10 February, 2009

My World Today - Buffalo Buffalo at Hollow Hill Farm, Virginia







Taken at Hollow Hill Farm in Paint Bank Virginia this past weekend. The weather was gorgeous and the snow was gone. Temperatures were in the 60s.


The American Bison (Bison bison) is a bovine mammal, also commonly known as the American buffalo. "Buffalo" is somewhat of a misnomer for this animal, as it is only distantly related to either of the two "true buffaloes", the Asian buffalo (or "water buffalo") and the African buffalo.


Bison burgers are served at the Swinging Bridge Restaurant where we lunched and, are from the herd that grazes nearby at Hollow Hill Farm.


Be sure to check out everyone's world at My World on Tuesdays. I am sure you will enjoy.

42 comments:

Mojo said...

I'll never forget my first encounter with a menu that sported "Bison Burgers". I asked the server, "Is that really bison... as in buffalo?"
(Apparently he got that question all the time, because he didn't show any surprise at all when I asked.)

Once I confirmed that the American Buffalo was, in fact, no longer on the endangered list I decided I had to try it... just to be able to say I had.

Good.stuff. A lot leaner than beef, and only a subtle difference in flavor. If you're gonna eat red meat, it's not a bad choice.

Anonymous said...

I know of the asian buffalo or water buffalo; back in the philippines we call them carabao. In the old days, they were used for agriculture.

Guy D said...

wow those are great shots of the buffalo, very intriguing animals.

Have a great week!
Guy
Regina In Pictures

antigoni said...

What a big animal. I don't think i want to meet him in person.

Florida Water said...

To think they once had the run of the mill out on the Great American Plain ...

Jane Hards Photography said...

These look so strong.

Carver said...

Those are great shots of the bison. So powerful.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Erin: What a neat look at the buffalo and a lot of interesting info.

EG CameraGirl said...

BIG animals. I don't know if I could EAT a bison burger just after seeing them roaming around. But hey! I admit I have an over-active imagination. ;-)

Susie of Arabia said...

It looks like you were up pretty close or you've got a great zoom. The details on these guys are amazing. I like the 2nd one with his head in the tree - looks like he's being punished for being a bad bison and has to stand in the corner!

Indrani said...

The buffaloes we get to see in our part of the world are so different,hairless ones... the varieties in nature!

Susan at Stony River said...

Beautiful photos!
I'd love to try a 'bison burger'. The closest we can get in Ireland I suppose is the goat burgers served in the Burren in County Clare.

It sounds like you had a fun day. I'm glad you took the photos!

Ruth said...

Great photos of an animal I have never seen. But I have eaten a bison burger (once).

mannanan said...

Bison Burgers. That's a new one on me. I just love these animals great capture. Thank you for sharing your world with the rest of us.

Anonymous said...

Great photo - you can really see the detail in the animal's hide. I mentioned eating bison once to a friend, who was even more upset than EG Tour Guide at the idea. I'm still hearing about it!

Anonymous said...

Such large animals that once were the staple of the American Indians. It's nice to see that they have been brought back from the verge of extinction.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal

Suffeli kuvailee said...

great photo!
have a nice week ;)

allhorsestuff said...

Man-o-man He is BIG!
Beautiful too!
KK

Grammy said...

Great photos. The bison are one of my favorite animals. I have only seen them in person once. I do enjoy eating them too.

ninja said...

They look so cute but would probably stepped on anyone trying to cuddle.

Barb said...

Well, you win for the most unusual post this week! I never knew there were bison farms!

Unknown said...

These are great, i've never seen buffaloes like this yet except for the water buffalo that we commonly see here. thanks for sharing.

Mamapippa ... said...

No buffalo's on my path, just the beauty of nature (to answer your question on my blog).
Have a nice day !

Carrizo said...

Great shots about this animal that I have seen so seldom.

Regrads.

Anonymous said...

I've only seen Asian buffaloes. You've taken such great, close up pictures of them :)

Anonymous said...

What handsome animals they are. So powerful and majestic. I've only seen them at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco - would love to see them in the wild.

VALKYRIEN said...

What magnificent animals! I have never seen them in real life - just pictures. And your pictures do them justice! Great captures!

Gattina said...

Wow ! beautiful pictures ! they are so big ! I only saw some in a zoo.

George said...

You got some great pictures of the bison. It's nice that you had a 'spring' weekend to enjoy.

Unknown said...

Beautiful photos and interesting information. Thanks for sharing.

Unknown said...

We have some of these on our journey to the city and they are amazing creatures, great piccies.

Chat with Kathleen said...

Great images of the buffalo bison. they are so sharp and vivid. I have never tried a bison burger, sounds intriquing.
I found a great book titled,The Great Buffalo Race - Barbara Juster Esbensen it is listed in my Ebay store, number: 400029416615 It is an ancient Seneca folktale about, How the Buffalo Got Its Hump.

Baruch said...

Such an impressive creature - not too sure about the bison burgers though. Perhaps it would have been a different story had I grown up with it ... most often it's the unknown or the unfamiliar that makes you pull up your nose isn't it ...?

Vicky said...

Thanks for visiting my blog and first time for "My World". Buffalos are fascinating creatures!

Anonymous said...

Now I've seen all three! That bison looks fierce! Great close up. I am loving your blog.

Jenn

Lantaw said...

these are magnificent creatures! thanks for sharing the photos

D Herrod said...

Did you eat Bison burgers? I prefer beefalo

Esther Garvi said...

I have never seen a bison in real life but always wanted to. I have on the other hand seen African buffaloes. The latter are known for being very aggressive and a danger to humans due to their temper. What are bison like?

The Good Life in Virginia said...

hi everyone and thanks for stopping by; let me answer some of your inquiries:

these bison are raised for food and appear pretty mellow...while they came pretty close to the fence, i did not attempt to touch them.

yes, i have had a bison burger and bison stew at the local restaurant...burger was good. stew not tasty but it wasn't the bison portion's fault. once you get all the fixings on the burger I can't tell difference. actually bison is leaner and better for you. i actually had eaten bison burgers several times when we lived in california.

hollow hill farm has quite a large herd of bison...the photos i posted were of a few males...the young'ins and their moms were in another area far from the road and even my super duper zoom could not capture them ... another day, another trip in the Spring :)

though i was pretty close to them, i used my new zoom to capture them up close and personal. the large one sitting down never moved...think he perhaps was the old dominate male. the one by the tree was scratching his head for the longest while...you can see on the tree where they scratch. after he finished that he went a took a dirt bath.

they roamed the plains in huge numbers in the 1800s until the white hunters decided to hunt them to near extinction.

the body of the bison is interesting in that the front half is massive and the rear is actually not that huge in proportion to the rest of the body. of course when they have their full furry collar area they look more impressive :)

have a good day.
erin

Louise said...

These are excellent photos!

Gowri Mohanakrishnan said...

Wow, these guys are grand specimens!

Patricia said...

I have never seen so close a buffalo!... so big!!
great shots!!
Have a nice weekend!
My blog