Imagine you’re a big old Yellowstone grizzly bear who’s just woken after your winter sleep. Food. You need food.
Now imagine that you’re lucky enough to be wandering around the Blacktail Ponds in Yellowstone on an early spring day, and you discover a bison that fell into one of the ponds this winter and couldn’t get out. Score! He’s thawing out, and he’s yours!
You drag him from the water, and eat your first good meal in months. It’s hard work, this scavenging for dinner, so you cover up your prize and lay down for a bit of a snooze.
But something wakes you up. Dang, you’re not alone.
What is it?
Need a better look…
Oh, jeez. It’s that danged coyote.
Gotta get this thing covered more. Maybe he won’t notice it…
Grrrrrr….two of them!
Just keep working. They’ll leave.
Good grief. Now an eagle? Not fair.
Skat!
At least the coyote is helping. He doesn’t want the eagle there either.
Lordy, this is dirty work. Gotta clean these paws.
Exhausting. Maybe another little nap…
(Postscript): Mr Grizzly eventually had his fill – for the time-being anyway – and left the carcass. Later that afternoon the coyotes came in, one by one, and they and the ravens had quite a feast. Not sure if the young eagle ever got a share or not!
Off the Beaten Path: Hikes, Backpacks, and Travels 
Fantastic series of photos and commentary!
🙂 Thanks!
Oh wow. Great sequence and story. How long were you watching the action there?
We watched him for a couple of hours in the morning, and then came back in the afternoon. He’d left, but the coyotes were sneaking in, one by one. I read that the grizzly was back on the carcass for the next two days, at least.
I was thinking that you would be taking amazing shots, by the way!
I guess there is a lot of good eating there. What a fun thing to watch.
An amazing set of photos!
Thanks!
Lovely reading and picts! 🙂
Thanks very much!
Quite a wildlife show…..wonderful shots😊💕
It was an excellent show. Nothing beats watching it live. Thanks.
Fantastic shots and story telling. What a great experience.
Thanks. It was a great day.
Great story and pictures. What a privilege to experience this.
I feel that way too – it was a privilege! Thanks.
What an amazing experience to observe. Thanks for sharing!
And thanks for the nice comment!
That’s a great photo series. It must have been exciting to see, hear and feel the change of season. Thanks!
It is a sign of spring, that’s for sure!
This was an incredible wildlife story–fun words, interesting interactions, and breathtaking photos. I would imagine you stood in that cold and snow for most of a day, if not more. Really wonderful, Cindy.
Thanks, Jet, for your thoughtful comments. We did stay there for quite a few hours!