Abundant Wildlife

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2010 trip so far: javelina, mule deer, desert grassland whiptail lizard, white-tailed antelope squirrels, jackrabbit, juvenile Chuckwalla, Great Basin collared lizard, bats, llamas, Utah prairie dogs, chipmunks, coyote, yellow-bellied marmot, moose, beaver, elk, pronghorn, river otters, bison (buffalo), wolf, grizzly bear
*Birds we’ve seen on our 2010 trip so far: white-wing dove, ravens, Gamble’s quail, western tanager, roadrunner, violet-green swallow, California condor, great blue heron, mountain bluebird, wild turkey, black-chinned hummingbird, juniper titmouse, magpie, osprey, Canada geese, bank swallow, common mergansers, American white pelicans, Great blue heron, red-tailed hawk, bald eagles
*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2010 trip so far: 23
*State Parks visited on 2010 trip so far: 4
*Total number of Jr. Ranger badges so far: 18

[Double-click on any picture to enlarge…then arrow back to the blog]

Last year we spent a week in Grand Teton National Park (www.nps.gov/grte), and enjoyed it so much that we decided to return for two weeks this year. Our last trip we stayed at a campground in the northern section of the park with full hookups, but this time we stayed at Gros Ventre (pronounced grow vahnt) Campground with no hookups at the far southern end. Everything went fine with the batteries and converter, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time. (For more info and pictures on the park, click on this link to last year’s visit: July2009GrandTeton.)

Our site was nestled under a tree with a beautiful view of the hills and mountains in the distance including the snow-capped peak of Grand Teton itself out our front window. The campground is located alongside the Gros Ventre River, and after getting settled, we took the dogs for a walk to the river's edge. Of course, both of them had to get their feet wet and take a drink!









As you can see by our critters and birds lists, the wildlife was abundant! (In fact, Russ commented that he almost forgot the mountains were even there.) On 5 out of 6 separate occasions we saw moose on the opposite bank of the river…...


a cow (female) and her calf twice, and 3 different bulls (males).



On several days a bison herd grazed in the fields near the campground. Every time you’d try to drive down the road, cars were stopped taking pictures and also because bison would decide to cross the road (which they did quite often). Personally I think they’re just messing with the tourists…tee hee. Park literature states that wildlife has the right of way, and if you saw the size of one of these creatures in person, you’d definitely give it the right of way! We truly enjoyed watching them meander back and forth, and marveled at how protective they are of their young and each other.

One thing we learned last year was that if you see a group of people stopped along the road with cameras and binoculars, they’re probably watching bison. If you see a ranger with them, it’s probably a bear, and this theory has generally proven correct. This grizzly was foraging for roots and plants about 100 yards from the roadside. How do you tell the difference between a grizz and a black bear? Not by the color since black bears can also be brown, but a hint is that if the hump (behind their head) is bigger than the rump, it’s a grizzly...another great tidbit!

Our favorite spot last year was at Oxbow Bend, not the turnout but a spot right on the Snake River. Very early one morning we loaded the dogs into the car with the outdoor temperature still at 35 degrees (it gradually warmed up), and stayed several hours watching ducks, pelicans, geese, osprey, and bald eagles. Though the drive was much longer this year due to our location, we returned to this lovely, serene area on a few more occasions and were never disappointed. We always took our chairs, food, and drink, and the dogs even dined al fresco on the riverbank one day. Once they got over their initial excitement of the new sights and smells, they’d lie on the ground also enjoying the view. Besides all the birds, we also watched the antics of 6 river otters as they playfully made their way down the river to the opposite bank, and a young deer swim across to the island in the middle. One of the neatest and most unusual things we saw was a bald eagle dive into the water to catch a fish, but it must have been too heavy to lift and fly. Instead he appeared to be hopping across the water till he got to the edge and was able to climb on the riverbank to enjoy his catch (sorry the picture isn’t clearer but be sure to double-click to open for a better look!)

Venturing to places we hadn’t been last year was part of our goal. One day we visited the Murie Ranch (http://www.muriecenter.org/) and had the opportunity to walk through the one story log cabin of Olaus and Mardy Murie. Set among the trees, it seems to be preserved in time and was once a gathering spot for The Wilderness Society. Today the cabin is still used by biologists and conservation groups. After Olaus’ death in 1962, Mardy continued her husband’s conservation work and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. On the mantel is a framed photo of Mardy with John Denver (one of my favorites), with whom she was very close. She passed away in 2003 at the age of 101, and the following quote attached to the mantle seems fitting and true for us all: "The wonder of the world, the beauty and the power, the shapes of things, their colours, lights, and shades; these I saw. Look ye also while life lasts."

Early one evening we discovered a gravel road that wound its way down to the Snake River to an area called Schwabacher Landing, and the next afternoon we returned to hike the trail. The footpath seemed to end after a mile or so, but we continued along the side creek into the dense forested area. Along the way we had hoped to see some wildlife, but instead stumbled across some “remains” including pieces of vertebrae! Not sure what type of animal these belonged to but it was obviously large as you can see by the partial bone next to Russ’ foot. The whiteness was probably not caused by sun bleaching since all were found spread out under the forest canopy but rather because they were probably picked clean! There were moments when we both wondered if it was wise to be hiking off the trail here by ourselves, but thanks to Russ’ fine navigational skills and keen instincts, we found our way back to the car unscathed. All in all, we figure we hiked about 5 miles roundtrip.

Another day we drove into Jackson (better known as Jackson Hole) where you’ll find massive elk antler arches situated at each of the four corners of the town square. While in town we visited the Jackson Hole Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center (http://www.fs.fed.us/jhgyvc), a great resource for everything you want to know on the area and home to some impressive wildlife displays such as the elk herd immediately on your left as you walk in the door (this picture was taken from the 2nd floor). Out back a wooden deck overlooks the National Elk Refuge and surrounding area.

During the summer on Tues. nights, the Grand Teton Music Festival (http://www.gtmf.org/) offers free 75 min. classical concerts presented in a casual atmosphere called Inside the Music. This week’s theme was “Good Guys, Bad Guys”, and narrator Roger Oyster kept the evening lively with tidbits on each of the four composers: Good Guys – Johann Sebastian Bach and Bohuslav Martinu; Bad Guys – Richard Wagner and contemporary composer Michael Daugherty. Though Russ is not big on classical music, he enjoyed Bach and Daugherty the most. The stage was bare for the Bach piece except for a harpsichord and solo oboist, but while Roger delighted us about the naughtiness of Wagner and the story behind the next piece, the harpsichord was removed, chairs and music stands set up, and 18 musicians took the stage…no curtains, no frills. Though a bit long, the Wagner piece was my favorite. He had written it as a gift for his wife’s birthday, Christmas Day, and performed it for her at sunrise as she awoke that day. As the piece began, I could almost see the colors of the rising sun. Daugherty’s Dead Elvis is a more modern piece, and the solo bassoonist came onstage dressed as Elvis in a white pantsuit…what a hoot! Sorry, no cameras were allowed.

We made a trip to the Colter Bay Visitor Center one day after leaving Oxbow Bend to see if Ranger Rick Jillian was still working there. We met Rick last year at the Center and had a great time jabbing him about being a KU grad (bitter rival of Mizzou!) It was Rick who got us started on the Junior Ranger program by informing us it wasn’t just for kids. He was working, and we chatted for about half an hour…great guy. We promised to return before we left the park to give him one of our cards so he could follow the blog (and see his photo from last year).

We did return a few days later with card in hand but also to see if he could confirm a sighting from earlier in the day. We were heading to Oxbow Bend and along the main road on the right, we spotted several elk walking along a ridge and of course, several cars stopped to take pictures. Elk are abundant in the park, and we wanted to get to “our spot” so kept going. But about a mile down the road on the left, we noticed a car stopped and someone with a camera (usually means wildlife). I looked to the wide open field where he was facing and saw what looked like some sort of dog…could it be a wolf?!! We stopped, Russ grabbed the binoculars, and I had my camera. This was too big to be a coyote and much bigger than the size of our 70 lb. dogs…had to be over 100 lbs. It was running back across the field, and I zoomed in the camera getting the first shot just as he sat to scratch an itch. Russ was watching him through the binoculars, and we felt certain it was a wolf that had probably been scoping out those approaching elk on the other side but got spooked by the road noise. At the visitor center, we showed the images to Rick and 2 other rangers who with 98% probability confirmed it was a wolf.

Yesterday it rained off and on most of the day, and this morning the fog and mist were so thick and low we couldn’t even see the mountains! As we left and made our way through the park, it slowly lifted, providing some spectacular views of the mountains. We're heading north, planning to spend a few weeks at Yellowstone National Park.