~written by Megan, Kevin, and April
As much fun as we had exploring the geothermal wonders of the park, we had even more fun viewing the magnificent wildlife. One of the advantages to Yellowstone is that most of the animals along the roads are habituated to humans gawking at them, which makes photographing them rather easy--just roll down the window, point the camera, and shoot a picture!
As much fun as we had exploring the geothermal wonders of the park, we had even more fun viewing the magnificent wildlife. One of the advantages to Yellowstone is that most of the animals along the roads are habituated to humans gawking at them, which makes photographing them rather easy--just roll down the window, point the camera, and shoot a picture!
Bison
Our first view of a bison was the one we almost hit on the drive in late at night. We also had a resident bison who hung out near the campground. We saw very large herds of them through the Hayden Valley as well in the Lamar Valley. We also saw bison calves which were very cute. Most of the time we simply saw bison just standing by the road and eventually they became less interesting to us, so we didn't stop as often for them. We bought a book about bison while we were there, and it said that a long time ago you could see millions of bison just stretched out across the prairie.
There were signs all over warning people to not go near the bison because they might charge at you. One of the movies that was playing in a museum in Yellowstone showed some people who got too close to a bison and were charged. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Our first view of a bison was the one we almost hit on the drive in late at night. We also had a resident bison who hung out near the campground. We saw very large herds of them through the Hayden Valley as well in the Lamar Valley. We also saw bison calves which were very cute. Most of the time we simply saw bison just standing by the road and eventually they became less interesting to us, so we didn't stop as often for them. We bought a book about bison while we were there, and it said that a long time ago you could see millions of bison just stretched out across the prairie.
There were signs all over warning people to not go near the bison because they might charge at you. One of the movies that was playing in a museum in Yellowstone showed some people who got too close to a bison and were charged. Luckily, no one was hurt.
Elk
We saw quite a few elk as we were driving down the road. We saw one with a radio collar, some very cute elk calves, and a huge bull elk came out right across the river from us when we stopped at a picnic area to eat one day. We had a great view of the bull, and Megan got some good pictures (see below right). Unlike the bison, the elk weren't in large herds.
We saw quite a few elk as we were driving down the road. We saw one with a radio collar, some very cute elk calves, and a huge bull elk came out right across the river from us when we stopped at a picnic area to eat one day. We had a great view of the bull, and Megan got some good pictures (see below right). Unlike the bison, the elk weren't in large herds.
Coyotes
We saw several coyotes during our stay. One of them (we are really embarrassed to admit this) we thought was a wolf at first because it was radio-collared. One of the coyotes we saw was pretty nice looking--it had longer fur than the others and wasn't as skinny. We also saw some coyote pups from a distance.
We saw several coyotes during our stay. One of them (we are really embarrassed to admit this) we thought was a wolf at first because it was radio-collared. One of the coyotes we saw was pretty nice looking--it had longer fur than the others and wasn't as skinny. We also saw some coyote pups from a distance.
Grizzly Bears
The entire family had to accommodate April's wishes to try to see a grizzly (ah, the sacrifices we make for each other). As a result, the children were dragged out of their sleeping bags at the early hour of 5:00 a.m. in order for us to drive to Dunraven Pass by 6:00 a.m. where there were frequent sightings of these ursids. The full story is too long and detailed to recount here, but the highlight was, as April (with Erin in backpack) was hiking up the road to the area where all the people with spotting scopes had just moved, a big momma grizzly and her two cubs came walking about 50 feet away from her! It was incredible! April was kicking herself for leaving the camera back in the Suburban with Kevin, but she anticipated the view to be of a small dot walking too far away to photograph. She called Kevin and the other children on the walkie-talkie and told them to hurry up the road and see wild grizzlies--and to bring the camera. (The rangers were rather picky about parking only in designated areas along the pass, so that is why we were walking on the road rather than driving.) We watched the mother and her babies forage for about 45 minutes, after which time they were little dots too far away to photograph, plus everyone thought it was time to eat some breakfast by then.
Wolves
The wolves were one of the most exciting things about our trip. We learned that one pack made daily appearances across the river from the Otter Creek Picnic Area. One night we arrived too late to see them, so we went back early the next morning. We were about ten minutes too late! We waited patiently for another hour before they made their second appearance. The wolves had five pups that stayed out for a long time playing. One was black, and the others were sandy. One adult wolf (subadult female) was there for most of the time because she was watching the pups. She stood up occasionally, and we got some good pictures of her. The pups were very cute. The black one was easy to spot, so that was good, because the others were a bit hard to see. The pups went down to the river for a while, and while they were there, their mother, who had been hunting, came back. She gave them food, and the black pup ran off with a big chunk of it. We spent about 5 hours viewing them off and on that morning.
The wolves were one of the most exciting things about our trip. We learned that one pack made daily appearances across the river from the Otter Creek Picnic Area. One night we arrived too late to see them, so we went back early the next morning. We were about ten minutes too late! We waited patiently for another hour before they made their second appearance. The wolves had five pups that stayed out for a long time playing. One was black, and the others were sandy. One adult wolf (subadult female) was there for most of the time because she was watching the pups. She stood up occasionally, and we got some good pictures of her. The pups were very cute. The black one was easy to spot, so that was good, because the others were a bit hard to see. The pups went down to the river for a while, and while they were there, their mother, who had been hunting, came back. She gave them food, and the black pup ran off with a big chunk of it. We spent about 5 hours viewing them off and on that morning.
Columbian Spotted Frog (Kevin thinks)
Mammals, mammals, mammals. Sadly, the amphibians of Yellowstone go largely ignored, so we end with this frog. Kevin was quite excited to catch a species of frog that was new for him. (Don't report him for catching wildlife in a national park--he did release it after taking photos.) He heard it croaking while we were playing on the shore of Yellowstone Lake and followed the sound to its source.
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