Photographing Wildlife in Yosemite National Park
aka ‘That’s So Raven’
I’ll put it out there, I hadn’t gone to Yosemite National Park in February with any expectations of seeing any amount of wildlife.
In fact I was here for a completely different spectacle, that of the illustrious and elusive Firefall. Here’s the article that inspired me to go.
Now while that sight was reason enough for me to drive from Minnesota not one, but two years in a row, there are many other things to see and do in the park. And there had better be, because at max the Firefall lasts twenty minutes daily. That leaves a lot of time for whatever else you want to do.
In order to keep my budget to an affordable rate, I opted to visit the park during the week and stay in the ‘dirtbag’ or ‘climber’ campground, Camp 4. This is a tent-only campground, where you walk all of your supplies in from the parking lot to your assigned space. Little did I realize when I picked this spot, I would also be choosing the only location that would afford me views of wildlife for the week.
Speaking with the person at the Exploration Center, I was told that valley wildlife was holed up avoiding people at all costs. If I wanted to see anything, I would need to venture out past Mirror Lake, or to the sequoia groves north or south. Funny, she did not even mention the plethora of ravens I could see from my tent.
Or rather, my picnic table.
Dramatic Character
The raven is a character full of and capable of great depth. I have learned some facts along the way such as they are capable of pointing out things with their beak and in captivity reproducing more human words than some parrots.
Those factoids were gained second-hand. Of my own accord, I learned that they are highly capable scavengers. Not afraid to get their hands dirty, they will take advantage of the free meals a campsite provides.
Don’t turn your back on them.
I made this mistake when a newcomer showed up at my campsite. He was a German exchange student and had never camped alone. With a university outdoor adventure club rented tent, he had struck out on his own adventure with the zeal and naivety of a 20-year-old. Desiring to assist and ensure that his adventures were positive, I helped him set up.
“You’d better shut your door.”
I turned around to an older gentleman telling me what to do. Though the full story was he wanted to help me not lose my entire cache of food. The ravens had already taken my sandwich, and knocked over my two pound bag of almonds onto the ground. You can be sure I never turned my back on them again that week.
Great Models
Aside from their obnoxious tendency to eat everything in sight, they make great models. Being so comfortable with humans, their fight or flight instinct is dulled over the senses for opportunity. In turn, this allowed me to gather a few what I would consider, very cool raven portraits.
So the next time you find yourself in Yosemite National Park, take a moment to avert your gaze from the amazing monumental rock faces and enjoy the creative critters abounding around you.
Story and photos ©Ian Hanson. All rights reserved.