On a trip to Jasper National Park this fall I had a strange "hunch" that a particular place along the Athabasca River was calling me to be explored. I debated what equipment to pack, hmmm, 600 or 200-400, or go ultra light 70-200 no tripod. As I pondered this most basic decision I spotted an eagle in a tree, ok decision made, 600 mm super telephoto. Rather than going straight to get a photo of the eagle I thought it would be a good idea to look a bit further. Quite often scavengers, ravens, coyotes and eagles around here, indicate the presence of a kill of some sort that is the big attraction. So, walked a little further and spotted a wolf moving at a good pace along the dry river bed. The wolf was focused on something in a pile of sweepers on the shore of the river. A flock of ravens had gathered by this time as well. The wolf had a radio tracking collar fitted on the neck as can be seen in the photo below. Soon a couple of coyotes came flying out of the brush pile with the wolf in hot pursuit. I guess young coyotes can be on the menu of a wolf if need be. My hunch about this area along the Athabasca had payed off. I don't know what prompted me to stop and check out this area, wildlife photographers's intuition I guess? Below are some photos of the eagle, the wolf and the wolf chasing one of the coyotes. I didn't get in close to see what the source of the carrion was, but I did confirm that there was in fact a dead animal present at the centre of all the action.
