 |
| A Grizzly cub in Yellowstone |
Yellowstone!
 |
| The American Bison is the symbol of Yellowstone National Park |
America’s first National Park.
 |
| Hayden Valley, Yellowstone |
And, what a treasure it is.
 |
| River views |
 |
| The Park is full of wide-open spaces |
Of course, because Tower Road is under construction, we did have to make some big loops through Mammoth as we moved between the valleys.
 |
| The view just south of Mammoth |
 |
| Story to come |
Bear Cubs
We did get to see two new Bear cubs. They were Black Bears, not the target Grizzlies ...
 |
| Mom and cubs |
But, they were tiny …
 |
| We could barely see the cubs in the tall grass |
And, adorable …
 |
| Look at those faces |
We found them the way we find most Bears. We came upon a Bear jam, this one on a tight curve with limited parking. We did manage to park legally (all tires over the white line) and we walked to what we reckoned was at least 100 yards away. When a Ranger showed up, she walked right past us, so I think we judged the distance correctly.
We saw the mom first, grazing in some willows in a grassy depression right by the road ...
 |
| Mama Black Bear |
Then suddenly, a cub appeared …
 |
| The first cub darted between two large willows |
 |
| Little, tiny Bears |
We watched the cubs play (including playing, sadly, with a piece of trash) while Mom grazed away …
 |
| Making trash into a bear toy |
Eventually, the cubs went back into the willows, followed by their mom.
 |
| On its way into the woods |
Black Bears
During our visit, we saw two more Black Bears: one Cinnamon …
 |
| A Cinnamon Black Bear |
And, one Black …
 |
| A traditionally black Black Bear |
We also stopped at a Bear jam where we just missed another Bear we had heard about: a Cinnamon mom with two cubs, one black and one cinnamon.
As usual we encountered lots of people who were confused about Bear names. Black Bears, which can be found widely across the U.S., can be multiple colors, ranging from white (the rare “Spirit Bear”) to jet black.
 |
| This Black Bear had a beautiful coat |
The most common look is black with a brown snout.
They are known for a sloping Roman nose, oval ears and medium length claws.
 |
| Roman nose and slightly pointed ears |
Grizzly Bears are actually Brown Bears, but they can also be many, many colors. They are larger and fiercer than Black Bears and can be recognized by their roundish “Teddy Bear” ears, more "scooped" face, long claws and a noticeable hump.
 |
| A "typical" Grizzly |
Grizzlies have a very limited range in the lower 48; they are found only in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and far eastern Washington. I’ll show you some of those later.
A Surprise Raptor
But, first, I want to talk about a surprise raptor Caty and I stumbled upon. We were cruising Hayden Valley when we saw a photographer stopped at Elk Antler Creek. Just as we pulled into the parking area, we saw a fairly large bird fly up out of the creek, past the photographer and over to perch on a hill across the street.
It was a Peregrine Falcon!
 |
| A wonderful surprise |
Not what we were expecting!
 |
| It flew over our heads multiple times |
When we arrived, it had just snagged a Swallow and was eating it on the hill across the street.
 |
| It was difficult to see the Falcon even though it was close |
Did that mean it was finished hunting? Nope.
It came back and put on a show.
It never caught a bird while we were there (although it did come close), but it certainly showed us all the moves.
 |
| Starting a dive |
The Peregrine is the fastest animal in the world, reaching over 200 mph during its characteristic hunting high-speed dive, called a “stoop.”
 |
| On the wing |
Peregrines are the world's most widespread raptor, found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains and most tropical rainforests.
The only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand.
Although its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the Peregrine will sometimes hunt small mammals, small reptile or insects.
It mates for life and nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures.
 |
| The underside is heavily barred |
Since DDT was banned in the 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.
The Peregrine is a well-respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility and availability via captive breeding.
With a wingspan from 29 to 47 inches, the male and female have similar markings and plumage, but the female is up to 30 percent larger than the male. I suspect the one we saw was a male because it didn’t seem particularly large.
 |
| A medium-sized bird with big impact |
Peregrines hunt by performing the stoop and then hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. Then, they grab the stunned or dead bird in the air. I really wanted to see that.
 |
| Cruising before a dive |
The air pressure from such a dive could possibly damage a bird's lungs, but small bony tubercles on a falcon's nostrils are theorized to guide the powerful airflow away from the nostrils, enabling the bird to breathe more easily while diving by reducing the change in air pressure.
 |
| You can see the tubercule in the photo I took of a Peregrine in California in 2019 |
To protect their eyes, the falcons use their nictitating membranes (third eyelids) to spread tears and clear debris from their eyes while maintaining vision.
 |
| Raptors have extraordinary vision |
The distinctive malar stripe or "moustache," a dark area of feathers below the eyes, is thought to reduce solar glare and improve contrast sensitivity when targeting fast moving prey in bright light condition.
 |
| The "mustache" serves a purpose |
The lifespan of Peregrine Falcons in the wild is up to 19 years 9 months. Mortality in the first year is up to 70 percent, declining to about 30 percent annually in adults.
 |
| I think it was watching us, too |
The biggest threats to the Falcon is collision with human-made objects, and predation by larger Hawks and Owls.
Watching this one hunt was spectacular.
 |
| It cocked its head from side to side while looking for prey |
Although the other photographer said it was there “all the time,” we never saw it again.
While we were photographing the Peregrine, we heard that there was an active Wolf den near Slough Creek and that many Wolves had been seen recently.
Wolves
The couple that told us about the den also said that with our lenses, “we should be able to get great photos.” That made us think maybe the Wolves were close. They were not.
 |
| Wolf by the den |
Yes, we could see them with our lenses or binoculars – and occasionally with the naked eye. But, like almost every other Wolf we have seen in Yellowstone since we got long lenses, they were far, far away.
 |
| Yellowstone is famous for Wolves, but they are so hard to see |
We saw two different Wolves, but couldn’t get any good photos.
 |
| This is the only photo I got of the two Wolves; can you see them? |
At this point, I am tired of squinting at distant Wolves. I don’t want to try photographing them unless they are close enough for a decent picture.
Critters
It was spring. So there were a number of baby animals. We saw quite a few Bison calves, including one that was kicking up its heels like crazy …
 |
| A dancing Bison calf |
… until it settled down to nurse its lounging mother ...
 |
| Mama and tired calf |
We also saw a few baby Pronghorns …
 |
| A new baby Pronghorn |
… and adult Pronghorn ...
 |
| Male Pronghorn in a field of flowers |
Famous Bears
 |
| Is this where she got her name? |
We had seen Grizzly #399 in Grand Teton, so we went looking for another famous Bear in Yellowstone. We had seen many posts of the Bear named (by photographers) “Raspberry” and her one-year-old cub, “Jam,” hanging out in their known territory near Lake Butte along the edge of Lake Yellowstone. Raspberry’s older daughter, “Snow,” also frequents the area.
We went looking and came upon a Bear jam. At first, it appeared that there was one Bear sound asleep among some downed logs leftover from the brutal 1988 wildfire in Yellowstone.
 |
| It looked like one Bear snoozing deep in the shadows |
But, when she finally stirred, the “shadow” we had seen next to her turned out to be a cub! It was Raspberry and Jam!
 |
| Two Bears, not one! |
We watched Raspberry wake Jam up ...
 |
| One tired baby |
... even though Jam didn’t appear to want to …
 |
| A sleepy little cub |
After lots of yawning …
 |
| A very, very sleepy little bear |
And, trying to go back to sleep …
 |
| Maybe Jam could nap in the sun |
Raspberry finally got the baby up and moving …
 |
| Awake and maybe ready to go |
They wandered about …
 |
| Over the log and into the woods |
And, even played a little bit …
 |
| With no siblings, Jam has to play with Mom |
The difference between this cub and #399’s cubs, all of which are the same age, was striking. Jam is a round, fluffy butterball compared to #399’s rather lean offspring. It just points out how difficult it is to feed and nurture multiple cubs.
 |
| Jam, left, and one of #399's cubs, right; what a difference |
 |
| Coming in our direction |
... weaving around the burned trees ...
 |
| Raspberry leading the way |
... and walking on logs ...
 |
| Jam following behind |
... until they got so close …
 |
| It's rare to get so close to Grizzlies |
... that the Ranger made us leave …
 |
| What a cutie! |
I wish she had just insisted we return to our cars, but we had to completely leave the area.
Still, we managed to get many, many great pictures before we left.
 |
| Raspberry and Jam |
Mini-Mom and Cubs
Caty and I also drove to the Obsidian Cliff/Creek area looking for another “known” bear, known as both the Obsidian Creek Sow or Mini-Mom. That’s because she’s a fairly small Grizzly and her two two-year-old cubs are also small. And, we saw her!
 |
| At first, we didn't know what was happening |
She was up on a sage-covered hill with the two cubs and, oddly, a female Elk standing right behind her. By the time we parked, got out of the car and crossed the street, the Elk had wandered slowly off. That behavior seemed odd, until someone told us that Mini-Mom had just killed the Elk’s calf.
 |
| Feeding on an Elk calf |
Apparently, there was no chase or dramatic kill; rather Mini-Mom seems to have stumbled upon the baby that was secreted under a bush.
 |
| Mini-Mom and a cub; the other is there, you just can't see it |
We watched as the three Bears fed on the calf ...
 |
| All three eating |
Much of the graphic activity was shielded by the bushes, but it was still interesting to watch.
 |
| Look at those claws! |
It was here that the plan of having two cars created a problem. We stopped to photograph this Bear; Scott didn’t.
We had not checked into the hotel yet and I think that was where he was heading. I was afraid that he would not be able to get in if I were not there because the reservation was in my name. But, there was no cell service and the walkie-talkies wouldn’t work. So, we had to leave.
We got great photos, but we missed what came later when the three Bears walked down the hill crossed the road and went to a pond on the other side to get a drink.
 |
| That bloody face probably benefited from the drink in the lake |
This is why I like travel without obligations to be anywhere at a specific time.
Bear Reprise
On the morning of our departure, Scott headed south through Grand Teton (he wanted to see #399 again, but he missed her). Caty and I left via the East Entrance, which took us by Lake Butte again. Around the corner from where we had seen Raspberry and Jam, we saw them again…
 | ||||||||
| An early morning surprise They were high on a ridge ...
In the fog, with the morning sun behind them ...
|
What Else?
Throughout the visit, we saw very few birds, but I managed to get a nice photo of a singing White-crowned Sparrow …
 |
| Such a pretty bird |
Near our cabin, we saw a very cooperative Snowshoe Hare …
 |
| Snowshoe Hare in its summer coat |
... that was munching on grass …
 |
| Eating right outside our cabin |
… before it hopped off to show off the feet that gave it its name …
 |
| Giant snowy feet (and a cottontail) |
Plus, we saw a couple of Yellow-bellied Marmots …
 |
| I wonder how they feel about being called "yellow-bellied?" |
… and a Golden-mantled ground squirrel …
 |
| A cute little critter |
Both are pretty ubiquitous animals in Yellowstone.
 |
| Both are common at high elevations |
Was the Trip a Success?
The visit to Grand Teton and Yellowstone delivered a lot of what we wanted. We saw #399 …
 |
| #399 and two of her cubs |
… and her cubs …
 |
| Three cubs in the woods |
We had a fairly close encounter with a Moose in Grand Teton, which has been rare recently …
 |
| Grand Teton Moose |
We saw tiny baby Black Bears …
 |
| We only saw two COYs |
We saw Wolves, although they were distant …
 |
| A black Timber Wolf |
We saw Raspberry and Jam …
 |
| Raspberry and Jam are names given by photographers |
We saw Mini-Mom and her cubs ...
 |
| Three Bears feeding |
We watched a Peregrine Falcon hunt …
 |
| On the prowl, looking for birds |
We saw baby Foxes play …
 |
| A Grand Teton Fox kit |
We had wonderful weather …
 |
| A clear-sky day |
We saw Bison ...
 |
| Bison grazing in Lamar Valley |
We saw beautiful scenery ...
 |
| Ahhh, Yellowstone |
We even saw a cloud that just might have been a UFO ...
 |
| An eerie cloud |
 |
| Yes they do! |
No, we didn’t see any Grizzly COYs, but it was a good trip.
 |
| Objective partially met! |
Trip date: May 16-25, 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment