Gallery

Selected photos from Yellowstone

prints of my photos are available through my photography website: www.jort.me

yellowstoneguide

Offering tours year-round in and around Yellowstone National Park, but not while covid rages.

Wolf on a ridge.

Wolf on a ridge.

Summer showed spectacular smokey sunrises.

Summer showed spectacular smokey sunrises.

Cow with claws.

Cow with claws.

Moose on the loose.

Moose on the loose.

Pine marten looking for trouble.

Pine marten looking for trouble.

Northern saw-whet owl in Yellowstone National Park

Northern saw-whet owl in Yellowstone National Park.

Coyote pups at play.

Coyote pups at play.

Yellowstone Lake from Mid May.

Yellowstone Lake from Mid May.

Family matters.

Family matters.

Winter, where are you?

Winter, where are you?

Otter fishing. I photographed this river otter fis

Otter fishing. I photographed this river otter fishing in Yellowstone around mid December. It was a good winter again for these cute water mustelids.

Another boreal owl! Earlier this year I found my f

Another boreal owl! Earlier this year I found my fifth boreal owl in Yellowstone National Park (in a thirteen month time span). The fourth I could photograph, and also the fourth who was active during day time. It was another lucky find. As I was driving suddenly a bird flew over the road, and my first instinct was: "Owl!". However, as I had to find a pullout, which was nowhere near, I had to turn around, drive, walk, and by that time a fair amount of time had already passed. In my mind I started telling myself it must have been a grouse. As I was scanning the trees my eyes suddenly caught the highly alert and active owl. A boreal owl! Its eyes were very wide open. I kneeled down, took some photos, and not much later it calmly turned around on the branch. It started scanning the ground, and seemed to be hunting. It sat for some fifteen minutes and during that time I was able to share my sighting with my friends @thomasajspur and @tinmanlee . It then flew once, twice, and then never to be found again.

Fox on a mission. I photographed this red fox in Y

Fox on a mission. I photographed this red fox in Yellowstone last month, when it was on mission getting from A to B. Foxes were quite visible late Fall, with the first snowfall, and then the second half of March; in between I could go without seeing one for weeks. They're quite pretty in their thick winter coats!

Mountain scene. Just outside of Yellowstone's Nort

Mountain scene. Just outside of Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance there's the communities of Silver Gate, and Cooke City. Amidst the Absaroka mountain range these towns are a gateway to Yellowstone, and further East, to the beautiful and stunning Beartooth mountains. My drive through Yellowstone in winter often brings me there, and then I'll have to turn around, as that Beartooth highway is closed during this season. When summer comes, my drives extend, and I go look for mountain goats, pikas, weasels, and grizzlies in this Northeast corner.
In this photo you can see Amphitheater Mountain, which summits at 10,240 feet, or 3121 meters.

Bear bling bling. I took some photos of this grizz

Bear bling bling. I took some photos of this grizzly bear in Grand Teton National Park in May 2020. The bears are out and about in Yellowstone, so I'm carrying my bear spray again on my hikes. The weather is in transition: warmer days, and then this week suddenly there was another snow storm.

The winter moose. When Yellowstone is covered in s

The winter moose. When Yellowstone is covered in snow, animals stand out, and you can get to see them in their full glory. One day I hiked through deep snow in search of ermine, when, by surprise, suddenly this big bull moose came out of the woods. I had seen him some miles further East not long before, and with his long legs he covered quite the distance. I took some photos in this great landscape, and then continued my search for the ermine, who I sadly never found that day.

Ermine checking things out. I was happy to photogr

Ermine checking things out. I was happy to photograph this short-tailed weasel, ermine, when coming out of a hole under a tree. It made the contrast of the little hunter with the surroundings extra stand out. The animal came out of this hole, would explore the area, and then return again. Eventually it found another spot, then another one, until it dashed through deep snow, and I lost it.
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#sonyalpha
#ermine
#weasel
#yellowstone
#mustelids
#mustelidae
#wildlife
#pocket_animal
#mammals
#ferocious
#animalplanet
#ig_discover_wildlife
#animal
#nopet
#animals_magic
#earthfocus
#bbcearth
#nature
#natgeoyourshot
#killingmachine
#wyoming
#visitgardinermt
#nationalparkgeek
#yellowstonepledge
#wildlifefeaturez
#yellowstoneguide
#yellowstoneforever
#shorttailedweasel
#keepitwild

Pygmy's death stare. Earlier this year I took this

Pygmy's death stare. Earlier this year I took this photo of a Northern pygmy owl. Even more than other winters I have been trying to find as many pygmy owls as possible; quantity over quality in order to get a better understanding of this tiny owl's habitat in Yellowstone. In other years I would skip the owls on the tallest snags, but now I tried to stick around and observe some behavior. This photo is very cropped with some local edits.
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#sonyalpha
#birdphotography
#pygmyowl
#yellowstone
#onlyowls
#bird_brilliance
#only_raptors
#pocket_animal
#bestbirdshots
#elite_rapotr
#king_birds
#ig_discover_wildlife
#bestbirdshots
#owls
#animals_magic
#earthfocus
#bbcearth
#owl
#natgeoyourshot
#elite_owls
#wyoming
#visitgardinermt
#nationalparkgeek
#yellowstonepledge
#wildlifefeaturez
#yellowstoneguide
#yellowstoneforever
#sony
#keepitwild

Wolf howls! One a hike in the Fall, snow started d

Wolf howls! One a hike in the Fall, snow started dumping, and the world around me went silent. I was off trail in thick forest, when suddenly the howls of a wolf broke the silence. It was close. I stood in silence, listening, and then seeing a dark shadow glide through the trees. It stopped, and lifted its head and howled once more. I snapped this photo. One more howl. No replies. The shadow moved on, as fast as it had come..
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#yellowstone
#yellowstonenps
#yellowstonepledge
#yellowstoneforever
#natgeo
#natgeotravel
#wildlifeplanet
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#wildlifefeaturez
#photography
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#keepitwild
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#ourplanetdaily
#natgeoyourshot
#wyoming
#wildwolf
#wildlifeguide
#yellowstoneguide
#sonyalpha
#ynpforever
#wolf
#wolves
#wolfpack
#wildwolves
#visitgardinermt
#wyominguntrapped
#nationalparkgeek
#greateryellowstone

Steamy cold. One day in January temperatures dropp

Steamy cold. One day in January temperatures dropped far below zero as the sun was setting. The steam from the rivers and creeks created some nice atmospheres in Lamar Valley.

Grizzly bear in snowfall. This is a picture from t

Grizzly bear in snowfall. This is a picture from the Spring of 2020, when on a May day some snow started falling.

Cruising bison. Mid October I came in a traffic ja

Cruising bison. Mid October I came in a traffic jam between Canyon and Norris. This bison had just come out of the thick trees to the roads. As traffic came to a halt, I was able to snap some photos.
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#yellowstone
#yellowstonenps
#yellowstonepledge
#yellowstoneforever
#natgeo
#wildlifeplanet
#earthfocus
#wildlife
#photography
#wildlifephotography
#snowstorm
#keepitwild
#naturephotography
#ourplanetdaily
#natgeoyourshot
#wyoming
#ungulate
#wildlifeguide
#yellowstoneguide
#sonyalpha
#ynpforever
#bison
#nationalparkgeek
#winter
#bullbison
#visitgardinermt
#wildlifefeaturez

Cute little badger. Happy 2021 to everyone! Late O

Cute little badger. Happy 2021 to everyone! Late October I came across this American badger in Yellowstone National Park. The sun was setting and it was actively digging holes. As the mountains casted the shadows, the golden sunlight was still visible in the back.
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#sonyalpha
#americanbadger
#badger
#yellowstone
#mustelids
#mustelidae
#wildlife
#pocket_animal
#mammals
#ferocious
#animalplanet
#ig_discover_wildlife
#animal
#nopet
#animals_magic
#earthfocus
#bbcearth
#greateryellowstone
#natgeoyourshot
#killingmachine
#wyoming
#visitgardinermt
#nationalparkgeek
#yellowstonepledge
#wildlifefeaturez
#yellowstoneguide
#yellowstoneforever
#sony
#keepitwild

Boreal owl!!! One of my most epic finds in 2020 wa

Boreal owl!!! One of my most epic finds in 2020 was this boreal owl. However, the story towards it is one I will never forget. Me and my friend @mitchbrutger are driving on the first day of November, when I text him to go on a hike to scout out an area where we thought could be some potential for wildlife. We both agree it will be fine to do it without a camera. We don't see anything in our first part of the hike, and actually are heading back. Mitch tells me to go check one further area, which sounded fine, so we casually walked. Then, I freeze: "A BOREAL OWL!". A boreal owl, and we're without cameras! I take some video with my phone, but this owl is wide awake, and seemingly hunting. We quickly discuss our options, and decide that Mitch will run to our cars to get equipment, and I will try to keep an eye out on the little elusive owl. In February I had found my first boreal owl, and that one had just been sitting there for hours, so I wouldn't think it would be that hard to keep an eye out. But… not soon after Mitch went for the run of his life, the owl flew. And it flew again. I positioned myself so I could see it, and hopefully follow it, but the owl kept looking at where I was standing. I then look up, and there's a SECOND boreal owl! Two boreal owls. I'm about to lose it, but try to keep calm. One blink of my eyes, and the first owl flies to the second, and together they hop in a tree, and then another, and I lose them. I completely lost the two owls. Mitch sets a record time, and comes back with our gear, but I had lost the owls. We hike around and around, but can't locate them. I decided to text some friends who I know are in Yellowstone too, and ask them to come help find them. In the meantime Mitch and I split up and look in every tree. After another thirty minutes my excitement is nearly gone, and I accepted I would not find them again. But then, at that moment, I see one owl fly right in front of me. I message Mitch right away, take some photos, and keep focused on the owl. Mitch arrives some five minutes later, and some hour after, my other friends also arrive. The owl had then found his perch and fell into a deep sleep.

Coyote pup. I photographed this coyote pup in the

Coyote pup. I photographed this coyote pup in the Spring of 2018. It was one of the four coyote dens I found that year. I stumbled upon this one as this little one and its siblings came out of a hole in the plains. The photo is extremely cropped.
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#yellowstone
#yellowstonenps
#yellowstonepledge
#yellowstoneforever
#natgeo
#natgeotravel
#wildlifeplanet
#earthfocus
#wildlife
#photography
#wildlifephotography
#wildlifefeaturez
#keepitwild
#naturephotography
#ourplanetdaily
#natgeoyourshot
#wyoming
#canid
#wildlifeguide
#yellowstoneguide
#sonyalpha
#ynpforever
#coyote
#coyotes
#nationalparkgeek
#visitgardinermt
#wyominguntrapped

Smokey sunrise. Early October I witnessed the sun

Smokey sunrise. Early October I witnessed the sun rise in Grand Teton National Park. An orange fireball rose from behind the hills. Fires in adjacent national forests caused quite the haze and smoke, but also created a great morning atmosphere.

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#grandtetonnationalpark #discover_wyoming #wyoming #thatswy #yellowstonenps #yellowstoneforever #sunsetpic #sunrise #rocks #scenic #mountains #mountainporn #yellowstone #nationalparkgeek #nationalparks #national_park_photography #natgeowild #nature_brilliance #nature_perfection #findyourpark #ig_nature_naturally #hqnature #fiftyshades_of_nature #destination_wild #follow #instapic #instagood #picoftheday #photooftheday #landscapeporn

Grizzly appearance. I photographed this grizzly be

Grizzly appearance. I photographed this grizzly bear outside Yellowstone mid June, and was fascinated by its looks. Its upper lip was deformed and it made it look quite bad-ass. The bear had been wandering around in the dense forest, when it finally came out in this opening.
I removed some branches from this image to get a better view of this bear.
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#yellowstone
#yellowstonenps
#greateryellowstone
#yellowstonenationalpark
#ynp
#natgeo
#natgeotravel
#wildlifeplanet
#earthfocus
#wildlife
#wildlifephotography
#keepitwild
#naturephotography
#ourplanetdaily
#natgeoyourshot
#greateryellowstone
#wyominguntrapped
#wildlifefeature
#wildlifeguide
#yellowstoneguide
#sonyalpha
#grizzly
#grizzlybear
#grizzlies
#bear
#bears
#visitgardinermt
#nationalparkgeek

Baby mountain goat in flowers. I once posted a sim

Baby mountain goat in flowers. I once posted a similar photo of a goat kid, but this was on another day in 2019, in the month of July. This year I didn't go up the Beartooth Pass as much as last year, mostly because other sightings prior getting there stopped me from going. The pass just East of the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone is one of my favorite drives in the area, and I always recommend everyone going there.
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#nikon
#goat
#mountaingoat
#Yellowstone
#ungulate
#bovidae
#wildlife
#pocket_animal
#mammals
#biganimal
#animalplanet
#ig_discover_wildlife
#animal
#nopet
#animals_magic
#earthfocus
#bbcearth
#natures
#natgeoyourshot
#family
#wyoming
#visitgardinermt
#nationalparkgeek
#yellowstonepledge
#wildlifefeaturez
#yellowstoneguide
#yellowstoneforever
#keepitwild

River otters in sea of green. Mid June I found two

River otters in sea of green. Mid June I found two river otters in Yellowstone, and I got to spend a good time with them. It was a rainy morning, making the shore all muddy. I slipped, fell, and couldn't get up a bank at one point, but it was all worth it. Winter has come to Yellowstone already, and hopefully winter will provide some more sightings of these amazing creatures.
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#sonyalpha
#riverotter
#otter
#yellowstone
#mustelids
#mustelidae
#wildlife
#pocket_animal
#mammals
#ferocious
#animalplanet
#ig_discover_wildlife
#animal
#yellowstonenps
#animals_magic
#earthfocus
#bbcearth
#natures
#natgeoyourshot
#killingmachine
#wyoming
#visitgardinermt
#nationalparkgeek
#yellowstonepledge
#wildlifefeaturez
#yellowstoneguide
#yellowstoneforever
#sony
#keepitwild

Long eared owl! On the last day of August I found

Long eared owl! On the last day of August I found this long eared owl somewhere deep in Yellowstone’s forests. Some gray-jays were harassing it, else I probably would not have seen it at all. After it fled from the noisy birds, it quickly disappeared into thick vegetation and I wasn’t able to relocate it again. It was only my second long-eared owl within Yellowstone’s park borders.

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#sonyalpha
#birdphotography
#longearedowl
#yellowstone
#onlyowls
#bird_brilliance
#only_raptors
#pocket_animal
#bestbirdshots
#allmightybirds
#king_birds
#ig_discover_wildlife
#bestbirdshots
#owls
#animals_magic
#earthfocus
#bbcearth
#natures
#natgeoyourshot
#elite_owls
#wyoming
#visitgardinermt
#nationalparkgeek
#yellowstonepledge
#wildlifefeaturez
#yellowstoneguide
#yellowstoneforever
#sony
#keepitwild

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