This image has a special place in my heart. I had just spent two weeks shooting alone in Yellowstone. I was driving out of the park on my way to the airport on the last morning. I was feeling a little melancholy. It had been a great two weeks, and I was sad that it was over. I was driving by Minerva Terraces near Mammoth when I noticed this flock of a few hundred Bohemian Waxwings that were covering the dead trees like leaves. I got out of the car and started shooting, trying to fill the frame as best I could with birds and branches.
Suddenly a truck drove by and hit its air brakes. The birds all flushed. I was a little upset thinking this great opportunity was over. But the birds wheeled around in a large circle and flew right through me on their way back to the same dead branches. As they flew by the birds were just inches away from my head. And for a couple of seconds I had the privilege of being a part of this flock of birds. It was a very special moment, just one last gift from Yellowstone. After two weeks of special gifts.
Good Luck and Good Light
Steve
Image: Bohemian Waxwings, Yellowstone National Park, WY
