Friday, January 20, 2012

American badger, Yellowstone National Park

American badger in Yellowstone National Park

On the final day of our trip to Yellowstone National Park, we decided to take one last morning drive across the northern roads of the park and through the Lamar Valley before continuing on our move east. We didn't see much along this final drive, but we did find an American badger quite close to the road on the way to the Slough Creek Trailhead. My initial sighting of the badger was just a few clouds of dirt being thrown in the air, and I was able to snap off a few frames out of the car window as he dug. We were quite lucky that he was working over a hillside just down from a small parking area that morning, so we were able to park the car and spend about 20 minutes watching him dig and tromp around. The only downside, photographically that is, was that he was in a grassy area, and since badgers are so close to the ground, it was hard to get an unobstructed view of his face in a photo.

15 comments:

  1. I am amazed at how different he is from the European badger. A sweet photo.

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  2. Terrific image! I have never seen a badger in the wild. Mentioning the Lamar Valley brings back fond memories - it was one of my favorite drives in Yellowstone Park.

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  3. it's a wonderful picture, i think the wisps of grass add some pretty, soft texture!!

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  4. What fantastic photos of amazing wildlife! What a great blog, I will return!
    J
    Follow me at HEDGELAND TALES

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  5. that's a great shot. he looks intense!

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  6. All it takes is just that one good shot and I think you got it here. Cool looking character.

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  7. Nice shot of that badger in spite of the grasses. Cute thing.

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  8. Wow, a beautiful photo, great shot of this badger. I think the grass adds a nice layer.

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  9. Terrific photo, the grass gives depth and a sense of a real happening. Badgers are very hard to come by, you captured his moment.

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  10. Oh lucky you!!! I had seen that Yellowstone had Badgers the last 2 years we visited and of course....we saw none...0. What a wonderful image you took too, would love to see more...even of it digging, for I have never seen that before. Have a great weekend!

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  11. Wonderful photo! He looks so focused. I also looked at some of your other photos, amazing shots!

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  12. Wonderful shot! Great to see it in its natural element.

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  13. Still awesome to have a unique subject. Also sometimes it can give a sense of depth. I know it can be a pisser though!

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  14. Love this photo Pat! It took us 5 trips to Yellowstone before we saw a badger so you had some good fortune on this trip.

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