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I came across this Elk lounging in front of a resort in Estes Park, Colorado. You could not ask for better advertising.

I was trying to trying to capture the picture with a 500m lens and without a tripod! Not only was he so close that 500m is overkill, but holding that lens by hand is crazy.

Don't hate me because I am beautiful

See my earlier post about Elk to learn more about their ecology. For more photographs of animals, select a critter from the side bar menu on the right or visit the Camera Critters meme.

Photo Shoot in Rocky Mountain National Park

Moraine Park looking east. The gray skies totally obscured the peaks.

Aspen grove

Small clump of Aspen

On the day after Christmas I led an outing to RMNP to take pictures. These outings are usually planned and advertised at least three weeks in advance, so in winter you take a risk of having to cancel due to nasty weather.

Windswept trees in Moraine Park. The angle is southwest. I shot these chasing after the Coyotes.

Same tree, just a close up.

As it was, Estes Park received an inch or two of snow the night before while the higher parts of the park, where we had intended to go, received six inches or more. The Rangers advised me to avoid those areas.

Rocks in a stream covered in snow.

The snow is blow away revealing the ice.

Broader view of the stream

So instead of focusing on frozen waterfalls and alpine lakes, the group headed for the two large meadows, Moraine Park and Horseshoe Meadows. We also took a cruise through a residential area across from the visitor's center where a herd of elk was hiding from the wind.

Snow covered trail

Grasses poking up through the snow. I always like to see this. Not only are the colors and shapes a nice contrast, but grasses herald the return of spring even if it is several months away.

We drove through one of the campgrounds, which was amazingly open. You would think that on such a cold day and in such a lonely part of the park we would be the only people. Alas, there was a steady stream of cars driving around looking at the scenery. Imagine what is like in the summer.

The weather was rather cold that day. The temperatures ranged from 16 to 24 degrees. We would drive around looking for interesting trees, grasses, ice, and snow and leap out of the car and leap back in. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. While none of my photos turned out to be fine art quality, they do capture the essence of Rocky in the winter...cold, bleak, but beautiful!

Ok, I am cheating here with this picture, which was taken 5 days after the official photo shoot. I was back in the park for a snowshoe and the weather was beautiful. These are the mountains you can see from Moraine Park. The Aspen grove at the base of the photo are the same ones profiled earlier in this post. What a difference a few days make.

The world famous Stanley Hotel, located outside the park in the town of Estes Park. Built in 1909, the Stanley hosted world class guests in top hats and tails. It was also the inspiration for Steven King's novel the Shinning. They do say it is haunted and I have had friends stay there and stay up all night ghost hunting. They host a Halloween mascaraed ball that I have always wanted to attend. Alas, the hotel is becoming run down and my friends have reported rather dowdy accommodations. With the chance to meet a ghost, does that matter?

Elk (Cervus canadensis)

This herd was located across the street from the visitor's center snuggled down in between a bunch of houses.
Welcome to the herd! Think we “advanced” primates are above such behavior? Try taking an intercontinental flight one of these days and you will change your tune. I can hear the cattle braying as the line winds around and around the tape at the security checkpoint. All I see are backsides and I shuffle ignominiously onto the plane. Ever been to a professional football game? Doesn’t that remind you of the annual rut in which thousands of Elk gather in Rocky Mountain National Park’s two large meadows and congregate around the largest and loudest Bull with the showiest physic. Herd indeed!

This herd was on the side of the road between Moraine Park and Horseshoe Meadows. It was about 16 degrees out and the Elk were all laying in the grass.

I confess that I am immune to the charms of the Elk. It is sheer ennui brought on by too much familiarity. Visit the Estes Park and you will see them…everywhere. They are on the golf course, huddled around the large bronze Elk statue at the edge of town, or wandering around the meadows of the park itself. In contrast, last summer I ran into a herd of Mountain Goats and practically had an epileptic fit. Isn’t it amazing that you can live in a place where such amazing animals are as common as the tourists who clog the roads to ogle them?

Many of the Elk had tags and radio collars.

(On the left: This young bull was watching us closely as we got too close to the gals.) I have another confession…whenever I see an Elk I also think of dinner. I like the taste of it and wish I could get some hunter to bag one for me. I don’t think I could ever get up the nerve to do it myself. I like my protein dressed and sauced on my plate. Hypocritical in the extreme I know but not an uncommon attitude. Since the days when we could hire out our husbandry, the human species has become sensitized to all the carnage.

Elk are Colorado’s largest species of deer. They can be seven to nine feet long and over four and half feet high. The antlers of the Bull Elk are impressive indeed. These antlers grow in the spring and can weigh up to 40 pounds. They can grow up to an inch a day, protected by velvet, a soft skin that is scraped off on trees by summer. By early winter, the antlers are shed. Interestingly, the number of points on the antlers has nothing to do with the age of animal.

Elk are vegetarian browsers. Their diet consists primarily of grass but in winter will augment this with the bark of trees. Much of the scaring on Aspen trees is from Elk.

The snow was softly falling. You can see the flakes in the photos.

Finally, experts are trying to get us to use the term Wapiti for Elk because in Europe the term Elk refers to what we would call a Moose. Somehow, I don’t think Wapiti is going to catch on. The herd may just have a mind of its own.