|
 |
 |
 |
 |
Hi Folks!
I hope you're having a great spring season! It's been excellent out here. Of course, who can argue with birds, wildflowers, sunshine and greenery?
Mid-May I did my first float of the season with Pam and Craig. We floated the Jefferson, which is experiencing high water right now. We observed some really neat wildlife sights and made a few discoveries.
For a while we overlooked and watched a red fox den. Saw the 2 adults as well as 6 pups. Red fox are simply one of the most beautiful animals I think I ever see. So delicate, colorful and gracefully active. We also observed a white-faced ibis. This is not a bird most folks associate with Montana. We spotted it in the Three Forks of the Missouri area. Most likely this bird was a migrant heading to areas further north in Montana to nest. Beautiful breeding plumage on this individual. We also found a new bald eagle nest. Floated right by a beautiful adult perched in front of a massive nest.
Recent time in Yellowstone, with Marc and Marci, allowed me to see my first elk calf of the season. Unfortunately for the calf it was in the jaws of a good size black bear. Elk are starting to have their calves right now, and bears, coyotes and wolves will take full advantage of the seasonal abundance of prey. Fortunately calves are not completely defenseless. Their coloration, lack of scent and secretive nature will ensure that many survive. Biologically speaking, the loss of an individual is insignificant as long as enough survive to maintain the population. Still, it is sometimes heart rending to actually observe predation.
We also observed 3 other black bears, most of them simply grazing vegetation, as was the lone grizzly we observed high in a mountain meadow.
Klara, Erroll, and their two children (Sophia and Alexander) joined me for a day tour to see as much as Yellowstone would give us. We had an excellent look at a badger (always an impressive animal) and watched a black bear forage along the forest floor (again simply grazing). We also caught an eruption of Echinus geyser and saw numerous other wildlife such as elk, bison, mule deer, coyote, and sandhill crane. If you think you'd like to come out and use my service, contact me as soon as possible. We do get fully booked and I always feel bad when we can't serve someone's request.
I've stripped down to a T-shirt, sitting in full sunlight on a warm
May
afternoon. My friends, ten-year-old Kaeli, and her Mom, Linda, and
I have
been grazing on trail mix, sandwiches, pasta salads, and other
assorted
snacks. In spite of this, I'm still "high-grading" the chocolate
chips out
of the trail mix. The sharp "alarm" bark of a coyote gets my
attention and I
sit up, grab my binocs, and start searching for the maker. From our
elevated
perch on a hillside, we're scanning the half-mile of grass and
sagebrush
covered plain before us. Again the coyote barks, and again.
Finally we spot
him quartering away to the South, looking over his shoulder every 10
yards.
These backward glances get Kale's attention. She searches north and
after a
few moments barks out her own alarm, "Uncle Ken, I think I see a
wolf!" In
unison, Linda and I swing our binoculars right and almost
immediately spot
the charcoal wolf crossing the bright green grassy plain. It's
moving at a
fast canid quick step, about 300 yards out and quartering towards a
draw just
north of our observation post.
This is a pretty good wildlife sighting. But it actually got
better, for as
soon as the wolf was out of sight I spotted a large black bear
grazing a lush
landscape depression about a quarter mile away. With spotting scopes
trained, we watched the lone bear nip off dandelion heads. We
laughed as the
bear, head raised, sniffed the air with a yellow flower poking from
its
mouth. With the black bear still visible, Linda, not to be outdone,
searches
up a lone grizzly. For a warm spring afternoon, the wildlife are
impressively active. But I'm not really that surprised. After all,
we're in
Yellowstone in the spring -- quite possibly the best time of year to
view the
Park's free-ranging wildlife. Earlier in the day we had seen a wolf
pack
disturb a herd of elk, a grizzly (possibly the same one) kill an elk
calf,
and we'd watched a golden eagle hover 20 feet above us for what
seemed a
stalled moment in time. All from the same perch of our own.
Yellowstone National Park and its surrounding environs are well
known as one
of the great wildlife areas of the world. In the "Big Picture"
realm of the
Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem there are comparatively isolated areas
which
harbor concentrations of certain species and which afford us the best
opportunity of actually seeing some of these guys. As spring
progresses and
the snowline recedes, elk rise in elevation, seeking newly exposed
lush and
nutritious forage on open slopes and meadows. With the peak of the
elk
calving season occurring from mid-May to mid-June, protein seeking
bears,
wolves and coyotes will be focused on newborn calves. This
combination of
concentrated calving elk, open meadows and mountainsides, and
foraging
predators, can provide just the right combination for wildlife
watching
almost beyond belief.
There are two rules to live by, however: you'll need binoculars and
preferably a spotting scope as well; and you'll always want to
minimize
disturbance to the wildlife you're observing. (The later rule is
particularly
important in backcountry areas.) Otherwise, keep your eyes open, be
patient
and you'll be rewarded with your own unique wildlife sights to last a
lifetime.
Have a Great Spring Season!
Ken Sinay
|
|
|
|
