In 2017, Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, released a New York Times best selling book about the true life story of Yellowstone's '06 Female wolf entitled; "American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West", by Nate Blakeslee. This book is based largely on years of daily field observation notes taken by Laurie Lyman. This release had no photographs. 

In 2020, Penguin Random House Publishing Gmbh, Germany released the German language edition entitled "Die Wolfin", meaning,

"She Wolf".

  I was blessed to have the cover shot and fourteen additional exclusive photos in the book! 

Yet another chapter in:  My Uncanny Connection To The '06 Female Wolf!

Photographing the West podcast

A while back I had the pleasure of being interviewed

by Kirby Flanagan on his

Photographing The West Podcast 

We discussed many topics pertaining to photography

Such as:

Camera Gear

Shooting Technique

Locations

Photographing Wildlife In Yellowstone

Animal Behavior

ETC...

You can take a listen by clicking the link above.

Kirby has interviewed many well known photographers

and people involved in wildlife conservation.

Be sure and check them out too.

Enjoy!

CoalitionWILD & the Wild Foundation present:
 

No More Endlings: Saving Species One Story at a Time by Allison Hegan with foreword by Wade Davis
​
 

"ENDLING"
 

Noun: An individual that is the last of its species or subspecies.
When the endling dies, ​the species becomes extinct.
 

A blend of story-telling, science, and imagery, No More Endlings  shares the personal
 

accounts of those working to protect endangered species. Readers of this incredible anthology will gain a fresh look
 

at the lives of some well-beloved species, as well as those lesser-known. Filled with intimate details from each
 

contributor’s journey, as well as inspiration for those of us who may never make it into the jungles of South
 

America or the grasslands of Africa, No More Endlings is the perfect read for anyone interested in wildlife,
 

conservation, and a good story. Educators will appreciate the scientific sections that accompany each chapter, and
 

those exploring a career or volunteer opportunities in the conservation realm will especially find this book relevant
 

as it highlights the realities of working in the field. Chapter authors, ranging from National Geographic Explorers,
 

to college professors and internationally recognized conservationists and activists, will inspire readers to take
 

action and ensure a world with no more endlings.
 

Myself with editor Allison Hegan.  
 

Myself with editor Allison Hegan
 

I'm happy to be a contributor to this great endeavor.
 

  Maggie Howell, the Executive Director of the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) in South Salem, New York
 

has authored a great chapter on the gray wolf entitled: Wolves Of The West.  She covers the reintroduction of
 

wolves to Yellowstone National Park, along with the controversial wolf hunts, including the killing of
 

The '06 Female. 
 

Also 50% of all the royalties from the sales of this book go to conservation.
 

My royalties go to the Yellowstone Park Foundation - Wolf Project.
 

Find out more here:  http://www.allisonhegan.com/
 

You can order a copy on line thru:
 

Amazon
 

Barnes & Noble
 

goodreads
 

National Geographic Kids

National Geographic Wolf Book

I am Honored to be part of a very special book National Geographic Kids has just released.

This high quality book teaches kids and adults alike about wolves and the challenges they

face in today's world. It covers both sides of the wolf debate in an informative way and gives

information on how you can help and get involved. This book also highlights some of the

people involved in the wolf recovery effort, along with some of the famous wolves we have

been blessed to know. It's for anyone who wants to know more about wolves. It reads very

easy and has 128 pages of beautiful photographs, and you can get it in soft or hard cover.

It can be ordered thru Barnes & Noble, National Geographic, or any online book retailer.

You can read about The '06 Female on pg. 19.

Get yours today!!

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Spirit of The Wolf

In collaboration with singer, songwriter, musician, Matt Stone , we have offered this wolf tribute video dedicated to wolves across America and those working to save them, in memory of

"The'06 Female" 

JJ

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Lamar Canyon Pack Inception/754M, 755M,'06 Female Wolf

Lamar Canyon Pack Inception

  I wasn't going to post about the killing of the '06 Female, since half my posts are about wolves dying.

However I felt compelled to write this in light of recent events...

In February of 2009, on one of many trips to Yellowstone to photograph wolves, I had a very rare opportunity to photograph a gray wolf under unique circumstances.  Shortly afterwards I would learn this wolf was the '06 Female. "'06" for the year she was born.

 She was sleeping on top of a hill in Elk Creek just west of the Petrified Tree road.  At the time my buddy Dave Collins and I thought she just happen to be there resting, so we photographed her for about two hours.  When she would raise her head or move, we would grab some shots.  Eventually she rolled over, stretched, and got up.  She had looked at us many times in those two hours, and knew we were there.  What she did next was unexpected.  She started walking down the hill toward us!  We were on an adjacent hill by the Petrified Tree road with a gully '06 Female between and were shooting the entire time.  When she got to the base of the hill, she was on ski tracks left by cross country skiers.  The tracks ran laterally in front of us from right to left in the bottom of the gully.  At this point she started to walk along these tracks all the while looking in our direction.  First she walked right to left and when we thought she was going to keep going and leave she turned around and walked left to right again in front of us.  This was like shooting a model on a runway!  All the time still looking toward us...  As if this wasn't good '06 Female Wolf enough, she then left the ski tracks and was coming straight at us.  This seemed strange because we were in plain sight and she had been looking right at us!  We were the only people there.  She appeared to be looking for something and was getting closer to the base of the hill we were on.  If she came any closer we would lose sight of her, (we were set back from the edge).  Just then I saw something in front of her that looked like it might be the edge of a large rock.  My '06 Female Wolf view was blocked by the edge of the hill so I stepped around my camera to take a look and could see the rock was instead an elk '06 Female Wolf carcass she was about to open.  She was the only wolf around and still had blood on her fur from taking down this elk on her own.  This was the first documented account of a skill that would become part of her legacy.  I was able to get more shots of her than all my other wolf shots combined.  This was also only the first or second '06 Female Wolf / with First Known Solo Elk Kill @ Two Years Old day of our trip!  I could have gone home right then a happy man!  This had been my first encounter with her.  At the time I didn't know there would be more to come... 

Fast forward: February 2010.

By this time the famous Druid Peak pack was in bad shape and all but disbanded.  The alpha female was dead and the alpha male had dispersed due to the fact the only females left in the pack were his daughters.  Two male wolves, 755m and his brother 754m who had joined the pack after the alpha male left were trying to mate with the remaining females who were in poor health with severe mange.  The '06 Female was once again out on her own and was trying to lure these males away from the Druid females.  This had been going on for weeks before I arrived.  The males would keep going back and forth between the Druid females, and the '06 Female.  During this time, she was the only wolf that was making any kills.  One of the Druid females (Thin Female) was attacked by the Blacktail pack when she was trying to feed from a kill they had been feeding on.  She was found dead the next morning.  I helped drag her body from Bob's Knob to the Slough entrance parking lot.  Yet another Druid was found dead later in the week.  The Druids would not last much longer.  In that same week, an elk carcass was discovered in the Lamar Canyon.  It was up on the north side.  This was an '06 Female kill.  The two Druid males who had been with the remaining Druids the day before were now with her and they returned to the kill in the evening.  When they did, they came from the top of the canyon and appeared on a rock between two trees. I had joked that all we needed was for them to come back to the kill and show up on top of that rock and howl in unison...  They didn't howl, but they did show up on that rock!  I had spent eight hours in eight degrees photographing the many visitors to that kill before the wolves showed up.  When they did, it was the icing on the day long cake.  This would also be the day the two males would decide to stay with the '06 Female and go on to form the Lamar Canyon Pack, and I happened to be there to witness it.  Again, I got another photo session with this very special wolf...  Just days before, I had taken a candid shot of her watching wolfwatchers, who were watching the Druid females.  By this time she had developed quite a following, and to me, like many others, she was my Sneaky '06 Female Wolf favorite.  I felt a special connection with her.  I still had more shots of her than any other wolf.

For almost three years after that, she would go on to become the "Reigning Queen Of The Wolfwatching World", mother three litters of pups, and I would get more shots of her.  With her leadership the Lamar Canyon pack would take over The American Serengeti and wolfwatchers from around the globe would come to Yellowstone to spend money and time just to get a glimpse of her.  That would all come to an end on 12/06/12, when she was legally shot dead outside the park. 

When she was killed I received multiple calls from around the globe for interviews, among them was a call  from Nate Schweber of The New York Times.  Of all the people who have photographed and watched her, I was being interviewed about her being shot.  This  was another chapter in her life that somehow I had been pulled into.  When I told Nate "She is the most famous wolf in the world", I didn't know the impact that would have in bringing attention to the tragic way she died.  At the time of her death, I also happend to have a half page photo of her published in the then current issue of American Scientist Magazine.  It was the one of her standing on the rock between the two trees.  It may have been the only photograph of her in a periodical at that time.  Ever since I first photographed her in Elk Creek I have felt a special bond with her.  Not that she knew I existed,... but from my end.

Since her death, the National Wolfwatcher Coalition has released a commemorative sweatshirt for a fundraising effort in her name.  The logo of her on the shirt was made from one of my shots from that first encounter in 2009. In 2021, they released a second commemorative line of shirts with the logo made from the photo of her on the rock shown above. this photo was from the second encounter in 2010. 

Renowned guitarist John Sheldon wrote a tribute piece "Wolf 06" in her memory and has partnered with me to share it with all those who loved this wolf.  Even as I write this, I have a youtube tribute project being released with singer, songwriter, musician, Matt Stone, titled "Spirit of The Wolf" that has stemmed from this connection to her. In addition, photographs from both aforementioned encounters have been published by National Geographic Television and National Geographic Children's Books.

In 2017, Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York, released a New York Times best selling book about the true life story of the '06 Female entitled; "American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West", by Nate Blakeslee. This book is based largely on years of daily field observation notes taken by Laurie Lyman. This release has no photographs. 

In 2020, Penguin Random House Publishing Gmbh, Germany released the German language edition entitled "Die Wolfin", meaning, "She Wolf".  I was blessed to have the cover shot and fourteen additional exclusive photos in the book! 

 When I look back on the unique opportunities I have had with her... to be interviewed when she was killed, to have played a part in letting people know she was indeed "The Most Famous Wolf in The World", and to have the cover shot along with others in the book about her life, I can't help but to think my favor with her was "Uncanny".

If that's not enough, the day she was shot, 12/06/12, is also my birthday...

JJ

Click "Here" to view my gallery dedicated to her memory.

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    This past Labor Day weekend we headed up the California coast.  Setting up base camp in San Simeon.  The weather was mostly sunny and cool, a pleasant change from the hot temps inland.
 

 On the menu was what ever would hold still long enough to shoot, and some landscapes.  The first morning we were out just before first light.  We headed north out of San Simeon.  It was foggy with low clouds.  As it was getting light, I saw something in the corner of my eye as we past by, to the right out in a field, it was a raptor hovering.  I couldn't tell what kind, so I turned around and went Barn Owl back.  As we were coming up on the location I saw it fly across the road in front of us, it was an owl.  We watched it circle around and land on a roadside fence post.  This is where the cat and mouse begins.  Getting into position to get a shot is trying, to say the least.  This was a barn owl and did not want to stay put for long.  It would fly from post to post every time we approached.  We played the cat and mouse game up and down the road as it got lighter and lighter.  Finally she (I think...) got used to me enough to stay put for a few seconds longer.  This was the first time I had ever seen a barn owl.  These birds are beautiful!
 

 As we made our way further north, I spotted a small animal to the east out in a field of cattle.  It was a long way off.  At first it looked like a wild piglet.  I thought that strange because I saw no adults.  When I pulled over and put some glass on it, I found to my delight, it was in fact a bobcat, something that's always on my menu!  Being that he was on the east side of the road, it wasn't the best situation, considering the sun was just coming up, but with wildlife photography you have to make the best of any situation.  I started shooting as he was actually getting closer, moving southwest.  He was backlit so I thought, oh well, Ill just have to deal with it... Just then something grabbed his attention and he started to stalk to the northwest, all the time getting closer as he passed right to left in front of me.  He proceeded to do just what I hoped he would... he crossed the road and now Bobcat was to the west!  Things were starting to fall into place!  I spent a good twenty minutes with this cat and finally had him lay down in the brush just fourty feet from me!  So far it was a good morning.

 Continuing on we saw more barn owls still out hunting in fields long after sunrise.  I have made this trip many times and had never seen any barn owls.  Another raptor I had not seen here before was white-tailed kites.  It seemed there was owls and kites everywhere.  This day had been a good one!

 I had seen photos of McWay Falls, but had never witnessed it myself.  I didn't know where it was!  This trip we found out, and McWay Falls made a point to see it.  We got there about four o'clock and made a recon trip down the path to take a look.  This place is truly unique!  It looks like a scene from Paradise!  I took some handheld shots just to scout some vantage points, and then we went back to the Jeep and took a nap to kill some time waiting for the sun to  get lower.  Later we headed back down with tripod and anticipation.  It was interesting watching the beautiful scene go through different morphs as the sun sank lower and lower.  The color intensity shifted from the aqua color of the water to the golden sunset reflecting onto the rocks.

 The next day we got lucky and found a family of white-tailed kites.  There was the two adults and two juveniles.  I have photographed these birds before, but not under such good conditions.  This was their neighborhood!  I was able to observe these birds for an extended amount of time.  This gave me the chance to see just how beautiful they are!

 The California coast is a sight to behold.  People from all over the globe go there to see this world famous stretch of coastline.  It is always a good trip.  No matter the time of year or the weather, I love the California coastline.

JJ

The shots from this trip can be seen in the "California Coast Gallery".

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Big Blaze

Young Big Blaze ~ Feb. 2009

Once again it is a sad time for Yellowstone Wolfwatchers. The wolf known by wolfwatchers worldwide as Big Blaze is dead. Killed by the Mollie Pack. He had been collared and given the number designation 838M. Big Blaze was one of the last remaining wolves who was born in the famous Druid Peak Pack. He, along with many others that have gone before will be missed.

 JJ

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Agate 471F

For those of you who follow the wolves in Yellowstone:

 Earlier this week 471F the nine year old female Agate Creek matriarch was found dead. Apparently killed by other wolves, most likely Mollies. I don't know at this time if she was pregnant or not but she had mated in February. It was hoped that she, along with a black female yearling would have pups this spring and rebuild the Agate pack that had dwindled down to just these two wolves. I was fortunate to have seen her up close this past winter and got some shots. She is just the latest wolf to be killed by the large Mollie pack in the last year, they are nineteen wolves strong.

These wolves live a very hard life.

Update: It has been reported that 471F was indeed pregnant at the time she died.

JJ

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This year's trip was different than last year in a few ways. First the snow level was very low this year. The average snow depth was 10 to 12 inches. Some places the ground was bare. Last year there was 4 to 5 feet of snow in the Lamar Valley.

The second thing was the wildlife. Last year wolves were few and far away, and fox were the K-9 of choice. This year the wolves did not disappoint. There was action from a total of five packs. We only saw one fox the whole time, and it was at night.

The third was the weather. Warmer than last year's -44f, this year's low was a warm -22f.

The first week was slow but still had it's moments. The action this week centered around the very large Mollie pack up from the Pelican Valley. This pack has 19 wolves. They almost killed a pup from the Lamar Canyon pack.

Things didn't really get started until the second week. This is the time when the female's estrous is peaking. That usually cranks up the action a few notches, and that's just what happened. The last two wolves in the Agate Creek pack are females, and they were both in estrous looking for males from the Blacktail pack. It's times like this that wolves have only one thing on their mind, mating. This preoccupation lent itself to the wolves getting close enough to get some good shots, and treating everyone to a rare close encounter.

Also in the second week, we had otters and a badger that put on a good show. Not to mention the Canyon pack making three kills in Mamoth in almost as many days. Two of them were very close. That provided the opportunity to get some coyote shots, but I didn't get any shots of wolves on those. However I did get them on the third. 

All in all, this was a very good trip. Debbie and I got to see a lot of old friends and made some new ones too!

You can see full size shots from this trip in the "Yellowstone Winter 2012" gallery.

Our next Yellowstone trip will be in May.

JJ

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