Arising early and persistence are two things that usually pay off when trying to view wildlife in Yellowstone. From one day to the next you can never know what you might see. One day, you might see nothing of note and the next may be a banner day for viewing. Yesterday, we saw very little at our favorite viewing spot. We saw one black wolf for about five seconds in the far distance. This morning, upon entering the Park just before daybreak, we saw a black wolf about 100 feet off the road near Barronette. It was too dark to make a photograph. We wondered if it was a wolf from the Lamar Pack, whose...

Yellowstone National Park is not all about the big game. It is an important stop over for migratory birds and it has its own bird residents. There are Sand Hill Cranes, Great Blue Herons, Peregrine Falcons, Bald Eagles and Swans. There are Red Cross-bills and Mountain Bluebirds that we don't get to see at home. They spend their winters at lower altitudes and head to the alpine hillsides for the summer at up to 12,000 ft. Next Entry in Diary

Do run run run, Do run run... Yes, like the Bison, Pronghorn run and they run really fast. The Pronghorn, not an antelope, is the fastest land animal in the U.S. They have such a maximized lung and heart capacity for running that there are no predators that can catch them. Scientists believe that they evolved to evade an extinct American cheetah. This little fawn was feeling its oats this morning. https://youtu.be/WZBJgeOX0q0 Next Entry in Diary

The Running of the Bulls It is not Pamplona, Spain but the bulls (and cows and calves) do run in Yellowstone. On a number of occasions we have seen large numbers of Bison run and, no, there is nothing chasing them. In this video, a large herd of maybe 500-700 Bison run from a high meadow down and through the Lamar Valley after crossing the Lamar River whose swift current can carry a little calf away. The last time we witnessed this event, the Bison were coming over a hill along side a little lake, then up another hill and down the other side. They could not see where the other Bison before...

Please click below the "read more" to see the full post and video. In the last post we saw female wolf 907 (they get numbers from their collars) and two pack members attempt to get an Elk calf for the Junction Butte Pack puppies. After their failure, they did not skulk away in defeat. Instead, it was time for play. Rick McIntyre, author of the new book "The Rise of Wolf 8," notes that he has observed over 10 different games wolves play. They play hide and seek, chase me, and a role-reversal where the dominant wolf plays like he or she is the victim while the underling gets to play the dominant...

Note: Please click "read more" for the whole article and video. Having a bundle of puppies is a lot of work for the pack. We find wolves so interesting because they have social structures very like mankind. The alpha pack leaders rule the pack and the big boss is the alpha female. The alpha male is the chief warrior but the alpha female makes all the decisions. The females make relationships with the males to get them to bring her and the pups food. The mother cannot leave the pups in the den because the little ones can not regulate their temperature. She must be there to keep them warm....

Note: Be sure to click on read more at the end to see pictures and videos Colter Campground opens to a new season. Dealing with COVID-19 will present some challenges this year but we are dedicated to a safe and enjoyable season for all our visitors. We think it is very important that folks have the opportunity to escape the pressures of COVID and enjoy the fresh air and mountains. Our primary interest in selecting and applying to host with the US Forest Service was the proximity to the Lamar Valley which has some of the best wolf watching in the world. Folks arrive at day break each morning...

It goes so fast. Barb and I both love the Bison, the little "Red Dogs" that now are turning into mini-Bison with the brown color instead of Red. I will remember "Legend" the 1 year pup that the guides think will become a legend because of his independent willingness to put his "paws" in the fan sometimes. The bears both black and grizzly and their cubs. and the landscape. High up in the Beartooth Mountains of Montana and Wyoming. Sunset in the Lamar Valley We hope all our critter friends will survive the harsh winter.

I got an image of an unusual fox the other day. Unlike the other foxes in this area I have gotten pictures of, which are basic red with black feet and ears and have short hair, this fox had long grey hair and a silvery face with a little red on his legs. I did some research and found an article about Patrick Cross of the US Forest Service who is studying these foxes he has found in the Beartooth Mountains. They are not related by DNA to the common red fox in Yellowstone National Park. He believes these are remnants of an Asia fox that travel here during an ice age. Either way they are beautiful.

Am I getting old? Did you ever search for Waldo? English illustrator Martin Handford created two page puzzle illustrations containing many people doing many things and you were challenged to find Wally. Finding wildlife is often like that. A complex landscape with a grey wolf somewhere. So give it a try. Can you find waldo? (not her real name) || || || \/ There she is....