If I Were Going...

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Rocky Mountain Moose

Shiras Moose at Rocky Mountain National Park

Just like Caty and I like to go to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) to look for baby Moose in the spring, we also like to go to the mountains in the late summer/early fall to look for bulls. I thought I had blogged about it a lot, but I guess I haven’t, so here's just a little bit. Our early summer expedition is dubbed “Moosecapade.” We don’t really have a name for out fall adventures.

A great weekend in Grand Lake in 2015

Several years ago we rented a cabin in Grand Lake for the Labor Day holiday and had extraordinary luck with seven bulls that hung around the entire weekend.

We had decided we would go back each year and rent the same cabin and then the owner sold it to someone who has opted not to rent it out anymore. We never rented another cabin for Labor Day!

This time, we camped and we weren’t as lucky with Moose, seeing mainly females and yearlings with just a few bulls, most young and none with spectacular antlers.

A young male with modest antlers

I have written before about how the state of Colorado introduced Shiras Moose to Colorado back in the late 70s, starting in Walden, which is north of RMNP. Some billed it as a re-introduction, but there is no evidence that Moose ever lived in Colorado.

Female Moose just outside the Park

We attended a Ranger Talk this trip and learned more about what happened and how it’s going. First, the introduction was not environmental, it was economic. Moose were introduced for hunting, which brings in lots of revenue. And, it was implied that the National Park Service was not consulted.

Mother and calf grazing on the west side of RMNP

After the introduction, Moose have been slowly spreading out across the state.

First, they were exclusively on the western side of the mountains.

Now they also appear on the east.

And, they have moved south.

Whereas Moose have been declining elsewhere, they Moose have done well in Colorado. According to RMNP, too well.

The Moose are destroying the willows, which both causes them to spread further and drives out other animals that depend on that habitat. Most notable, Beavers have pretty much disappeared from RMNP. The ecosystem is being affected and probably not in a good way.

This collared Moose is part of a RMNP study that monitors where they go

RMNP's Moose have few predators

Why?

Well, Moose have been introduced into an area that lacks most of their natural predators. This includes Wolves and Brown Bears, which no longer live in Colorado, and Mountain Lions, which have had their numbers greatly reduced.

So, there is little to check Moose expansion.

RMNP is now exploring what can be done.

One option is to wait and see what happens.

Another is to hold an annual cull where Moose hunting is allowed in the Park.

We favor Wolves; this Moose might not

The third is to reintroduce Wolves, which were long ago driven out in early settlers' ill-advised efforts to eliminate all predators. Now, they only occasionally wander down to Colorado from Wyoming.

The RMNP staff has lots of concerns about Wolves because the Park is relatively small (compared to the huge Yellowstone/Grand Teton complex that does support a Wolf population) and it borders on populated areas.

Of course, if Wolves show up on their own – and they might with the huge Moose buffet we are growing – then, they would be protected in RMNP. But, the Park is concerned about a concerted introduction.

You know that Caty and I favor bringing in Wolves. That would be so awesome.

Yellowstone Wolf, 2016

Unfortunately, there are so many misconceptions about Wolves, it may be a long haul. No, they won’t kill off all the Elk or all the Moose. Yes, they will take some cattle, but it won’t destroy ranching in Colorado. And, no, they won’t stalk and kill all the people who visit the Park. They would help balance the prey populations and they would certainly get me back in the Park more often.

Brainard Lake
Originally, we wanted to camp at Brainard Lake, where we have always had good luck with Bull Moose, but it was Labor Day weekend and we could not get a camping spot there (even on Thursday morning!). So, we camped at Timber Creek on the west side of RMNP.

Brainard Moose, 2017

But, one morning, we got up a 3:00 a.m. and drove all the way to Brainard Lake to try to catch Moose before they went back into the woods for the day. One of the most interesting things about the drive was that we went the entire distance from the campground over Train Ridge Road to the eastern side of the Park without seeing another car. I think we were, indeed, the ONLY car on the top of the ridge.

Brainard Lake in the early morning

It was lovely. But, there were no Moose. Apparently, they had already started moving up into the mountains for the rut. We had thought about hiking while there, but the holiday crowds were oppressive. So, we headed back to RMNP.

Monarch Lake

We also went out to Monarch Lake, which is 28 miles south of the campground in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. We went fairly late in the afternoon and didn’t see much at the lake except a fishing Osprey – a real treat ...

Getting this made up for missing a similar opportunity Earlier in Grand Teton National Park

... and an adorable White-Tailed Deer Fawn ...

He was curious

On the way out we photographed several other Ospreys (I think we could dub this trip "Ospreycapade"), including one on a nest right by the road ...

Ospreys live on the water and can be found throughout North America

... and one that perched close to us in a tree ...

The yellow eyes indicate an adult; juveniles have orange eyes

... before taking off ...

Liftoff

See the frayed rope in the nest?

Then, we encountered a nest that underscored the dangers of litter. It looked as though the ospreys had used some rope in their nest and then one of the birds became entangled and died. There was a juvenile Osprey in the nest, but we couldn’t tell if the dead bird was a sibling or a parent. Very sad to see, regardless.

The juvenile was probably fine; it was fledged and, this late in the season, could most likely fend for itself.

We went back to Monarch earlier in the day on Labor Day, but parking was insane, with cars illegally parked for probably a mile along the narrow road into the lake, turning it into a one-way route. Nope!

Camping

It was a nice weekend for camping.

Timber Creek Campground

We had just a smidge of rain, but lots of threatening clouds, which put the damper (no pun intended) on any hiking plans –especially after part of the Ranger talk had been a first-hand description from the Ranger's wife of what it is like to be struck by lightning on a trail.

The clear night made for some good Milky Way opportunities. We didn't spend a lot of time on night sky because of our frequent early morning departures – some in Park to look for Moose and that (fruitless) early, early morning trek to Brainard Lake. But, we did capture some of the magnificent night sky.

A big plus was that every evening as the sun set, we saw bats (Little Brown Bats to be specific)! That was a first for me in RMNP. Hard to photograph, but fun to see.

Little Brown Bats after sunset

And, although we didn’t concentrate on them, we saw a few (but not a lot of) Elk ...

Rocky Mountain Elk Cow and Calf

... some Squirrels planning for winter ...

Pine Squirrel eating, well, pine!

... and lots and lots of American Crows ...

Murder!!!

And, we had some fun photographing a Kingfisher ...

Female Belted Kingfisher

It was a low-key weekend, but you can’t really go wrong with RMNP!

A very pretty young female

Trip date: August 30-September 2, 2019

Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Grand Teton National Park

Willow Bend sunrise

Whereas we always think of Yellowstone as the ANIMAL Park, we always think of Grand Teton as the SCENERY Park. That is generally true, although Yellowstone has some spectacular scenery and Grand Teton can deliver animals.

I have blogged about Grand Teton National Park before, so I won’t get into a lot of the Park details here, just a bit about the short trip Caty and I took in August.

Grand Teton National Park

Normally, we go to Grand Teton first, following up with Yellowstone because Grand Teton is closer, but this time lodging availability turned that around. As I said, we like to stay at Dornan’s Spur Ranch Cabins because of its proximity to all the sights in the Park, especially Moose-Wilson Road, where we have had good luck with Moose before. We had a lovely cabin with a full kitchen, a separate bedroom and a pull-out couch. Very comfy. It’s too bad we don’t spend more time in our rooms.

Dornan's Spur Ranch Cabins

Usually, Dornan’s also provides a little bit of wildlife – birds and deer, maybe a close-by Moose. This time, it was just a Northern Flicker.

Northern Flicker

Dornan's Chuckwagon Grill; Photo: Dornan's

We had dinner at the Chuckwagon Grill, a western outdoor restaurant just by the cabins. Serving steak and fixin’s since 1948, it is the kind of place you think of when you think of The West! We have always wanted to try it and have always been too busy. So, this time, we ate there.

The meal was a bit disappointing. The steaks were large and fairly good, but slightly undercooked and totally cooled down by the time they were served. The corn on the cob was equally cool (and served with no butter!). Mashed potatoes were so-so. Caty had the salad bar, which looked pretty good. The best part was when we cooked up the leftover steak for dinner the next night. When it was hot, it was delicious.

Float Trip

View from the raft

We decided to take a scenic float trip on the Snake River with Barker Ewing. This would be our third time doing this. We did it once when Caty and Becca were young and, then, Caty and I did it a few years ago around sunset. On that trip, we didn’t have long lenses and it was getting dark, so we were not able to get good pictures of the many, many Beavers and Eagles we saw. So we opted for a 10 a.m. trip so we would have sunlight and we would have time for a little exploring before we went. It was definitely better for photography, but not so much for animals. We should have taken the first trip of the morning.

The raft is oared by hand

The views were incredible and the trip was very pleasant, but no Beavers or Moose or Bears showed up.

And, make no mistake, it is a float trip. There is no whitewater. You just float along with the current in a very shallow river.

We had to wear life jackets, but probably could have walked to safety had there been a mishap.

It is interesting, however, that the swift-running Snake River often changes course, leaving new patterns in the gravel bars.

Our driver was informative and out boat-mates friendly; it just wasn’t particularly exciting. At least we didn’t get wet!

We did see a couple of Bald Eagles, both adult …

Adult Bald Eagle

… and juvenile …

Juvenile Bald Eagle

We saw some birds, including Dippers and Cedar Waxwings ...

Dipper, left; Cedar Waxwing, right

And, we had a very close encounters with some Common Mergansers …

Common Merganser

… right by the raft …

Common Merganser

But, besides that, it was just mountains …

The Tetons

... and mountains …

A Bald Eagle flying over the mountains

... and mountains …

The Tetons

Views

But, then, that is what the National Park is about – those spectacular views of the Grand Tetons, including 12,514-foot-tall South, 12,804-foot-tall Middle and 13,776-foot-tall Grand Teton …

The Tetons

… the Snake River …

Snake River

…12,605-foot-tall Mount Moran …

Mount Moran

... Jackson Lake ...

Jackson Lake

... Willow Bend ...

Willow Bend

… and the beautiful barns along Morman Row …

Our favorite is the T.A. Moulton barn

Mormon Row is a historic district that consists of a line of homestead complexes along the Jackson-Moran Road on Antelope Flats near the southeast corner of the Park. The rural historic landscape's period of significance includes the construction of the Andy Chambers, T.A. Moulton and John Moulton farms from 1908 to the 1950s. Six building clusters and a separate ruin illustrate Mormon settlement in the area and comprise such features as drainage systems, barns, fields and corrals.

Mormon Row

The Mormon Row district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

The Park is so beautiful that you just can’t stop taking pictures.

Early morning

You just can’t stop.

River view

We also ventured out to the slide area Along Gros Ventre Road. This is where a massive landslide occurred on June 23, 1925, following melt from a heavy snowpack, several weeks of heavy rain and earthquake tremors in the area. Approximately 50,000,000 cubic yards of primarily sedimentary rock slid down the north face of Sheep Mountain, crossed over the Gros Ventre River and rode up the opposite mountainside, a distance of 300 feet. The landslide created a large dam more than 200 feet high and 400 yards wide across the Gros Ventre River, backing up the water and forming Lower Slide Lake. It is one of the world's largest known examples of modern-day mass wasting events aside from volcanic eruptions.

Left. slide; right, Gros Ventre mountains

On May 18, 1927, part of the landslide dam failed, resulting in a massive flood that was six feet deep for at least 25 miles downstream. The small town of Kelly, six miles downstream, was wiped out, killing six people.

Moose-Wilson Road

One of our favorite places to look for wildlife has always been Moose-Wilson Road. No, it isn’t named Moose-Wilson because it’s a good place to see Moose; rather it’s the road that goes from Moose to Wilson. Of course, the town of Moose got its name from the Moose in the area. So, it has historically been a good place to see Moose.

In the past, we have seen Moose and Bears there, as well as a lot of birds.

Left to right, Black Bear, Moose, Cedar Waxwings on Moose-Wilson Road

But, the road was closed over the past two years to make “improvements” and to study the effect of traffic on the wildlife.

The road has reopened, but with a very negative change. Now, the area where most animals are seen is a “no stop” area. So, you can drive through, but if you see something, you can’t stop to photograph – unless you walk. And, when we did walk, a Ranger told us not to (although there are no signs restricting walking).

The irony is that Rangers ALL recommend Moose-Wilson for animal spotting and they NEVER mention that there are serious restrictions on the road.

There is a parking area near the restricted area that looks down on the stream that runs along the road. We always stop there because we have seen animals there.

Moose at Moose-Wilson Overlook, 2013

This trip, one time we stopped, some people there said they had just seen a Bear. When we walked over to look down the embankment to see if we could find it, some young boys told us it was a Moose.

Photo: Caty Stevens

So, a Moose or Bear (something big and dark brown) had just swum across the creek. Where was it?

Well, it came up the bank and walked right behind us while we were talking to the boys! Right behind us! Pretty close! Of course, as we reacted, we both failed to get a picture before it walked off into the woods.

Then, we swung wide and walked down the road, scanning the openings in the foliage as we walked. We saw the Bear (a Black Bear) twice.

The first time, Caty caught it as it stood up and scratched its back on a pole (right after I said I’d like to see a Bear scratch its back on a tree!). I was two steps behind and saw it, but missed the shot. This is all I got:

Black Bear on Moose-Wilson Road

We scanned the road repeatedly, hoping to see a Great Gray Owl. No luck with that, but there was an Osprey in a nest where we always see an Osprey in a nest.

Osprey on the nest

So, it wasn’t a great Bear sighting, but we did see one! And, we learned from other people that a good place to see Moose was along the Gros Ventre River. We followed some people there to find the right spot.

Gros Ventre Moose

The Gros Ventre (pronounced “grow vaunt” and meaning “big belly”) River was the ONLY place we saw Moose. Grand Teton used to be famous for Moose, but in recent years, it has been hard to find them. One reason was, undoubtedly, the heat (it was in the 90s, much hotter than Yellowstone).

Moose cow

Despite much research on the decline of Moose in the area, there are no clear answers, but I did read an interesting theory.

Mama and baby

When the Lewis and Clark expedition came west in 1804, one of their missions was to catalog everything they found along the way, including wildlife.

They saw very few Moose then, most likely because, at the time, there was a robust population of predators, including Bears, Mountain Lions and Wolves.

Through trapping, hunting and poisoning, white settlers reduced Grizzly Bear populations to near extinction and completely exterminated Wolves.

So, Moose populations went from very few in the early 1800s, to 250 in the 1960s, to a peak of 3,000-4,000 in 1993. That number was too high. Then, Grizzly Bears started coming back. Although, the much larger number of Bears hasn’t killed all the Moose, it has made them much more wary. Grizzlies spend a lot of time grazing in river bottoms and meadows on many of the same plants that Moose rely on.

Moose love willow

This pushes Moose to the margins of their habitat and decreases their ability to feed, leaving them weaker and thinner, thus increasing mortality rates. Now, Wolves are adding to the stress. Plus, many Moose now avoid the Park (and its Bears) and show up in the nearby towns, where Wolves and Grizzlies won’t venture.

They REALLY love willow

Another place where they are often seen is along the Gros Ventre River. We went three times and we able to see a mother and calf feeding in the thick willows along the bank of the river one morning.

Mama and baby eating willows

Then, one evening, we saw two of the big bulls that hang out at the river. Unfortunately, they were very, very far away.

Distant Bull Moose

While watching for them, however, we were lucky to see an American Beaver going about his business …

American Beaver

… Plus, lots of birds, including the beautiful Cedar Waxwing ...

Cedar Waxwing

An Interesting Encounter

I mentioned that we had asked NPS Rangers where to see animals. It’s something we generally do that rarely delivers useful information, but is always worth a shot.

Isle Royale Moose, 2016

This time, we were having a discussion with one Ranger about the decline in Moose and touting Rocky Mountain National Park as the best place to see Moose (Caty and I have seen more than 40 different Moose in a weekend).

Another Ranger chimed in and told us Isle Royale was the best place to see Moose. She said had spent three summers as a Ranger there.

I told her that I had been there and had seen only one (a magnificent one; but just one) and she laid out details on where to see them (backcountry) and what time of year (August/September).

She asked when I had been there and I had to pull out my National Park Passport to check.

Oh, yeah! I was there on August 25, 2016, the official 100^th anniversary of the National Park Service! How could I forget? I even had all the Rangers sign my book! Then she reached over and pointed out her signature in my book! What a funny coincidence.