More Moose and First Snow

[NorthernFocus]

What a difference a day makes. These were shot yesterday morning, the day after those from my last post. There was about four inches of snow on the ground at the trailhead. Deeper the farther up the valley you go.

The bull in these shots is one that we call "Optimus Prime" or OP for short. He has been the dominant bull in the valley for several years. He is at least ten or twelve years old based on the fact that another guy I shoot with has photos of him for the past six years during his dominance. Bull moose fully mature to the point of being large/strong enough to become that alpha male at four to six years of age. This old boy is past his prime now. Up until the past two days OP had not been sighted yet this fall. He is visibly diminished relative to previous years in both body mass and the size of his antlers. We fear he'll likely not survive this rut or if he does won't make it through the winter.

All shot with D4/80-400G, handheld. Uploaded at low rez due to light box being down.

1) Here OP is posturing at me the same way that he would when facing a challenge from another bull. This is new behavior from him as historically he has always ignored people completely. The fact that he felt threatened enough by my presence to warn me off is suggestive of his feeling his age/infirmity. This is one time that still photography doesn't display the behavior well. When posturing like this the bull turns sideward towards the opponent, extends his legs to achieve maximum height, and walks stiff legged, swaying his antlers back and forth. The theory is that they are displaying their size/strength to scare the other animal away without the need for a fight. Note the ears back and whites showing around the eyes.



2) In this shot he is displaying flehmen behavior after smelling the scent of a cow. It is well known that the senses of smell and taste are linked and biologists/scientists theorize that when animals display this behavior they are using their taste buds as well as smell to analyze the scent of the female to determine if she is in estrus.



3) Here he is with the object of his desire. She is a fairly small cow and behaved rather tentatively so is likely young and probably her first breeding season. He must have decided she wasn't yet amorous because right after this he left and walked across the valley. Though she did follow him so perhaps they just wanted a bit of privacy.

[Mike Buckley]

Wonderful photos and narrative, as always!

[Donald]

As Mike says. A superb record of animal behaviour.

[Tom Barry]

Wonderful photos and narrative, as always!

My thoughts exactly.

[bnnrcn]

Another great series

[Ndukes]

Great shots and great narrative.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[chauncey]

These were shot yesterday morning

As I groan I gotta ask...is this not a bit early for snow like that?

[wtlwdwgn]

Very nice series of shots of the moose with the background info.

[Dave Humphries]

Informative as ever Dan.

Thanks, Dave

[Ziggy]

Enjoyed your post.

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you guys enjoyed the post. Photography is an excellent way to learn about animals. First from studying to learn how/where to find your subjects and then from observing them through the lens and during PP. It is great to have such ready access to the area where these guys go through their breeding ritual every fall.

[Nat]

Really enjoyed seeing these and reading your explanations. I am green with envy, about the moose, not ready for the snow!!

[Rebel]

Great series of photos Dan

[IzzieK]

I was watching a show last night after dinner called Island Hunters where this Coast Guard guy (and his wife) was transferred to Kodiak, Alaska. They have this ATV for going around and saw some bears playing yonder and both were amazed at seeing wildlife right at their domain. They said they had never seen any wildlife in their lives apart from the zoo. Every time they are shown a house (for them to live) I kept thinking of what kind of possibilities they have that these wildlife be really at their backdoor? BTW they have two children I think...I did not know which house they chose as I was busy but I kept hoping it was the one with the fence...

Thanks for the added info on the moose' behavior. It is interesting and informative..

[Dave Humphries]

Photography is an excellent way to learn about animals. First from studying to learn how/where to find your subjects and then from observing them through the lens and during PP.

Agreed ...

I sometimes wondered, back when I was actively shooting, whether I should have a second camera shooting video while I'm concentrating on taking stills - not to use the video for anything other than to observe subject behaviour. I'm sure I miss things, behaviour-wise, while 'practising' (stills) photography and this would allow me to review what occurred subsequently and learn from it.

A means, for me at least, to 'compress' the learning experience process, given that my ability to 'be there' is rather more limited.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the replies, folks.

Izzie, if those folks are moving to Kodiak they will definitely at least have deer eating their shrubbery and bald eagles sitting on their house from time to time. Yes living in bear country with children would be a constant worry for me.

Dave, there are often times when video would do the subject justice much better than stills. I keep telling myself that I need to at least get functional with video but never get around to it.

[IzzieK]

Good idea, Dave and Dan...John (Shadowman) told me to do it once and I have a second camera to do it, but haven't got around to it...maybe I should practice at the deck when the morning light comes on so I do not forget to do it tomorrow when we go to Indiana tomorrow...Thanks, guys...

[Brownbear]

Lovely, as always. Thank you for sharing. If I ever meet a Moose at least I will know a little bit about their behaviour, truly appreciated.

[NorthernFocus]

Glad you enjoyed the post, Christina. The moose are running rampant around here. We're getting into the peak of the rut. In another post I had shots of a bull we ran into while walking the dog yesterday. Then this morning a cow with this year's calf was in our yard eating the shrubbery. No doubt as a non-breeding cow this season she was down here avoiding all the hormone driven crazies up the valley a bit.