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On the evening Friday, June 6, the first day of my most recent trip to Yellowstone National Park, after the sun had set and the light was fading fast, I came upon a grizzly sow and cub along the Gibbon River. I was very happy to see them, but my delight was tempered by the fear that I was seeing the mother of triplets – and that she was down to one cub. Nonetheless, I enjoyed watching and photographing the duo. Given the lack of light, the photography conditions were less than ideal, as are the results. But, because they illustrate a story, I am sharing them.
She’s a young mother, and seems a bit, well… clueless. Seeming, even, at times, to lose track of the cub.
“Where’s my cub?”
“I’m down here, Mama!”
“Oh! There you are!”
Eventually mama and cub disappeared from view into trees.
The next morning I returned to that area in hopes that they might be back in view. They were!
I watched them from along the road across the river.
When they started to amble down toward the river, I predicted that they would cross the river and come up the near bank and cross the road right where I was standing. So, I walked back to where I had parked my car in a pullout and got in the car, then pulled down the road, stopping short of where I predicted they would cross the river and, ultimately, the road.
Mama bear entered the river without pause and proceeded across, while her cub hesitated on the far shore.
When mama bear was about halfway across the river, the cub emitted a rasping barky yelp. Mama bear turned back and encouraged him with a huff.
The cub tentatively entered the river, beginning his perilous swim across.
While mama bear was able to walk through the river, the cub had to swim.
About halfway across the river, the cub got caught in the current and emitted a squeal of distress, at which mama bear turned to look back.
The cub continued to be swept downstream by the current. Mama bear stood for a better look.
Then she charged into the river.
There are no photos of the following moments for two reasons: 1) I didn’t want to photograph the loss of the cub. My heart was in my throat. 2) My view was soon obscured by trees along the near shore in the bend of the river – in the rapids.
I drove down the road to the pullout downstream, wishing so very hard that I’d see a rescue and not a cub lost. Somehow, the cub made it to shore. I can’t tell you if he managed it on his own or if his mama rendered assistance. I saw them emerging from the trees and heading up the bank. I drove back toward them, then pulled over on the opposite side of the road and remained in my car for the following photos.
The cub was visibly trembling and I could hear him whimpering – cold? tired? scared? hungry? All of the above?
He huddled close to mama and emulated her in taking some mouthfuls of grass, only to spit them out. I hoped she’d nurse him, not just for my viewing pleasure, but also for his comfort.
But, no, she ambled around, nonchalantly, seemingly unaffected by her cub’s evident distress.
What’s a cub to do if mama won’t give him a “hug?” Hug a tree, I guess.
With each passing moment, he seemed to recover from his ordeal and gain confidence.
After a few minutes, the bears came right down to the opposite side of the road and mama was munching on grass. No photos of that as I was busy – cars were approaching and the bears were right on the edge of the road. I was busy vigorously waving out my window for the drivers to slow down or stop. One other vehicle had stopped when I first spotted the bears and watched for a few minutes, but they had left before the river crossing. So, from then until this point, I had been the only observer. The noise of the first hard braking truck’s arrival prompted mama bear to decide it was time to exit the roadway, and the pair went up the steep bank and over the ridge into the timber. While I was sorry to see them go, I was glad to see them departing the hazards of river and road.
I never saw them again during my 9 day visit, though I looked for them every day. I hope that cub survives the learning curve of a mother that several photographers and bear watchers have surmised is inexperienced at motherhood – a supposition that I can’t argue with. As I had feared when I watched them, this is, indeed, the mama grizzly bear that came out of hibernation with three cubs. How the other two were lost I don’t think anyone can say for sure. I haven’t heard of any eye witnesses. Based on what I witnessed, and knowing that they’ve been crossing back and forth across that river, which has been swollen by snow melt runoff and precipitation at times, I can certainly theorize that the other two suffered the fate that this cub so very nearly did.
I had a day in the field Monday. Well, sorta. My photography day began at our bedroom window, which looks out on a feeder that has been frequented by evening grosbeaks every morning for the last week.
Next, re-visited the Lolo Creek burned area to see if I could get photos of a male black-backed woodpecker to go along with the previously captured photos of a female.
Mission accomplished!
Next stop, Council Grove State Park, just outside of Missoula, where I’ve known of a great horned owl with three young for weeks, but had not yet visited. More success. I won’t always publicly share nest locations, but this is no secret and these owls are staying high enough to be reasonably safe from intrusion.
I then headed north to visit some birding spots in the Mission Valley and make my first trip over Red Sleep Mountain at the National Bison Range.
My first trip through the Bison Range was enjoyable for the scenery and for adding more birds to my day (and year) list, but no photo opportunities.
I wanted my second trip through the Bison Range to be timed somewhat later, so I decided to prowl around county roads in the Mission Valley. Good thing for this gal I was not just looking for birds, but also paying attention to the road. She crossed right in front of me, requiring me to hit the brakes hard to avoid hitting her. She rewarding me for that by showing me her teeth. Right…??? Okay, maybe she was warning me not to trespass any closer to her den. I stayed in the car. Den location won’t be publicly posted.
Upon leaving her, and rounding a corner, I had to hit my brakes hard again, this time to avoid hitting a killdeer chick.
Back at the Bison Range, atop Red Sleep Mountain, I spent some time observing a pair of mating American kestrels in a snag with the Mission Mountains as backdrop. They copulated moments after this photo.
Post copulation, the female sounded scolded the male…
…seeming to drive her mate into a “yes, dear” submissive pose (yes, terrible anthropomorphizing)
…in actuality, he was looking for something – and found just what he was looking for. He dove off the snag and immediately returned with a vole that he gave to his demanding mate. I was just able to see that action that occurred behind a tree from where I was. She then returned to the snag to eat the gift vole.
After some time, I moved on, enjoying the gorgeous scenery as I crawled down Red Sleep Mountain.
What a Monday! As for the birding aspect, I finished the day with 54 species.
- Evening Grosbeak Back Yard – Deck feeder
- Rock Pigeon Lolo
- Black-billed Magpie Lolo
- American Robin Lolo
- European Starling Hwy 12
- Western Bluebird Hwy 12
- Canada Goose Hwy 12
- Tree Swallow Hwy 12
- Common Raven Hwy 12
- American Crow Hwy 12
- American Kestrel Hwy 12
- Mourning Dove Hwy 12
- Mallard Hwy 12
- Mountain Bluebird Lolo Creek burn area
- Black-backed Woodpecker Lolo Creek burn area
- Northern Flicker Lolo Creek burn area
- Dark-eyed Junco Hwy 12
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow Hwy 12
- Steller’s Jay Hwy 12
- Red-winged Blackbird Hwy 12
- Belted Kingfisher Hwy 12
- Great Blue Heron Kona Ranch Rd
- Barn Swallow Primrose Lane
- Lewis’s Woodpecker Council Grove State Park
- House Wren Council Grove State Park
- Common Grackle Deschamps Ln
- Yellow-headed Blackbird Deschamps Ln
- Northern Harrier Deschamps Ln
- Western Kingbird Deschamps Ln
- Western Meadowlark Deschamps Ln
- Red-tailed Hawk Arlee
- American Coot Ninepipes
- Ring-billed Gull Ninepipes
- Western Grebe Ninepipes
- Red-necked Grebe Ninepipes
- Double-crested Cormorant Ninepipes
- Trumpeter Swan Ninepipes
- Gadwall Ninepipes
- Northern Pintail Ninepipe Ln.
- American Avocet Ninepipe Ln.
- Cinnamon Teal Ninepipe Ln.
- Marsh Wren Logan Rd
- Western Kingbird Logan Rd
- Great Horned Owl West Post Creek Rd
- Brown-headed Cowbird West Post Creek Rd
- Downy Woodpecker Moiese Store
- House Sparrow Moiese Store
- Wood Duck National Bison Range
- Vaux’s Swift National Bison Range
- Brewer’s Blackbird National Bison Range
- Vesper Sparrow National Bison Range
- American Goldfinch Moiese Store
- Killdeer Gallagher Rd – Mission Valley
- Mourning Dove Gallagher Rd – Mission Valley
- Ring-necked Pheasant Gallagher Rd – Mission Valley
- Spotted Towhee National Bison Range
I’ve been back to re-visit the great horned owls. Yesterday, during my lunch break, I saw the same juvenile with an adult.
In the evening, I returned again. The owlet above was in precisely the same spot. In another nearby tree, way up, a sibling was being fed by a parent. During my lunch break today, I returned again. The one owlet seems not to have moved in over 24 hours. I wasn’t able to find either sibling, but did find one adult on the feeding branch of last night.
more photos: http://www.bigskycountry.net/p499874371 and http://www.bigskycountry.net/p826622402 and http://www.bigskycountry.net/p1056705215
I haven’t posted about my the rest of my April Yellowstone weekend. I’ve been playing outside instead. Yesterday evening I took a drive up Lolo Creek. I stopped in a burned area to look for morels. I didn’t find any morels, but I did find something maybe better – a pair of black-backed woodpeckers. I could hear the noises of woodpeckers at work. Finding the bird themselves (black birds on scorched black tree trunks) was a matter of following my ears. Yesterday, I found the a male first, and, shortly thereafter, a female. It was dark and gloomy, being late in the evening of a rainy day. I returned this evening hoping to catch some photos in better light. I met partial success. This evening, I found the female, but not the male. I guess I’ll have to try again!
Black-backed woodpeckers are an uncommon-to-rare woodpecker that are “burnt-forest specialists.” They feed on beetles that are found in burned trees, by flaking the burned bark off of charred tree trunks.
The are in which I found them has several trees that have some bark flaked off, and some that have been extensively debarked – and a few tree trunks with the “dead trees make great homes” signs as above.
Yesterday evening, I observed the pair boring holes in one of the tree trunks – excavating nest cavities, perhaps? I hope so. Dead trees do make great homes, not just for fish, but for many bird species, too.
more photos here: http://www.bigskycountry.net/black-backed_woodpecker
When 2014 began, I had a New Year’s Resolution to get back to making regular posts here on this blog. That resolution went the way of most New Year’s Resolutions. Better late than never, though, right? With this post, I hope to get back on track.
I had a long weekend camping trip in Yellowstone planned for April 25-27, as I missed “opening weekend” the prior week. As the weekend approached, I reconsidered. The weather forecast was not favorable. I don’t mind tent camping in rain & snow, but rain and snow, particularly rain, also often means dark gloomy days. Of course, that type of weather can also make for icy roads, another consideration. In the end, I followed through with my plans, and I am glad I did.
I arrived at the Mammoth Camp Ground around 10:30 on Thursday evening and pitched my tent in a light rainfall. Throughout the night, there was intermittent rain and wind. I love the sound of rain falling on the tent.
I left camp before sunrise Friday morning and headed south, into the interior of the Park, which has only been open to vehicles for a week. I traveled slowly, both due to road conditions (wet/snow-covered/slushy/frozen slush/ice) and to make frequent stops to search for critters. The road was icy, but I pretty much had it all to myself. After a while, I come upon another traveler. He had his camera on tripod aimed into the trees near Artist Paint Pots. I crawled past him, looking where his lens was aimed. A pine marten! Whoop! That, all by itself, would make it a great trip, as a pine marten has been on my wish list.
I parked in the turnout to Artist Paint Pots (which was plowed like a pullout, not like a road) and tried to tip-toe down and across the road to the other visitor (who turned out to be fellow Ynetter Robert Warrin), without spooking the pine marten. Snap! Crackle! Pop! Walking on frozen slush makes quiet walking impossible. I’d take a few steps, pause, wait, then take a few more steps. I didn’t want to ruin it for the guy who was there first, but I did want to get close enough for photos. When I was next him, I didn’t see the pine marten at first. I whispered “Oh, no! Did I spook it?” He answered that it was still there. YES! The pine marten, though aware of us, certainly, didn’t seem particularly worried, though it was alert to passing cars. When a third person tried to approach on foot while a loud diesel truck simultaneously decelerated, though, it was game over.
A few hours into my trip, and I was thoroughly delighted. If I saw nothing else for the rest of the weekend, I’d be going home satisfied. Yellowstone had more treats in store for me, though.
I proceeded south to Madison Junction then turned west to check along the Madison River to check out the West Entrance Road for my first time this spring. I didn’t see anything noteworthy, though I did see the remnants of a wolf kill on a sandbar island from several days prior.
I next drove into the Upper Geyser Basin, and found it to be a ghost town. I literally saw NO ONE.
Along the Firehole River, both southbound and then northbound again, I saw several osprey.
Somewhere along Obsidian Creek I enjoyed some interaction between two sandhill cranes.
The one there first didn’t seem to appreciate the arrival of the second, as it immediately departed upon the arrival of the newcomer.
Okay, time to visit the Northern Range. I didn’t see anything noteworthy until the curve in the road between Wrecker and the Yellowstone Picnic Area, where a friendly fellow who lives in Gardiner, and whose name I can never remember (DARN IT!) flagged me down where he was watching a badger. Unfortunately, the badger didn’t stick around for more than a second or two, but that was long enough for me to observe and admire his beautiful thick winter coat.
I stuck around, hoping the badger would make another appearance, despite several passers by telling me there was a bear at the picnic area. I eventually gave up on the badger and proceeded to the picnic area, where a black bear was browsing on grass. I watched him for a few minutes and chatted with Ranger Dooley and other visitors, but never even took a photo. I guess a black bear butt (which is what was pointed in our direction) didn’t seem that appealing after the earlier treats.
How ’bout that! I had a pine marten and a badger before my first bear of the year! An auspicious beginning to the season!
more photos here>> http://www.bigskycountry.net/yellowstoneapril2014
This entry is for June 15 & 16, 2013.
Day 9 was my last full day in the Park.
I had heard that the Blacktail Plateau Rd had opened the day before, so that was among the first things on my agenda for this day.
So, I headed north from the Norris CG. It was quite cold on this morning, with freezing fog. I stopped near the Indian Creek CG for some photos of the fog on Obsidian Creek (still no griz triplet family, by the way).
By the time I got to the Mammoth Upper Terrace drive, I was predicting a day of extreme temperature shift. It was a chilly 21 degrees Fahrenheit, but the sun was rapidly burning off the fog.
A female mountain bluebird was puffed up in the cold, but soaking up the morning rays.
I took two trips through Blacktail Plateau Drive. On the first, I saw a nursery herd of cow elk with lots of calves. The were quite skittish.
I also saw my first ruffed grouse of the year. I’ve been hearing their deep, subterranean sounding, rumbling drumming (reminiscent of a Harley being fired up underground) everywhere I go, but had not been able to lay eyes on any this year until this.
Townsend’s Daisies were blooming throughout the plateau, sometimes amidst cushion phlox.
On the Elk Creek side of the plateau, I saw a small bull moose (perhaps the same one as seen at Petrified Tree several days before – it’s the same area and it looked about the same) and a black bear.
On my second trip through, a badger cross the road in front of the car that was ahead of me on the road. That visitor and I both followed the badger on foot, about 300 yards away from the road, to its den. We both approached the den very slowly, stopping every few feet. I stopped 25 yards or more shy of the den. The same can’t be said of the other photographer. He got down on the ground and slid closer and closer. His proximity was such that the badger kept a close eye on him, but it didn’t hole up – at least not until another photographer joined me where I stood and the closest photographer stood up to move away. In any event, we enjoyed a good long visit with it.
The next badger I saw on that day, just a short time later at the Antelope Aspen grove area, had a den only about 10 yards away from the main road, but seemed pretty relaxed despite its proximity to the road, traffic, and lots of onlookers and photographers, napping atop the den mound, grooming, etc.
Next on the agenda was a return visit to Trout Lake for another try for the trout lake otters. This time, I set myself a limit of three hours to be spent there.
Upon arrival, I was greeted by a guardian on the cut log bridge over the outlet of the lake – a bull snake.
On this visit, I spent more time at the shady outlet end of the lake, enjoying the abundant wildflowers, such as this sugar bowl, while waiting for an otter appearance.
After a couple hours of waiting, with no otters, I moved to the inlet end of the lake. Whereas a week previously there had been trout visible in the lake, but none in the inlet, on this occasion there were dozens in the inlet. So, I found myself photographing fish again. If anyone had told me that I’d spend more time photographing fish than bears on this trip, I would have scoffed. Now I’m thinking that photographing fish is so much fun that I need an underwater camera.
I enjoyed the almost abstract quality of the trout in the shallow water, sometimes camouflaged on the pebbled creek bottom.
The water there is shallow enough that the fish are exposed, at times, as they pass over shallow spots.
But, no otters or other critters were taking advantage of the easy pickings. I overstayed the 3 hours I had allotted for this visit to Trout Lake but eventually made my way back around the lake, stopping for this tattered mourning cloak butterfly.
Back to camp for my last night in the tent…
81 degrees was the high temperature that I observed that day. 21 was the lowest. 60 degree temperature swing.
The following morning I slept in a little bit so that the noise of my breaking camp and loading up would be made after quiet hours ended at 6:00am. Nonetheless, I was on the road by about 6:30, making my final round trip north, then back south again, along Obsidian Creek to look for the grizzly triplet family. I hoped the family that welcomed me to the Park for this trip would see me off, but no such luck.
This bull bison with Electric Peak as backdrop was more gracious.
I never noticed before that, from this angle, Electric Peak’s outline is that of a bull bison.
Really… I never would have noticed it if they weren’t lined up so, but the outlines of Electric Peak and a bull bison are remarkably similar. See it?
head low on shoulders
hump – peak
sloping back
I exited the Park at West Yellowstone and went past Henry’s Lake and then toward the Centennial Valley. I don’t recommend that route for passenger cars. For the most part, the dirt road was fine. However, there were some heavily rutted sections that would be utterly impassable to passenger cars if wet and muddy. I was able to skirt one such section and get through others without event, but I was carefully negotiating my way through one such hazard (in my Toyota Camry Hybrid), riding on the top of the ruts, when I came over a rise to find the ruts were diagonally cut by a washout. From where I was, there was no way out but through. I scraped my car’s bottom though that section. Ouch! I haven’t heard any noises and there is no evident damage, but that’s the kind of thing that can do some real damage. It would have been possible to tear a passenger car apart on those ruts if they weren’t navigated right or if a person got unlucky. Knowing what I know now, I won’t take a passenger car on the road between Henry’s Lake and the Red Rocks Lake NWR. The road between the Red Rock Lakes NWR office and Monida is an “improved” dirt road and fine for passenger cars.
I didn’t have much time to do any real birding, but I did enjoy some great looks at Swainson’s hawks and, of course, the scenery is great.
I did some searching north of Dillon, MT for a burrowing owl nest, but the harsh light and mirage about killed my eyes scoping, and I was not met with success. I’ll have to make another trip there to look for burrowing owls. It was time to continue home and get the car unloaded and for me to get a much needed shower.
The trip galleries with more photos from the trip are here: http://www.bigskycountry.net/yellowstone_june_2013
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