Soooo many peeps and the last minute endangered wood bison! 500% wild cuteness inside

Hey steemies!

Allow me to interrupt my Banff trip post again with total cuteness! Living in one of the most northern metropolis in the world, springs takes a little while to take hold. This winter was unusually long having started back in September and the southern portion of my province (Banff, Kananaskis and area) got another snow storm in the recent days... It's now June, keep up with the times mother nature! While there may not be many spring/summer flowers yet with the temperature having the hormones of a teenage girl, it doesn't stop the renewal of the land and the birth of new life. As an amateur photographer, it's my favorite time of the year trying to capture the wild babies big and small.

1/640 sec. f/6.3 300 mm, ISO 200

It started off with a friend of mine and some of her relatives visiting my beautiful province of Alberta, first on her agenda was to go visit Elk Island National Park (a wildlife preserve dedicated to preserve and restore the human damage done to the Bison population in the past) and go on a search for some baby plain bison since it's calf season. @silvergingerman and I had the day off and decided it would be fun to join them and spend some time with friends and nature. We had a great time but finding the wilderbeasts on a busy spring day proved to be quite a challenge. We searched and searched with no luck but we did come across the cute Canadian Geese family above!

1/500 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 250

I know where the herd hangs out because I track them in the winter when it's safer and quieter but during the calf season they become more aggressive in order to protect their young like any wild animal. I typically find them around Tawayik Lake but it's far removed from the common park areas, only those who are in the know go there (aka wildlife photographers) with really nowhere to hide if they decide to attack. I also didn't want my friend's vacation being ruined because somebody got turned into a bison skewer by the wildlife (they gore strait in the butt when they get pissed...Ouch!) We had a blast catching up nonetheless and gave them a tour of the park's nicest landscape but after a few hours, we were all getting hungry and it was time to call off the hunt.

Here is one of my experiences in an older post:
https://steemit.com/travel/@ladybug146/elk-island-national-park-the-charging-buffalo

Suddenly, on our way out as we hit the highway back to the city, there they were!!! Although it was the plain bison's cousins, the rare wood bison(currently holds a place on the endangered species list). They are in a separate part of Elk Island from the plain bison to prevent inter-breeding and genetic dilution also to prevent territorial fights that result in injuries and casualties to the rare species. It is possible to go into that section of the park by foot but it becomes more dangerous as they are bigger and more aggressive than their counterpart. We decided it was best to observe them from the safety of fenced area instead, they are kind of entertaining to watch to be honest. They roll around in dry patches of dirt and create a big dusty cloud around themselves to eliminate the flies and mosquitoes that become bothersome in the evening. In addition to their messy ways, cowbirds can be spotted on their backs grooming the wilderbeasts, eating other bugs and parasites caught in their thick fur coat. Talk about team work one animal's annoyance is another's lunch!

I didn't get the close-up pictures I generally get or was anticipating but such is life sometimes, you can find better pictures in the link I posted above. The main difference between the two species, as mentioned is their size in a addition to the location of the hump on their back and a much longer beard. In the wood buffalo, the hump is located closer to their neck/heads meanwhile the plain bison, it is located directly in line with their front legs. As you can see, they are still shedding their winter coat. During winter, their fur becomes a lighter color but becomes much thicker to keep them warm during our harsh winter months where the temperature can sometimes drop down to the -40's and -50's.

Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 220

Well our large furry friends weren't exactly thrilled with our presence or had any desire for friendship for that matter and eventually disappeared behind the trees, we were starting to get bothered by mosquitoes too, time to move on. Before grabbing a bite, we knew where we would be welcomed and surrounded by safer wilderness, the wetlands preserve much closer to home. The city's north and south is divided by a river and flood plains that are kept natural as an urban sanctuary for various species of water birds such as ducks, geese and smaller less threatening mammals. We usually bring bird seeds with us to ensures our popularity and countless close ups! For a while, I wanted to come for some photo ops with the goslings before they grew up, this was the perfect opportunity.

1/250 sec. f/8 55 mm, ISO 200

So many peeps! Mother goose was fruitful this year despite the colder conditions! I'm still disappointed I missed the eggs but this sure made up for it. The picture above is only a portion, there was around 100 babies. Clearly not all from the same mother, in total there might have been 4 mothers co-parenting. I have to admit, the park generally has several large families but it's the first time I ever witnessed them all in one group. Caution has to be taken as the mothers are extremely protective of their young and have enough strength in their large wings to knock down an adult, nothing a little bribe of bird seeds can't fix. We soon found ourselves completely surrounded, to our delight! Why do I call them peep peeps? @silvergingerman took a short video, watch and find out, don't forget to turn up the volume...total cuteness! (you might find a ladybug cameo in there too 😛)

Video taken by @silvergingerman with iphone8.

Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 140 mm, ISO 200

Shot 1/400 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 400

1/500 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 200

Had enough wild cuteness yet? Well I sure didn't! As much as I could spend the rest of the evening interacting with the new babies, I wanted to see what else was roaming around, new families to come stalk, looking for future projects. In the park, there is a grebe nest that I always try to photograph but it's in the middle of the pond and hard to capture even with my tele-photo lens. Luckily, there is a new grebe in town that decided to nest in an adjacent pond and for some reason was building her nest much closer to the shore which is unusual for this species given they are shy compared to geese and ducks. After my discovery, I was presented with the first opportunity in my lifetime to capture both the male and female building the nest for their future family. If that was't enough, there was 3 eggs already in the nest! What a pleasant and unexpected surprise!😆 😁 😍

1/500 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 200

Shot 1/500 sec. f/5.6 300 mm, ISO 200

These pictures were taken about 2 weeks ago and I have since returned to monitor the nest for the next while to capture the young birds right after they hatch. I'm not sure when the eggs were laid but they typically take about a month to hatch. In the meantime, they will be vulnerable to seagulls looking to feast on my new find. Hopefully mama knows what she is doing and watches her future family closely. This is so exciting, I have been waiting for years for an opportunity like this with grebe. The other nest has been there for years and they keep returning year after year to lay eggs, hopefully she will do the same. I do my best not to go visit too often not to disturb them too much and discourage her from nesting in the same location in the future. While the mother gathers building materials to ensure the quality of the nest, the male takes guard against any predator staying near the nest and gave me a chance to get a nice photo op with the perfect evening light conditions to get a nice mirror-like reflection, by far the closest I have ever been with this shy species. Keep in mind, I'm using a tele-photo lens of 300 mm so I don't have to get too close.

Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 300 mm, ISO 200

Shot 1/640 sec. f/6.3 170 mm, ISO 200

Since I'm posting it to steemit second, here are a couple of additional pictures!

1/640 sec. f/6.3 185 mm, ISO 200

1/640 sec. f/6.3 300 mm, ISO 200

Well my friends, that's enough cuteness for one post but don't worry, I've already returned and have a new batch of wild photography that probably dwarfs this one. This is the park that keeps on giving! 🌼🌼🌼

All images were taken with Nikon D7000 and Nikkor 70-300 mm lens.

This was also published to my weku account:
https://deals.weku.io/community-deals/@ladybug146/soooo-many-peeps-and-the-last-minute-endangered-wood-bison-500-wild-cuteness-inside

Have a good weekend! Cheers X🐞X