In the parks out west, the buffalo pretty much appear to have the run of the land, including the roads. Wherever they want to wander and for however long they want to stay is up to them. There is a technique for herding them with your vehicle that locals use so they can go about their business, but for tourists, like us, we just let them be and used it as an up close and personal photo opportunity.
Birds are to be found everywhere. We had just left Zion National Park in southwestern Utah, looking for a place to stop for morning coffee, when we spotted the buffalo. It’d been several days since we’d seen buffalo and that was a couple states back, in Wyoming. I wasn’t even aware there were buffalo in Utah. This was a small herd and they were at least a quarter mile off the road. Despite the distance, it was quite a sight. The contrast between the chocolate brown of the bison, the soft creamy yellow of the grass, and the way the tall grass feathered them into the landscape made it appear they were floating in a cloud. It looked like the quintessential western setting complete with what appeared to be cowboys on horseback riding on a trail just to the east. The land was fenced off so we couldn’t approach any nearer than the roadside but the supertelephoto lens provided just the reach I needed. It wasn’t until I frame up the shot that I was able to see the cowbirds on their backs. They were the proverbial cherry on top.
