Month: May 2016

On my first day off, I had the opportunity to wander around the Upper Geyser Basin after breakfast on an absolutely gorgeous sunshiny morning. As I got to a bit of a rise and looked back out over the Basin with all the steam coming up off the geysers and hot springs, this incredible surge of joy and wonderment came over me . . . “I live in one of the most incredibly beautiful, alive and wild places on the planet!”

 

 

 

 

As I reflected back on the amazing things I’ve seen and learned since I came to Yellowstone (less than three weeks ago), I remembered watching the mama grizzly (sow) and her two cubs. It was awesome to watch her with those babies. She seemed determined to go about her business eating and teaching those adorable cubs what to eat.

At one point one of them looked a little overwhelmed with all of us (probably 100 people at that “bear jam”) gawking at them and it reached up and touched her face as if to say, “What’s going on?” The entire crowd let out this audible “Awwwww . . .” and the mom just seemed to reassure the little guy it was safe and that she’d see to it. Definitely! You certainly do not want to come between a grizzly and her babies!

I also reflected back on being enchanted with watching and observing wolves, bison, elk, moose, pronghorn, bighorn sheep and mountain goats. One morning coming back from breakfast we watched a badger, another time I watched a Pine Marten, Yellow-bellied Marmots, Least Chipmunks and Uinta Ground Squirrels. And those are only the mammals!

I’ve seen a Loon, Peregrin Falcons, Ospreys, Trumpeter Swans, Canada Geese, Mergansers, Sandhill Cranes, and Harlequin Ducks! And scores of other smaller birds such as all the beautiful swallows, bluebirds, and warblers. Whew!

My sister said, “It sounds like you’re living in a PBS Nature show!” Terry McEneaney puts it beautifully in his book, Birds of Yellowstone,

“. . . where else can you watch an Osprey carrying a fish in its talons fly past a spectacular waterfall, or . . . hear the simultaneous bugling of an elk, hooting of a Great Horned Owl, howling of a coyote, calling of a flock of Sandhill Cranes, and trumpeting of Trumpeter Swans in . . . [an] unforgettable wilderness concerto? Watching birds in Yellowstone is like going to a multi-media show.”

I am blessed. I’m learning so much and wanting to learn even more. I’m honestly looking forward to sharing my joy, enthusiasm and learning with others about this amazing and important place. Yellowstone National Park!

 

 

Yesterday I saw my very first wolf. Not in a video or movie or photograph. A real, live wolf. And not just one wolf. Lots of wolves. Looking through the scope at the new mom enjoying some sunshine with pups still in the den, I got tears in my eyes and was filled with an emotion hard to describe. What were these tears about anyway? I was filled with a joy that these magnificently beautiful wild things are back in Yellowstone and doing well, but it was more personal. I have been incredibly drawn to wolves as long as I can remember. The closest I’d come to that feeling of complete wildness was listening to coyotes going after prey in the “wilds” of the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California in the early 70s. But I’ve always wanted to see—and hear—wolves in the wild.

On our way from the hotel in Cooke City heading to Lamar Valley, we were able to watch a male moose with his antlers just starting to re-emerge down at Soda Butte Creek in Round Valley. I felt it was a sign we would be blessed with many wonderful more sitings on this special first full day in Yellowstone.

We arrived really quite early—just barely getting light—but there were already hardy wolf watcher citizen scientist volunteers at “Bob’s Knob” in Slough Creek. Everyone was incredibly helpful and let us watch through their more high-end scopes.

As I sat on that knoll yesterday in the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park, I felt so very privileged to experience such a spectacular site.

The morning light increased as we kept watching and learning, and I knew this was the absolute perfect way to start my summer in Yellowstone. We watched as one of the mothers left her den and pups for a short bit of fresh air and sunshine, we watched at least 6-7 yearlings chasing each other around as the older black looked on, even joining in the play a little bit, and—incredibly—watched as 3-4 of them were chasing some of the elk with no success. They’re getting older now and are expected to help out with the feeding of the moms and pups.

As I sat there on that knoll watching this scene unfold in the famous valley of the wolves I’ve only read and heard about for years, I was struck by not only the amazing stark beauty of this special place, but it felt like a scene from the Tanzanian Serengeti Plains.

There were the wolves, a grizzly crossing in the low valley, and then all the huge bison and calves, pronghorn and elk—and of course the ever-present ravens. What a scene! I understand “they” really do call it the “Serengeti of Yellowstone.” I don’t remember hearing it called that, but my guess is I probably did hear or read it—but certainly didn’t recall that as I watched this scene taking place before me on May 1st 2016—but I can certainly see why it would be referred to in that way.

I’ve arrived and am ready to start work here in Yellowstone National Park tomorrow, and am so blessed to be spending my summer over the next five months being able to show these kinds of scenes—or even a tiny little part of it—to people from all over the world. I think it was a perfect way to begin my summer watching the wolves of Yellowstone.