Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Antelope Island

Antelope Island, with an area of 42 square miles (109 km2), is the largest island of 10 islands located within the Great Salt Lake. Antelope Island is surrounded by the Great Salt Lake. The lake is extremely salty, with salt levels reaching as much as 25% of the lake, by volume, so Great Salt Lake does not support fish, but does support large numbers of Brine Shrimp,which provide food for visiting waterfowl. Because of the high salinity, the island is mostly without readily available fresh water.
We spent close to 90 minutes driving around the hill roads on the island as well as visiting the museum there. We saw more than a handful of bison and antelopes grazing on the islands slopes. We also saw some deer and two coyotes. I was particularly enthralled to see bisons in the wild. These animals are native to America and there was a time when hundreds of thousands of these majestic animals roamed freely across the country. Colonisation during the last few hundred years led to large scale slaughter of these herds. There was danger of these animals becoming extinct. Bisons are now classified as endangeried and are a protected species. The bison herd at Antelope Island now numbers around 700 and this is an optimim number. Any bisons in excess number are hunted and culled every year.










An elusive coyote
Antelope Herds

Pronghorn Antelope - above and below

44 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos. I remember driving across the Great Salt Lake many years ago...very dry and desolate and empty. That was probably in the early 60s or before.

    Love the bison. Magnificent creatures.

    I wondered if it was noisy in Boise? Heh, heh!

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    1. Thanks Lowell. Boise is one of the quietest towns in the US - very peaceful and tranquil & wonderful weather.

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  2. Beautiful captures. Seems like a wonderful place to spend a day.

    http://rajniranjandas.blogspot.in

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  3. wow !!!!!

    superb clicks....even animals are ready to give a pose :-)

    regards
    anu

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    1. Yes Anu ji, The animals are in their natural habitat and visitors do not disturb them.It is a very beautiful place.

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  4. There is a sense of folklore and wonder about the American land scape. Stories of the Indian tribes, of Mark Twain for instance have etched an image in the mind and curiosity.

    The awe I felt when was in the Yellow Stone and the Canyon cannot be eclipsed by the Niagara that has become artificial now.
    I could only imagine the Apaches and the Mohican warriors on their horse back hunting herds of bison and elks in the Yellow Stone,
    If you were a meat eater , I would have suggested Bison meat steak.

    You are doing it well . America is all about natural beauty and the skyscrapers are incidental and distant in comparison.

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    1. These places continue to inspire awe and amazement and the natural beauty is maintained undisturbed. I too grew up reading a lot of American History and about Red Indian Tribes. Thanks but bison meat is a no-no for me !

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  5. Very nice, little caption on each pic would have made it more enjoying :)

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    1. Thanks for the visit. Please continue to visit and dropping your comments & suggestions.

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  6. such beautiful terrain and gorgeous animals. i know you are enjoying this tour very much.

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  7. Great shots of the landscapes and wildlife.

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  8. Very interesting narrative and photos! There must be quite a bit of fresh water on the island or the animals would perish.

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    1. Thanks Gigi. Yes I suppose there is a fresh water source.

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  9. Wonderful post! Love the photos as well.

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  10. Beautifully captured. The Bison is not a match for the ones we have here.

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  11. Real buffalos! Would love to see them with my own eyes one day. Am a big fan of American Indians.

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    1. Oh you haven't seen Bisons too ? They are simply awesome when you see them in a herd.

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  12. Exotic! Nice to learn about the bison.

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  13. WOW that's amazing!!! The wild wild west haha :))

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    1. Thanks Maryam. Yes the trip did bring back images of the wild west !

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  14. Wow...enjoying in beautiful nature..I envy you :-)

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  15. Must have been quite an experience Rama to see the Bison et al. in their environ! Lovely pics:)

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    1. Yes Rahul.Seing bisons in their natural habitat was awesome.

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  16. Replies
    1. Thanks for your visit and comment. Pl continue to visit.

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  17. Wow! Great photos of just an amazing place! Love seeing this elusive coyote. You had a wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing your pictures.

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  18. Antelope island is a unique place. Great photos of the bison, deer and coyote! The last 2 photos are of pronghorn antelope, which do look a lot like deer.

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  19. Beautiful photos as always.
    What a great place to visit!
    Looks like you're having a great time.
    Mette

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