This photo was taken from just below the Prince of Wales hotel along the beach. The lone aspen tree has this unusual shape because of the severe winds that Waterton often experiences. Almost every tree in Waterton is tilted to the east and they have very short stunted branches on the west side of the tree due to the wind.
I have been trying unsuccessfully for over a year to get a decent photo of this bird. Finally I got this photo with the help of my parents who were driving (which makes it much easier to take pictures when you don’t have to do both at the same time!).
After eating breakfast at a B&B with my parents who were visiting from Ontario, we headed out to drive down the road that leads to Glacier National Park. Thankfully the sun had not burned off all the dew yet and I managed to get this photo of the water droplets on the aspen leaves with Sofa Mountain in the background.
This large adult male black bear was feeding on the last remaining berries of the season along the roadside in Waterton National Park.
This photo is from earlier in the summer before all the grass died and turned brown. Coyotes are one of the most adaptable, resilient animals and can be found in a variety of habitats including large urban centers where they prey on other urban wildlife and domestic pets.
It took about 30 minutes of sitting in my car with my camera pointed out the window with my finger held on the shutter release button to get this photo. Finally the kestrel flew off to go hunting and quickly returned with a large insect. This was one of many kestrels I saw flying around and hunting in the valley below Mt. Vimy.
Mom waiting for her calf to finish shaking the water off before moving on to feed farther down the lake. This particular moose is not bothered by my presence and I have learned that if I make myself visible to her instead of trying to hide in the trees she gets much more relaxed and will go back to feeding without paying much attention to me (except when the shutter makes a noise and then she will point one ear towards me, as you can see in this picture).
Taken just before entering the park gates. It is very rare in Waterton to have such calm water that you can get a reflection in the water as it is almost always windy. With most wildlife/landscape photography the earlier you start in the morning the better your chances.
After spending a very cold night in my tent I woke up at 5am and drove down to the Maskinonge where I waited for the sun to start rising. One of the great things about Waterton is the sudden change from prairies to mountains which means you can get the equivalent of 3 sunrises as you make your way from the prairies into the mountains. On this particular morning I did just that. Started with this great blue heron spreading it’s wings in the fog, then to the elk making their way into the forest and about an hour later up near Cameron lake I photographed moose swimming and eating as the sun broke over the mountain and started evaporating the fog.
Across from Upper Wateron Lake the elk have started grouping up into small herds of 10 or so females with a bull elk trying to isolate the females for mating. As usual the elk headed into the trees for the day before emerging at night to feed.
About an hour after taking the picture of the elk I made my way to Akamina Lake hoping to find some moose in the morning fog. When I got out of my car and was getting my equipment together I could hear a moose calling to her calf and I knew I was going to have more good luck. Sure enough, by the time I hiked down to the lake the calf had joined her mom and was standing along the shore as the mom fed from the vegetation on the bottom of the lake.
When I was walking around Akamina Lake in Waterton searching for moose I almost stepped on this spruce grouse chick and her mother. These birds will often sit along trails and only at the last instant will they fly off and usually not too far which makes them great photography subjects, but you have to wonder how smart they are!
I took this picture a few months ago from Pyramid Lake in Jasper National Park.
The following three photographs were taken in Waterton during the August long weekend. I almost didn’t get this picture as I had figured all the good light was gone for the day and so I decided to treat myself to an ice cream cone. I was walking along the lake shore in the townsite when I saw this scene. I quickly went back to my car and grabbed my gear. Thankfully I got this photo and was still able to eat my ice cream in between pictures!
This moose came down to Akamina Lake both days that I visited it. She would leave her twin calves (photos to come later) in the forest while she fed on the water plants and got away from the bugs. In this photo there is a dragonfly near the ear of the moose. The dragonfly was feeding on flies that were forced to fly off the moose as she almost completely submerged in the water.
Owen Slater Photography 