Wednesday June 6 Yellowstone

We had planned to get up early, but didn't. The heat from the day before had changed drastically overnight and it was freezing and very windy outside. Thus sleeping in and working was to be the first order of the day.

We drove from Mammoth to Lamar Valley through Roosevelt and Tower, over Dunraven Pass, past Canyon, down to Hayden Valley and back again to Canyon and found absolutely nothing. We decided to go to West Yellowstone and do some t-shirt shopping and lunch. We drove from Canyon to Madison via Norris and then half way between Madison and West Yellowstone, we finally spot some wild life. Buffalo. Yay.... I'm being sarcastic here.

Actually though, it was pretty cool; a large herd picked up some speed crossing a stream and then they swam through the Madison River and crossed the road. They were running, jumping, grunting and shaking off the cold water. The calves were extremely spry, kicking and jumping around. So very cute!!

We continue onto West Yellowstone and I search for a pair of eagles that frequent the area. They use to keep a nest close to the road and we've seen a few set of eaglets over the years, but they haven't nested here in a couple of years now. But I did spot one in a bare tree and got her photo.

And that was it. Nothing more to write about except for a nice visit with a husband and wife shop owner. They run a t-shirt business and were made me two t-shirts in which I choose the design and color of shirt. After talking with them, we discovered we could benefit one another in business. I hope to be able to design a logo and graphic for their t-shirt. So that was pretty cool.

Tuesday June 5 Yellowstone

We started the day late, which means bear and wolf sightings were not likely. However, history has proven that we typically find something else worth observing. Today was no different.

Before even entering the park, we found a mother pronghorn with two babies! We had heard about her but hadn’t seen her until now. She and her babes posed perfectly for me.

About 9:30, Rick spots a quick moving fox headed straight for us. She has something in her mouth - breakfast! A closer look reveals she has a ground squirrel. We try our best to photograph her but she is moving too quickly and soon scurried up the hill.

We mosey down the road and watch as hundreds of bison make their way through Lamar Valley. I would say there were 500, maybe more as they dotted the valley and ridges beyond. The little red doggies were either sleeping or bothering mom for breakfast. That’s what lil’ doggies do!

 

As we watch the bison, Rick’s eye catches something moving through the bushes just in front of us. "A badger," he exclaims! I whip my camera around and try to get this guy in full frame but he is too fast. We follow a bit on foot but all we are getting are butt shots. So we move down a bit to get in front of the badger, get set up and sure enough, he crosses the road, runs up a hill out of sight!

We stop at a picnic area close to the east entrance in hopes to find a weasel. Instead we found several ground squirrels. This one put on a show for me.

After a quick run through Hayden Valley were nothing has come to life, we drove down to Sedge Bay which is on the north shore of Lake Yellowstone. Looking for otter and grizzly, we find nothing. Just as we turn around to head back home, I spot a male deer. I got a great shot of him. I’ve never seen deer that close to Lake Yellowstone and this year we have seen three dozen or so. More than we have ever seen in our visits.

Nothing catches our eye as we head back home except for the two mating black bear. They are further out but we took photos anyway since they were out in the wide open, unlike the day before when they hid behind fallen trees and brush. Lol

We stayed in for the rest of the evening due to heavy winds. Using the long lenses we have do not produce good results in overcast skies and heavy wind. So, with three more days left, we hope to find a grizzly or two!!

Monday June 4 Yellowstone

Monday June 4

Rick and I rose early hoping go find wolf or grizzly but came up short. We passed people watching a black bear but we didn't take photos because she was some distance away. Yes, we have purposefully become picky: 1) we now have professional equipment so we better start acting like professionals, and 2) do you know how long it takes to go through 4,500 photos?? A long time!

On to Tower to see if we can find the black bear mom and two cubs we tried to get the day before. No luck so on to Lamar Valley. There we find a good sized traffic jam near the Yellowstone River and there is the mom with her brood. They traveled a bit of distance over the night. The cubs had been put it bed in a lodge pole pine, but finally came down and tumbled and played while mom ate grass and bugs. The problem was there was absolutely no clear shot of any of them.

We took photos for "prosperity" and chatted with other people who do what we do. Jim and Deb from Indiana are pro photographers, while Dick and Maureen from New York are hobbyists. We fall somewhere in between. I doubt I will ever get one of my shots on the cover of a magazine like Jim but I will have fun doing it!!

We have work to do so we head back to the trailer. After working we decide to check out Hayden Valley. It is a long drive so we leave early. Just before Roosevelt at Elk Creek, we see a decent jam. Since our Jeep can go just about anywhere, Rick throws it up and over a bar ditch. Hard to see at first, but two black bear are in a valley behind brush; one is bigger than the other.

We set up our equipment and soon discover the two are in “love!” She flirts with him but he feigns interest by lying down. They nudge each other and he gets up to wrestle. Now it is her turn to act disinterested as he chases her around for a bit. They dine on grasses and bugs, then another round of wrestling.

A storm was coming so we hit the road. Strong winds brought down trees into the road way. It was lightening and rain fell sideways. It was a side of Yellowstone we had not seen.

Later that evening, we took a short ride to find quad mom. She and her two cubs were nowhere in sight. Down the road a bit, I saw a perfect opportunity to photograph a group of elk and bison. The cool thing is I believe I took the perfect shot for the cover of my book "Beyond the Bison." The book will showcase our photography and be about the wildlife of Yellowstone National Park.

We headed back home and on the way spotted a cinnamon colored black bear with two cubs. They were too fast and too deep in the woods to photograph so we took one for prosperity. Hoping we find something interesting tomorrow! I am sure we will.

Sunday June 3 Yellowstone

Sunday June 3

It was just Rick and I today and we made our way to Quad Mom’s haunts. She was way off in the distance so we worked our way to a group that was perched on top of a hill. Apparently, a wolf pack had made a kill the night before and we missed them feeding. But we did get one gray wolf walking off into the woods; not a great pic, though. I do not know which pack this was; could be Blacktail or Quadrant but I was told there was a total of five spotted that morning. This was our second wolf in three days.

Since it began to rain, we packed our gear and headed towards tower to try to get a glimpse of the black bear mom with two cubs at Tower. A glimpse is pretty much all we got as she herded her kids up a tree, not to be seen again, as she grazed behind thick brush. This is all I got of one of the cubs and mom. I really hope we get to spend some time with this family again with better photographing conditions.

So we decide to visit Hayden Valley and see what’s going on there and we couldn’t believe it, but another gray wolf from the Canyon Pack was just a couple hundred yards out. There are eight members of the Canyon Pack. We took photographs of our third wolf in as many days. We were pretty excited!

On our way through the park, just after Floating Island, I spot a group of tourists watching a small black bear going behind some sage. Just around the corner is a larger group of people and there is a big black bear in a tree! We stop and just after setting up the bear comes down the tree and just below us. We snap off a couple of shots before being told to move. We hang around some more and get to spend time with the b lack bear. Apparently, this bear was scared up the tree by the other black bear. We were 10 minutes to late. That is one thing about the park, you can miss an entire episode or incident by mere minutes.

Later in the evening, we spotted a coyote mousing, but she didn’t hang around long enough for us to catch her. She was fat though, so we suspect she will be having kids soon. Maybe tomorrow we will be lucky enough to see the dad!

Friday/Saturday June 1/2 2012 Yellowstone

Friday June 1

After our first trip to Yellowstone, we talked about our adventures with so much enthusiasm, other people wanted to visit and enjoy those experiences for themselves, such as my mom and dad and good friends of ours from Wylie, Earl and Carol Sue Newsom. The Newsoms visit the park every year now and we spend one to two days together finding treasures of the park.

Today was no different. We found a lot of wonderful wildlife opportunities. Just as we entered the park, we spotted an osprey looking for breakfast over the Gardner River. We tried to photograph him but he was not being cooperative as we followed him from one pullout to another. I was the lucky one, however. Staying in the car and hand holding my camera, I got great shots of him taking off from a tree. Great photos, and can’t wait to share them when I process the photos.

We then found a cinnamon colored black bear. He walked through the tall grass taking a bite here and there.

After he slipped into the heavy woods, we moved on to see what else we could stir up. In Lamar Valley, We briefly watched a whitish-colored wolf walking towards the river and then out of sight. He was very far away but we could see him so we count it as a wolf sighting, though we would have preferred him to be a bit closer!

Now you have to realize, there are elk, pronghorn, and bison throughout the park, and I fail to mention sightings of them because they are so common. However, we did find a large group of bison crossing the river and that was spectacular to watch. Even though they were a good distance away, it was fun watching them cross to the other side, including the little red doggies (baby bison) swimming through the cold, clear water.

We drove through tower were a black bear and two cubs have been regularly spotted but the traffic was crazy and photography opportunities limited so we moved onto Hayden Valley. Here we found a coyote that was being conditioned to humans, unfortunately. He was eating something off the ground and people had positioned themselves within feet of him and he wasn’t scared. It’s a sad sight to see because human habituation can be lethal to a wild animal.Fortunately, a ranger came by and scared off the coyote and lectured the people. He was excellent at his job and I thanked him for it.

We traveled onward and at a junction we found a red fox trotting along. She was a bit scraggly but definitely on the hunt for dinner. We had some nice opportunities with her before she slipped behind the trees.

Our last sighting of the day really excited Carol Sue and Earl. We stopped at a spot that is known for a Horned Owl nest in Mammoth Springs. Sure enough, the two owlets were trying out their new wings moving from the nest onto nearby branches. Mom was inches away watching her brood.  Mom grew tired of the awkward pair and popped over to a roof top, allowing us better viewing of her. She is a beautiful owl and we were so blessed to see her and her family before calling it a day.

Oh, but one more sighting occurred at the trailer. A nice woodpecker came by and tried out the fence post right in front of the trailer. The cats had their eye on him!

Saturday June 2

It was the Newsom’s last day, and we had promised Carol Sue we would find her a grizzly. Ever since they joined us in 2007, they could not find grizzly sightings without a scope or binoculars. After breakfast and five years later, we found her one. And not just one but THREE!

This grizzly has been in the area for the last three years now, caring for her cubs. She gave birth to three cubs in spring 2010 and adopted a fourth one. Appropriately named Quad Mom, Rick and I saw her at a great distance with all four. In 2011, she had lost two of the cubs over the winter but we spotted her, once again at a great distance, with her two yearlings. Now in 2012, we get to see her one more time before she will release her two cubs to set out on their own. It was a great sighting for all.

We drove around some more and found a flicker bird who has made his home in a sign post. Took a few shots of him and then called it a day. Tomorrow, it will be just Rick and I and I can't wait to see what we find!

Ah, but just before going to bed, Rick takes bailey Mae out for a walk but calls for me just as he steps out the trailer. A female elk had bedded down not 15 feet from our door. She was HUGE and not startled by us at all. Bailey Mae didn't go on her nightly walk after all. :)

Wednesday/Thursday May 30/31 Yellowstone

Wednesday May 30

We started the morning out once again looking for #610, but again no luck. We decided to take photos of the juvenile grizzly, this time in the sun with green grass instead of drizzle and snow.

It was a very slow day so we headed up north to find some landscape shots, but with the dreary, cloudy skies, that didn’t pan out either. So before the light began to fade, we made one more pass through the park, again looking for #610. We ended up on Moose Wilson road and we looked for the bedded down pregnant moose but she had moved on, so did we. At the beaver lodge, we found a Great Blue Heron who was fishing. He had been perfectly still until all of the sudden he lunged forward and came up with a nice size fish in his long beak. I did not get a good shot of him but Rick did all right.

Soon after he took off with to eat his dinner, a beaver came out of the lodge and was in a perfect position for photos. No twigs, no grasses in the way.

We also spotted another female moose not too far away and took some nice shots of her.

The night was fast approaching, so we left for the trailer and called it a night.

Thursday May 31

Being our last day, we knew we had only a couple of hours to find something. And we did. Along Cattleman’s Bridge, a dirt road that leads you through thick woods to the Snake River, I spotted an eagle. He was sitting high in the trees across the river. Really just a speck, but our lenses are long so we took the opportunity to photograph him. We set up waiting for him to take off as it was our goal to catch him in flight, like Rick did last fall.

Soon, a raven swooped in, screeching, flying towards him. The eagle chirps. The raven makes another pass in front of him and then lands in the same tree just a couple of feet above him. He is flapping his wings, cawing at the eagle and the eagle responds in kind. It was an interesting display of harassment, for sure! Finally, the eagle grows tired of the ravens hassles and takes off with the raven close behind. They fly down the river out of sight, and we look at each other with huge smiles on our face. What a treat!!

One last trip down Moose Wilson Road, the only wildlife was this cute little ground squirrel putting on a show. He stretched and rolled over onto his back showing me his belly, like little Callie does for me when she wants a tummy rub.

It was time to go and pack up the trailer to move onto Yellowstone. Just as we round the corner about a mile from the RV park, I ask Rick if we can go down this dirt road because “you never know if there is a fox or coyote there.” He says no, we do not have time. Seconds later, just as we pass the dirt road, you won’t believe it, we spot a coyote! We followed him with other curious visitors and got a few shots. She wasn’t moussing, but she answered my wishes, and for that I feel blessed.

Stay tuned. Yellowstone is sure to bring more joy and wonders...

Tuesday May 29 - Grand Tetons National Park

Tuesday May 29

The weather was simply gorgeous. We could actually see the mountains today! For two days, the mountains played hide and seek behind the wintery mix. But today, the mountainside presented bright, white jagged edges covered in fresh snow with wisps of clouds swirling about the tips.  It was a gorgeous day!

We were once again on the search for Grizzly Bear #610 and her cubs. We drove our regular route that included a stop at the old barn on Mormon Road. We then stopped at Blacktail Pond overlook and found a very pregnant moose grazing through the willows. The scene was very peaceful while the sun lit her big, gangly body against the bright, green grass in the valley.

Still on the hunt for #610, we took a dirt road that hovers above the Snake River. It was quite desolate but as we turned a bend we saw a large group of female elk running fast. We aren’t certain but we believe a black wolf caused the panic. Through binoculars I saw a short black furry mess as it chased two of the elk. There just wasn’t enough detail to be certain.

With our tummies growling, we headed back to the trailer with what was to be a quick stop at Pelican Creek for a landscape photo. However, I spied a fuzzy animal scurrying between sage brush about 100 yards away. I lose sight of her and tell Rick, "It’s smaller than a fox and bigger than a ground squirrel!" At 50 yards away, I see her scurrying by again, her tail just twitching like crazy. Finally, I spot her in a tree, still unsure exactly what this creature is. After several minutes of her watching me and me watching her, I finally learn she is a yellow bellied marmot. I take a few photos and she waves me off with her twitching tail. "Okay, Momma. I will leave you alone to your young ones." I can only imagine that is why she scurried across the distance of the meadow like that with a twitching tail to boot.

That afternoon, we make our way to Moose Wilson road, well on the other side of the park. We find ourselves looking down on another female moose. She grazes for a bit, and then beds down in the new growth surrounding the tall willows.

Soon after, a woman from England spots another moose across the creek in dead willow. He finally peeks out and it is a juvenile moose. Rick and I actually saw him earlier in the day crossing the road but he slipped into the woods as quickly as he came out so we did not attempt to take his photo. This time, however, we took plenty of shots of him eating and cruising through the creek. At one point he came too close to the female moose; she stood straight up and kept her eye on him, ready to defend her bed. He realized this and ran to the other end of the creek, finally slipping out of site.

We only had a couple of hours of light so we went down the road a bit to find beaver we had photographed last year. Sure enough an hour later, our patience prevailed and we watched a beaver swim out of her large hut into a clump of willows and chewed on a fresh branch. We moved our position several times because she was obscured by twigs and limbs. About twenty minutes later, to our surprise, another beaver made his way over to her. They rubbed noises as they greeted one another and then began to frolic around. They shared a twig, but soon parted. It was an awesome sight. Something we had never seen before

What a perfect ending to a gorgeous day!