*Birds we’ve seen on our 2011 trip so far: mountain bluebird, golden eagle, Indigo bunting, Lazuli bunting, Say’s Phoebe, yellow-rumped warbler, Western Tanager, bald eagle, blue heron, American white pelican, trumpeter swan, osprey, magpie, mountain bluebird, Clark’s Nutcracker
Wolves are primarily nocturnal animals, sleeping during the heat of the day, and rousing around dusk to begin their day. We had been traveling to Lamar Valley shortly before dusk and thought perhaps that was why we weren’t having much luck seeing the wolves. As Stacey pointed out, think about when you first get up in the morning, are you very active, or are you stretching, moving slowly, not wanting to get up? So we decided to get up super early one morning and get out to Lamar w
hen they were active and just thinking about going to bed.When we arrived at the hillside spot, Rick was giving some final instructions to Stacey before heading out to another area of the park. There was another couple there from France, and Stacey was to be their guide helping to point their scope i
n the right direction, and answering any questions on the wolves’ habitat, lineage, and lifestyle. We set our scope up right alongside and waited. (That’s Stacey in the big hat and mustache...kind of reminds you of Teddy Roosevelt!)
As the five of us stood on the hill waiting and looking out across the valley, the bison were beginning their morning trek causing a slight traffic jam as usual. As we watched, we noticed that this group was headed up the hillside directly towards us s
o Stacey very quietly suggested that we pick up our scopes and move to higher ground till they passed. It was incredible to watch (and hear) these massive animals pass at such a close distance without the protection of our car, but we were safe.As we stood there watching, Stacey noticed that there was another group coming just above where we were now standing! Who knew bison traveled that high on the hillside?? He would occasionally very calmly say ‘hey, bison, we’re here b
ison’ just to let them know we weren’t a threat. Once again he very quietly and calmly suggested that as soon as the lower group passed, we move back down to that trail where we had been originally standing. And not long after we did, the upper group passed along right where we had been standing! The other couple lagged a little behind us to get a couple photos, but I was fine getting mine from a little further down below. Though we didn’t see any wolves on this bright and early morning, we had another incredible experience being surrounded by herds of bison. As Stacey said, “This was better than an E-ride at Disney!”
On our way to the hillside this morning, we had passed what appeared to be a dead bison not more than 30 feet from the road, and as we returned home, park rangers were there to monitor the crowd that had gathered to take pictures. However this time as we passed, two other bison were alongside their fallen friend nudging at him as though trying to wake him from a deep sleep. A sad sight indeed but that’s part of nature and the circle of life.
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