Braeden Roesler Photography

This handsome grizzly sub-adult shows off its claws while walking up the steep hillside from a riverbank in northern Yellowstone National Park. He is still slightly wet from earlier crossing the river, then again later crossing a small creek flowing down into the river while grazing. After following the roadside for a bit, he remained in a field for several days grazing and dealing with some harassment from a coyote family nearby.

A beautiful fox strolling through the grass on her way to another meadow to search for voles and other food in Yellowstone National Park last weekend. Not long after, she caught a small ground squirrel as a snack before detouring away into the woods back towards her den.

These past few weeks have been great in Yellowstone!

I unfortunately haven't been able to make it into the park much so far this year, but was able to spend about 6 days split between two weeks in Yellowstone during my days off and had a wonderful time. Such great experiences with so many bears and other wildlife, great weather, and tons of friendly people and experiences!

One of the highlights of this particular trip was some of the time I was able to spend photographing this gorgeous Grizzly sow and her 3 yearling cubs (She's pictured with one of them here). This is Grizzly #815, otherwise known as Obsidian Sow, or Mini-Mom. She and her yearlings put on quite a show and were very generous and I've got lots of great shots of them ready to edit and post.

I apologize for the lack of posting lately but will be posting frequently now to make up for it. Hope everyone has a Bear-y good rest of your week!

This past weekend, Billings held one of Montana's biggest annual sporting events of the region, the MHSA State Wrestling Tournament, where schools from all corners of the state gather for a full weekend of wrestling.

This year, I was able to help cover this event for the Billings Gazette and 406 Sports.

Here are some of the moments I was able to capture this Friday and Saturday at MetraPark.

Happy Wolf Wednesday!

More wolf images from the fantastic experience on the interior of Yellowstone National Park last week, where the Wapiti wolf pack was active near the roadway and in the river for a bull bison carcass they had taken down 2 days prior. During our snowcoach tour into the park, we got to spend most of the day watching and photographing these wolves along the Firehole river. Definitely some of the closest and best wolf experience I've had thus far in the park, and a great change from needing scopes to see them.

Have a wonderful week!

A Full "Buck Moon" illuminating the landscape along Beartooth Highway near Cooke City, making for a beautiful drive while on my way into the park one evening this last July. Sometimes the perfect lighting/weather/etc for a landscape image appear at most inconvenient times when you're travelling or are in a less than ideal scene, or worse, when you don't have your camera on hand, but sometimes everything lines up perfectly to where you can snag a capture of a beautiful scene and moment. This image I was able to park along the highway at a pull-out and photograph out my window to get the composition I wanted, before continuing on my drive to camp.

A juvenile wolf of the Wapiti wolf pack in Yellowstone National Park pauses and turns to look as a raven flies overhead, before continuing down the riverbank towards a bull bison carcass that the Wapiti pack took down on Saturday.

This Monday I had the fantastic opportunity to take a private snowcoach tour into the interior of the park with my grandmother and a group of other photographers (who were a joy to spend the day with!), making our way down to the Firehole river where this bison carcass was. This went down as my top wolf viewing/photographing experience in my life (so far 🤞), and was such an amazing day! Several snowcoach tours and snowmobile groups were at this scene, with rangers on site to keep safe viewing distances.

As we first arrived early that morning, a lone Coyote was on the carcass, then left after not too long. We then spotted a few of the black juvenile wolves laying in the trees up a hill across the road, before they eventually started getting up, walking down across the road, along the river shore towards us, and into the river where the carcass lay. Several of the wolves came down to feast throughout the day, and hearing the entire pack howling in the woods beside us was definitely a highlight of the day.

More photos to come!

Today was a great Day in the Interior of Yellowstone National Park.

Saturday, this bison was taken down by wolves and today we were able to see several of them on the carcass and going in/out of the woods. At one point in the afternoon, the entire pack was howling loudly from the woods and was a chilling and amazing experience.

More photos to come!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful and Merry Christmas, and has an amazing new year! 🎄

Just a reminder that I've still got a few calendars left!

I'm out of Large calendars (but can get more printed so send me a PM if interested, and about 7 Regular sized calendars! Order now on my Etsy store, linked below!

Check out the link below to order 2024 Photo Calendars from my Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1325126498/2024-wildlife-landscape-photo-calendars

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Even if you aren't getting a calendar, I'd appreciate a share to your Friends/Family!

Happy Holidays!

Hello All!

2024 Photo Calendar is here!

Check out the link below to order 2024 Photo Calendars from my Etsy Shop! Photos are of wildlife and landscape captures in Montana and Wyoming, primarily in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1325126498/2024-wildlife-landscape-photo-calendars

There are 2 sizes available: Classic, and Large.
-The 8.5"x11" calendar size is a "Classic" regular size. When unfolded, the full calendar will be approx. 17" tall by 11" wide. This is the most common size for calendars.
-The 11.5"x14.5" calendar size is a "Large" size - perfect for if you need lots of room to write birthdays and appointments, or just like larger photos! When unfolded, the full calendar will be approx. 22.5" tall by 14.5" wide.

This year, I am offering Free Domestic Shipping! In order to simply things and offer calendars to a larger audience, shipping will no longer be an additional fee, I will simply be eating the shipping costs myself, as I do not feel pricing the calendars any higher will be reasonable for most buyers. If you get your calendar and love it, please come back and leave a review!

Note on Delivery/Shipping time: Calendars are currently on order and not yet printed/delivered to me, thus the longer processing/delivery time. Once I get the calendars in-hand, that time will be reduced to 2-3 days, Calendars are shipped via USPS First Class padded envelope.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns! Even if you aren't getting a calendar, I'd appreciate a share to your Friends/Family!

Happy Holidays!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1325126498/2024-wildlife-landscape-photo-calendars

A few more intimate moments with these adorable fox kits in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem earlier this summer.

Fantastic weekend at the Yellowstone International Airshow in Billings, MT with the Blue Angels and tons of other fantastic aircraft, pilots, and other performances!

Here is the full gallery of images from this weekend. I included all images, even if I've posted them on an older post, so that people can see them all in one spot. There are newer images throughout the gallery so be sure to check it out. Normally I do not post as many images and am more selective, but I know a lot of people wanted to see tons of pics from this event who didn't get to see it, so here's ~100 images, selected from the 17,555 images I captured over the weekend (eek!).

Being ~23 years since the last major Airshow in Billings, and ~35 years since the Blue Angels performed in Billings, this show was a blast and I really hope we don't have to wait another 20-30+ years for the next show here! Over 30,000 people attended in-person at the weekend's event, and people all over Billings were standing in their yards, on roofs, in the back of trucks, and at local parks and clearings watching the practice runs and show which circled all around town and above our airport.

Thank you, Yellowstone International Air Show, City of Billings, Billings Logan International Airport, and of course the U.S. Navy Blue Angels for the fantastic weekend for our community!

Fantastic weekend at the Yellowstone International Airshow in Billings, MT with the Blue Angels and tons of other fantastic aircraft, pilots, and other performances!

Here is the full gallery of images from this weekend. I included all images, even if I've posted them on an older post, so that people can see them all in one spot. Normally I do not post as many images and am more selective, but I know a lot of people wanted to see tons of pics from this event who didn't get to see it, so here's ~100 images, selected from the 17,555 images I captured over the weekend (eek!).

Being ~23 years since the last major Airshow in Billings, and ~35 years since the Blue Angels performed in Billings, this show was a blast and I really hope we don't have to wait another 20-30+ years for the next show here! Over 30,000 people attended in-person at the weekend's event, and people all over Billings were standing in their yards, on roofs, in the back of trucks, and at local parks and clearings watching the practice runs and show which circled all around town and above our airport.

Thank you, Yellowstone International Airshow, City of Billings, Billings Logan International Airport, and especially the U.S. Navy Blue Angels for the fantastic weekend for our community!

Yellowstone International Airshow - Saturday

Here are a few of the photos from Saturday's show at the Billings Airport. The Blue Angels and tons of other amazing performers and pilots filled the skies and entertained massive crowds.

I will also be taking photos during the Sunday show, and will be making a larger post with more images from both days likely on Monday, so be sure to keep an eye out on my page for more photos after this weekend!

Hats off to these pilots for their absolutely amazing skills!

Yellowstone International Airshow

Blue Angels are in town!

I'm extremely excited for this weekend, as it's going to be Billings' first airshow in 23 years, and we are hosting none other than the Blue Angels!! They arrived in town earlier this week, and the past 2 days have been doing their practice runs before the full public show on Saturday and Sunday. There are a bunch of other planes and acts at the show (Yellowstone International Air Show ) prior to them hitting the skies, so it will be a fun (sold out!) show!

These were just a few quick shots taken during a portion of their practice show today, quite literally from my front yard!!! I live just below the start of the airport's runway below the Rims. Everyone in town is bursting with excitement and awe watching them navigate the skies over town.

Be sure to check out my latest post on my page for photos from Saturday's show!!

Check out my newest post for images from Saturday's show!

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https://facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=767441765382475&id=100063499745010&mibextid=Nif5oz

Back in May I was blessed with the opportunity to see Mini-Mom and her COYs (Cubs-Of-the-Year) a few times in Yellowstone National Park.

This grizzly sow is known as Mini-Mom due to her smaller-than-usual size for a grizzly sow, and she is also called the Obsidian Sow, due to her location, and she has a research number from park bear management, #815. This year, she has 3 new cute cubs.

During this particular encounter, I arrived at the scene to them far out in a field, but decided to stick around anyways to get a few shots and see if they would move closer to the road. After quite some time, my intuition payed off, and they started getting closer and traveling to the left, walking, then stopping and grazing a bit, then walking, until they disappeared behind some trees. Because they were likely going to cross the road to go to another field area they graze in, at direction of bear management and locals, everyone gathered in large groups near their cars and created a large open area for the bears to cross.

Eventually, they popped out of the woods at a small creek along the road and Obsidian Sow gracefully saundered across a log to cross the creek, with some hesitancy, but her cubs finally crossed as well after they realized she had made it across and 'tested' the log. At this time, however, a park guest had made a loud noise with their vehicle, which sent all of them back across the log and into the woods, still continuing south.
Most folks drove to the next opening, a serene marshy area where the same creek wove through, in an area she was likely to show up. Sure enough, they appeared and mother crossed the creek, with the COY not wanting to cross due to the depth despite it being a small creek, and they stood on a stump at the creek's edge, calling out to mom. She eventually returned, then disappeared into the woods, then finally crossed the road not too long later, disappearing into the wooded hillside, not to be seen the rest of that day.

Beautiful new life.

During an early-morning drive in Yellowstone last month, I was driving along Yellowstone Lake in search of a few grizzly bear families that live in the area. The sun hadn't yet surfaced above the mountains scattering the horizon, the elk were making their way towards the treelines, and the roads were silent but an occasional other early-morning photographer like myself. As I rounded a corner, a sprinter van was stopped in the roadway and quickly flashed their lights at me. I also stopped, scouting around for what they were seeing. Off to the left of the roadway in the trees at the edge of the road, was a doe, but once I looked closely, I saw more movement in the grass - two young, tiny fawns. She was trying to get them to cross the road, which leads down to a small pond adjacent to the lakeshore, but they were hesitant, and it took a few attempts and some stern looks from mom for them to finally and slowly cross.

After they crossed, they made their way down the embankment towards the small pond. They quickly nursed a bit, behind some branches, then disappeared from sight around a small bend in the hillside. Eventually the doe was seen at the water's edge drinking, then made her way back up the hillside grazing. The fawns were nowhere to be seen, hidden by mom while she ate. I continued on in search of the bears, and found one of them, a young sub-adult grizzly which had recently been kicked out by her mother, but she was far up on a hillside above the trees, much too far for any photos. After searching a bit more, I decided to drive back and check out some other areas of the park for bears, and made a quick stop where these deer were to see if the fawns had been called out again. Mother was still grazing, so I snapped a shot of her, then decided to turn around, but it was right then while slowly looking around the hillside amongst flowers and fallen logs, that I saw, not too far in front of where I stood, in an area I had looked at multiple times already - were the two fawns, curled up and camouflaged perfectly in their surroundings. I snapped a quick photo then took off, amazed at the beautiful interaction I was able to have with this small family, alone in the early morning, away from crowds or chaos. Its peaceful moments like this, witnessing nature's beauty, which really calms the mind and soul and keeps me coming back for more.

Throwback to June of 2020 when I was driving at the eastern end of Lamar Valley, stuck in traffic along the Lamar River just around the bend from the Confluence.
While at a near standstill with occasional inching forward, I was glassing out with my binoculars trying to see what everyone was taking photos of, thinking perhaps there was some wolves out in the valley or maybe even a moose hidden behind some willows. I still couldn't find Anything besides some occasional bison out in the distance, and knew despite how crazy some people are, that the chaos I saw ahead wasn't just for some bison far away.
Suddenly, I was next to a marshy area next to the river with some very small willows and shrubs, with people standing next to the road and up on their cars parked in the roadway, and saw what they were looking at - this beautiful grizzly sow, which had 2 COYs (Cubs-Of-the-Year) with her. I was shocked how close they were and couldn't believe people were out of their vehicles. I managed to fire off a few shots through my passenger window, this was one of the first of her, then a few more with her and her cubs (which I've posted before), but didn't stay and hold up traffic taking photos and started to yell at the people that they were too close, especially as it seemed she was trying to make her way from the river to the roadway, and needed to get back in their vehicles. They were much closer than 100ft, let alone the 100yard limit in the parks.
Only a few people bothered listening, of course, and she finally crossed the road, mere yards away from folks out of their cars, and made their way up the steep hillside and disappeared, with people running up the hillside behind in tow behind her towards the treeline. Unfortunately there was no cell service for several miles on the complete opposite end of Lamar Valley and through a canyon, so no rangers could be called. Thankfully nobody was hurt and the bears made it into the woods safely (though not in as calm of a situation as they should have).
This was a sow and cubs which were not really roadside bears with names or numbers, and had just recently at this time been seen up-close and not far off on mountainsides across from Hitching Post. If you visit Yellowstone or surrounding areas, just remember, it is a place to view and experience nature and the wild, and not a zoo to chase animals around. If you see a bear close by, stay in your vehicle, and don't get out and approach the bears or walk far from your vehicle. I took this photo and others from the safety of my car, and did not stay for extended periods holding up traffic. Get a quick photo, then move on to let others experience this wild beauty or find a legal, safe spot to park our of the roadway and experience it from there. Their lives are more important than "the shot".

Just a few more portraits from this amazing band of Mountain Goats (a group is called a band, not a herd/etc! - The more you know!) I got the opportunity to spend time with on the Fourth of July weekend on The Beartooth Highway.

The kids were oh so cute and fluffy, and the adults' shedding coats did love flowing majestically in the nice evening breeze. It was a magical experience and I can't wait to see them again this summer when the adults have shed their coats and to see how much the kids have grown!

I unfortunately won't be making it into the Parks/Beartooths as much for a while, due to a currently partially-totalled car which I will have to pay to repair or replace out-of-pocket for. Thankfully I've gotten so many great photos these last few trips that I've still got photos to post for at least a little while, but it does make me sad to not get to spend time in my happy places for awhile, and not to mention the draining stress of figuring out this whole car situation. Hoping a miracle happens and I can be back to capturing special and beautiful moments like this again soon!

Intense Lightning strike over Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park on Fourth of July weekend.

This storm and the preceding storm cell just a few hours prior wreaked havoc in the Lake area, with strong winds causing trees to collapse into the roadways, downing powerlines, and even onto vehicles and onto buildings. Thankfully there were no injuries.

Had an amazing experience this Fourth of July weekend (who needs fireworks when you have nature?!) with a large herd of Mountain Goats up on Beartooth Pass I got to enjoy for several hours. All in all, I counted 39 goats, with adults, yearlings, and tons of babies! At the beginning, the herd was smaller, and throughout the evening, more and more were suddenly appearing from the cliff's edge, and surrounding me on both sides to join the others. It was such a peaceful scene, with perfect weather, wildflowers in bloom all throughout the lush green grass, and these majestic beasts.

Got tons of photos and video to go through, but figured I'd get at least one photo posted real quick, of some kids (yes, that's what baby Mountain Goats are called!) snuggled up for quick nap with mom.

Too many photos of this beautiful Fox family, so this will be one of several posts with small collections of images.

For those who didn't see my first post about this family, these are all foxes from a family of 9 (One v***n (mother) and her 8! kits). This family is in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, and a joy to watch. In the few times I got to see them, the kits grew amazingly fast, and were pumped full of tons of energy. They would hide in their den as mother was away hunting and collecting food, then as she would come back, she would both give some food to the kits, as well as hide some for later use. During this time, all of the kits would come flooding out of the den entrance like a swarm of bees exiting a hive. They would quickly gobble down and fight over foot, then play for hours, running around, jumping on and biting each other, some would explore their surroundings, hide from others and 'attack' as another sibling walked by, and the mother was right in the middle of it all, giving all of them attention and playing as well, periodically checking out a weird noise, or coming to chew out a kit who would get too close to the roadway and bring them back away. They were so full of energy and bouncing all over the place, it was difficult to get a definitive count on how many kits there were, but I and others finally pinned it at 8 kits.

Keep an eye out for more of these posts in the near future of this adorable energetic family. I've also got a few short video clips I might try to post as well, depending how they turned out and if I could keep this rambunctious bunch in-frame for long enough, lol!

One of my favorite waterfalls, Moose Falls! This waterfall is well hidden from view on the roadway with lack of signage, and thus often passed by most visitors despite being just a few short steps off of the main road inside the South Entrance of Yellowstone.

I love stopping at this waterfall when the weather is right for good photos, and I'm often the only person there, or perhaps just a few other people. This last October I decided to try a different angle rather than from down below on the right side of the falls where the trail and main viewing area is from. This shot involved following an unassuming trail through the woods, before veering off and scrambling down some embankments to get just the right view of the falls with the bridge above it that I was envisioning. The leaves on the surrounding shrubbery were starting to turn colors for Fall and added some nice pop to the scene. Despite having seen this waterfall countless times prior, seeing it from a new position, with better views of the entire area, was really interesting and refreshing.

Pika!
This adorable Pika was generous, allowing me to spend 45 minutes with him alone on top of Beartooth Highway in the late chilly evening, fully engulfed in clouds, earlier this week. Visibility was less than 50' near the summit, and I only found this little one by listening for his chirps until I got to the right rock cluster to see him. He was friendly and loved to pose on his rock, though I think the constantly-chirping Marmot behind me was jealous that *he* wasn't my model 😂.
Want to learn more about Pika? I've gone into detail about these cute tiny animals on some of my prior posts with Pika, so scroll down and check them out to learn more! Hope everyone is having a wonderful start to their summers!

One of two Grizzly COYs (Cubs-Of-the-Year) posing next to their mother, Grizzly #980, Beryl (aka Beryl Springs Sow), nicknamed after the Beryl Springs which is the area she calls home. Taken in May not too long after she was first sighted out of the den. Beryl also had COYs last year, but unfortunately the cubs were presumably killed by a Boar during the summer. Hoping she stays out of danger this year and can raise these two fully!

I also had a successful Yellowstone trip this last week with my grandmother with plenty of bear sightings, more time spent with the adorable fox family of 9, moose babies, Pika, and more! Tons of photos and video to go through but can't wait to start getting them edited and shared!

Braeden Roesler Photography Braeden Roesler is a Billings, MT photographer who loves exploring nature's beauty of Wildlife and L

I've only just begun importing and going through my photos from my trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks this last week, but couldn't wait to show you a taste of the cuteness I got to experience. This is just one of eight (8!!!) fox kits that a mother has near Yellowstone. The kits treated me with over 2 hours on 3 separate days of rambunctious playing and posing, so expect to get a photo dump of adorable moments with these foxes! I also saw plenty of Bears and other wildlife I can't wait to go through and share as well :)

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Spring so far, and Thank You to those who sacrificed everything for our freedom and our country.

Braeden Roesler Photography Braeden Roesler is a Billings, MT photographer who loves exploring nature's beauty of Wildlife and L

Last night's Aurora Borealis show in Montana was so stunning, vibrant, and bright, the images hardly need an edit. I could even see them in-town in Billings through all of the light pollution, and they were dancing directly overhead. A welcome change from the few times I've ever seen them in my life, usually as just a faint glow on the horizon covered in clouds. I'm still in awe!

*Click each image to view full image*

A beautiful male Yellow-Rumped Warbler dancing through twigs and branches in a scenic spot along the Snake River in Grand Teton National Park this May at sunset.

While the focus of wildlife photo trips to Yellowstone or the Tetons or other areas are typically larger subjects, such as grizzly and black bears, wolves, foxes, Coyotes, moose, and other rare or fantastic creatures, it's still peaceful, and often rewarding experience to spend time with smaller critters, such as birds, Pika, squirrels, and others.
Usually, photographing these smaller animals are a chance to slow down, escape the chaos of bear jams and traffic and development, and explore nature on a small hike, or sitting for hours in peaceful serenity waiting, birds chirping and a trickle of water and light breeze swaying grass, leaves and flowers. You have a chance to not be firing the shutter constantly to get "the shot", while cramming with other photographers and tourists next to the road, but to actually *experience* nature beyond just the viewfinder.

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Here, the vibrant colors of Yellowstone's Grand Canyon are lit by patches of sunlight peaking through clouds after a rain storm in the park. Below, the white misty spray of the Lower Falls disperses into small clouds in the air, and the Yellowstone River below meanders through the canyon walls. The striking colors of the canyon walls are caused by hydrothermally altered rhyolite and sediments, whereas most of the rocks at and upstream from the falls are remnants of lava flow resistant to erosion.

The canyon begins at the Lower Falls near Canyon Village, and ends just downstream of Tower Falls, carving 20 miles through the landscape, with a depth of over 1000ft, and a width of 1500-4000ft.

This is definitely a must-see when you visit the Yellowstone area. While there are numerous viewing areas from different perspectives of the canyon and Upper/Lower Falls, this particular view was from the Brink of the Lower Falls, which is accessed by a steep switchback trail that zig-zags it's way down the forested canyon walls to the viewing platform. Often, rainbows will form at the bottom of the falls in the mist.