A Little Bit Batty

*Critters we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far:  pronghorn, horse, llama, elk, bison, grizzly, bighorn sheep, mule deer, Uinta ground squirrel, wolf, black bear, moose, coyote, fox, bullsnake, bat, white-tailed jackrabbit, mountain goat, yellow-bellied marmot

*Birds we’ve seen on our 2014 trip so far: bald eagle, grouse, osprey, magpie, red-tailed hawk, Canada goose, great horned owl, American kestrel, sandhill crane, cliff swallow, mountain bluebird, Ferruginous hawk, cinnamon teal, Clark’s nutcracker, northern flicker, Brewer’s blackbird, red-winged blackbird, Lazuli bunting

 

 [Click on any photo to enlarge.]

As you know we volunteer at Mammoth Campground which is just below the town of Mammoth Hot Springs, and every year we make a point to visit the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces.  The Terraces are amazing formations created as the super hot water rises up through the limestone, dissolving layers of rock, and depositing the white chalky material (calcium carbonate) onto the surface into travertine terraces.  Though we pass by them many times during the season, there are some things you can only see by making the loop drive of the Upper Terraces.  For instance a view of nearly the entire town
that also serves as the Park headquarters and has since the late 1800s when it was known as Fort Yellowstone and run by the Army.  Several of the buildings are original, modified for modern use, and you can take a self-guided walking tour.  The loop drive also offers the opportunity to see some thermal features not easily seen from the main road such as the Orange Mound (below right).

Snow can happen any time of the year in Yellowstone, and one day as we were returning from Lamar Valley, we happened upon an area where it had done just that…and it was only 8 miles from our camp-
        ground!  It wasn’t very much, and we had no snow at our site when we arrived, but those storms can create some beautiful scenery.

 

The most common tree in Yellowstone is the lodgepole pine which makes up more than 80% of the forested area in the park.  You can see from the picture from where it gets its name!  The male pine cones produce high quantities of pollen each summer, but the female cones don’t reach maturity for 2 years.  If they don’t open immediately at that time, they remain closed up tight as if glued until the high heat from a fire forces them open to release the seeds for reproduction.

One afternoon Russ spotted something small flying very fast outside the front window of our RV.  We quickly realized it was a bat so I grabbed the camera hoping to get some shots.  Bats normally are out at night, but this was just past noon, and it seemed
     almost confused and frantically trying to find somewhere to go.  For a couple of minutes it landed on the roof of our car and then took off flying again.  That little bugger was so fast that even with
      the camera set on sport mode with continuous bursts, I was having trouble getting a clear picture. It was driving me batty! (pun intended)  A few minutes later we spotted it hanging upside down on the tree trunk just outside our
   dining room window, and there it stayed for the next several hours eventually even spreading itself out (is that some sort of relaxed position?)  Then a little after 5pm it suddenly took off, flying frantically again, buzzing the folks and
        their camper in front of us, and then just as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone.  Just another one of those first time fascinating experiences for us.

 

      We attended the annual potluck at Indian Creek Campground in honor of the National Park Service’s birthday (98 years).  All of the hosts from our campground attended as Chip and Jill took a break from working and rode over
     with us.  Rangers Allan and Joe attended along with family members, and though it was a small group (couldn't get decent pics of everyone), we all enjoyed the delicious food of which there was plenty!  Jay had worked hard
       chopping wood for a campfire, and Allan and Joe were given the honors of being the first to cut the "cake "(actually individual cupcakes…very clever and yummy!)  just as we were getting ready to leave, Allan took the
   opportunity to thank all his hosts from both campgrounds for their hard work this summer and presented us with appreciation certificates and some really nice NPS travel mugs and water bottles.  We always feel so appreciated.

 

The elk rut (mating season) was finally beginning which meant bulls coming down from the higher elevations and elk everywhere up in town and in the campground.  The bugling of the bulls generally indicates the start of the rutting season (such an amazing and distinctive sound) that not only announces their presence to other
males but also gives the cows (females) clues to their size and strength (key factors she wants to impart to her offspring).  The bull’s antlers are at their largest by this time of year and are also a sign to the cows of their quality and virility (also key factors to the “girls”).  Bulls will gather as many cows and calves as they can into small
groups called harems, and will aggressively protect these harems from other bulls by running them off, thrashing their antlers against the ground, trees, and shrubs to show their aggression, and if need be, butt heads.  They have even been known to ram cars as a sign of aggression!  Being guys, they never seem to think they have
enough in their harem and will actually leave it unattended to head down hill to gather up a couple more…kind of risky!  Of course, younger, immature bulls try to get in on the action but usually are not very successful.  It’s early in the season as you can tell by these 3 young guys still with
   velvet on their antlers hanging out together across from the Justice Center.  Extra staff and volunteers are on duty during the rut to keep folks at a safe distance, to educate them on what they’re witnessing, and to keep the traffic flowing.  Though these photos look like they are all pretty mellow, it can get


Peek-a-boo!

crazy at any moment, and everyone needs to be on their toes.  We’ve been a little disappointed the last couple of years as it seems the number of elk hanging out in the campground and even up in town have been less.  Hopefully this year will prove to be a better one for viewing and excitement.

 

Yellowstone Tidbits:

• Antlers of a typically healthy bull elk are 55-60 in. long, about 6 ft. wide, and weigh about 30-40 lbs. per pair.
• That which we call elk, in Europe are called moose while the Shawnee refer to them as wapiti.
• Bats roost with their heads down to make them less vulnerable to predators and can remain upside down for months.  Bats that survive their first year generally live about 6-7 years and can live as long as 30 years.