Yellowstone: In Search of Critters

(To catch up this is the 2nd of 2 posts on our Yellowstone trip.)

*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), wolves, grizzly bear, bighorn sheep, black 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, chipping sparrow, American white pelican, Great blue heron, red-tailed hawk, bald eagles, sandhill cranes, killdeer
*National Parks/Monuments visited on 2010 trip so far: 24
*State Parks visited on 2010 trip so far: 4
*Total number of Jr. Ranger badges so far: 19

[Click on any picture to enlarge…then arrow back to the blog]









Each day we ventured out in search of critters and were rarely disappointed in what we ran across. We ventured to Slough Creek (pronounced sloo) in the Lamar Valley in search of wolves on 5 different occasions. This 50-mile roundtrip drive not only allowed for the viewing of the small pack of 7 wolves including 4 pups, but along the way, either there or back, we always seemed to stumble across a grizzly grazing along the side of the road.

The viewing of the wolves was difficult at times because of the one mile distance across the valley to their den. The first night we found our binoculars inadequate but also found that others at the location with spotting scopes were very generous in allowing others to view the wolves. The following day we thought about our Galileo telescope, and pulling out the manual discovered that terrestrial (land) viewing was possible. After experimenting at our campground, we found the telescope offered a great opportunity to view wildlife up to 45 times closer than the naked eye. Although not quite as good as the $2,000 spotting scope, our $100 telescope worked great for zeroing in on the wolves as well as when we used it on grizzlies and eagles.

On 6 occasions we saw at least one grizzly bear on our daily travels. The night before we left Yellowstone in the Grizzly Lake area of the park, we spotted a mama and her 2 cubs. Just off the road and only separated by a small creek, we were able to watch this amazing sight as we walked down the road for about half a mile and finally returned to our car as sunlight faded for the day.

The next morning on our way back to Grand Teton, we spotted a mama grizzly and her 4 cubs near Swan Lake. Again they were right off the road and we were allowed a beautiful view of them foraging through the sage from the comforts of our RV. This was quite a sight as this female has become quite famous in the park area as having 4 young is quite unusual. They had not been sighted for awhile and some expressed concern that perhaps not all 4 had survived, so it was quite exciting to see them on our way out of the park (could only get 2 cubs in the picture). A little further down the road, we were caught in a traffic jam as a bison family took their morning stroll down the middle of the road.

All in all, we saw:
· 7 wolves on 5 different occasions (3 adults + 4 pups)
· 12 grizzlies on 6 different occasions (6 adults + 6 cubs)
· 9 black bears on 7 different occasions (7 adults + 2 cubs)
· 12 bighorn sheep (including lambs) on one occasion + 3 on another
· 5 coyotes on 5 different occasions
· 6 mule deer on 4 different occasions
· 4 bald eagles on 3 different occasions (3 adults + 1 juvenile)
· Osprey, Canada geese, sandhill cranes almost daily
· 1 killdeer
· 1 river otter
· elk, bison, pronghorn daily