasn't easy.  The bisons almost always turned their backs on me.  Out of numerous photos I liked only the photo above.

Generally, life is good!

Young Bison Calves

Today I discovered a small herd of bisons with two calves on Antelope Island. Unfortunately, the adults were taking often their dirt baths and rolling in sand. They were making dense clouds of dust in the air.  

At the beginning I tried to wait when the dust would settle and the air would be clear but very soon realized that was pointless. As soon as one of the bisons was finishing his dirt bath, the other immediately began to roll in the sand.  Shooting through dusty air wasn't fun but the whole experience was great.

One of young calves was very active.  While his sibling was napping in the grass the young calf was constantly around his mother.

 Once in while the active calf approached his sibling to check on him.

Not far away from mama.  It's safe this way.

Generally, life is good!