Yellowstone, Bears, Birds, and Wolves
May 28-June 3, 2006 - Trip Report

Sun., May 28 Arrival in Bozeman / Yellowstone National Park
Our group met without a hitch in Bozeman, and soon we were on our way to the world’s first national park, where Peg has taught and guided trips every year since 1980. Snow had fallen heavily the night before, so we were fortunate to have a break in the clouds and spectacular views of the Crazy and Absaroka Mountains en route. Al spotted two bedded White-tailed Deer near Emigrant, as we were pulled over to watch and listen to the rather raucous calls of displaying Yellow-headed Blackbirds. The Yellowstone River was in flood, brown with silt and roaring. Near Mammoth, Ken spotted a elk cow with a newborn calf – despite the snow, spring had surely arrived on the Yellowstone Plateau!

We walked to one of the finest features of the Mammoth Hot Springs, alive with color and texture, and stopped again for a stretch at the Sheepeater Cliffs, a young volcanic feature in the park. On the lichen-clad columnar flow, Yellow-bellied Marmots posed for photos – at least before a four-year-old dressed in pink discovered them! No Dippers here today – we headed on to Lake and our lovely accommodations in this grand old hotel. It was snowing and blustery for much of the last portion of the trip; by the time we had dinner it was really coming down. We wondered what the morning would bring!!

Mon., May 29 A Three-Griz Day / Hayden Valley / Lake /Old Faithful
Despite the snow squalls, Peg lobbied for an early morning start -- and we were so richly rewarded for it! Just the light was worth an outing, as it highlighted the folds and turns of Hayden’s sage colored hills. Pools of water mirrored the bison that fed near them, the river flowed full, and for a few moments, a shaft of sun lit the only thermal feature in view. We watched Sandhill Cranes fly overhead and had views of several ducks; then suddenly eagle-eyed Nancy called, “bear!” She spotted a large Griz, likely a male, walking along the tree line – we had quick but excellent looks.

Much to our surprise, we encountered another bear just down the road and very close to the road, investigating the leftovers of a wolf kill from the week before. As several other cars approached, it seemed a bit wary, and wandered off. We went a bit farther to Elk Antler Creek, and were able to catch it zig-zagging through the sage. Hidden from our view, it swam the ice-cold river, then approached a bison carcass. For at least a half hour we watched through scopes, with full frame views of its face and feeding antics – wow! There was not much left on this carcass, but it found fresh meat at one point and really pulled. Ravens clustered around it with little trepidation, urgent to feed. Seeing White Pelicans lit by a shaft of sunlight was an added thrill.

After enjoying our field breakfast and hot coffee at this spot we pulled ourselves away to the Upper and then Lower Falls of the Yellowstone River. Spectacular light played on the colorful canyon walls. An Osprey hugged tight to its nest suggested egg laying had begun; another flew acrobatically across the canyon, rising on thermals emanating from the canyon walls. We took lots of photos, then drove over to the other side for a different perspective. Near Le Hardy rapids we checked for Harlequin Ducks (not there) but found instead two Swainson’s Thrushes and an active American Dipper, working hard in the fast moving stream. It was a first for Ann and Mary – high fives all around! For several members of the group, Barrow’s Goldeneye and Mountain Bluebird were other firsts this day.

After packing our luggage and taking refuge from yet another snow squall in a restaurant for lunch, we headed out to explore Yellowstone Lake along its northern shore. At the turn for Fishing Bridge and the East Entrance Road, we encountered a classic Yellowstone Bear Jam, only luckily we were at the perfect place to take in the viewing! Despite the wild scene we got fantastic looks at and also some fine photos of a two year old Griz. We were there over an hour, with many others. Ken enjoyed photographing the people more than the bear!

Then we moved on to Mary’s Bay, where we found three species of gulls, some bright Mountain Bluebirds, a host of ducks, and more. We drove up to Lake Butte for the view, and watched immense storms roll off the mountains and down toward the Lake. Needing to take cover, we dove into the van and headed down the mountain, continuing on to Old Faithful in the rain. Luckily, it broke by the time we reached West Thumb, so we could enjoy a walk and close views of the beautiful thermal features. We arrived at Old Faithful in time for everyone to explore and dine at leisure, with a few snow flurries to top off the day!

Tues., May 30 Old Faithful / Lunch in the Snow / Dunraven Pass / Lamar Valley
Despite the opportunity sleep in a bit today, several members of the group were up early to watch the Old Faithful Geyser just outside our door. We woke to sun (yeah!) and spent much of the morning on a leisurely walk amid the amazing scenery and thermal features of the Upper Geyser Basin. Old Faithful timed a blow just right for us to start our walk. We also saw Oblong and Grotto Geyser erupting; a real highlight was catching the start of Riverside Geyser’s eruption, a beautiful rush of water that arcs over the Firehole River. We had great views of Yellow-rumped Warblers in breeding plumage, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Common Merganser, and Osprey. Ken and Nancy lingered behind to photo, and got caught up in the drama of a Bison preparing (it seemed) to give birth! Al spotted a group of five or six Mountain Bluebirds feeding on the insects hatching out of a thermal runoff channel – their color intense against all the new green.

After walking for a couple of hours in the Old Faithful area, we drove off into the start of some new snow squalls. We opted to view animals and scenery from the warmth of the car: mother Bison and calves, lots of Elk, Trumpeter Swan along the Madison River, and a fly-by adult Bald Eagle. We fit in our picnic lunch during a brief break in the storms, though no one sat for long. The Norris Geyser Basin rangers gave us the good news that Dunraven Pass was open, so we quickly made our way there to continue on to Lamar Valley and our accommodations at Cooke City.

The park service had recently redone and opened Dunraven Pass. What an impressive mountain realm, with twisted windblown trees, and fresh snow on every bough. Rose Marie, our Los Angeles gal, just had to have photos in the snow! We all got out of the van to listen for Clark’s Nutcrackers and marvel at the scenery of greening slopes and rugged avalanche chutes. At one of the pull-outs we were fortunate to bump into a photographer patiently working on shots of a Ruffed Grouse, so we crept down silently for views just 12 feet away!

Near Calcite Springs we were happy to find the Peregrine Falcon back on the nest area she had used for several years. We had scope views of both male and female, along with Osprey that fished in this rugged canyon. Lamar Valley was full of Bison and their calves; on the road to Cooke City we spotted two different Moose, close enough to photograph. We had a great dinner at the Beartooth Café as our companionable group recounted the sightings of the day.

Wed., May 31 YNP: Lamar Valley / Slough Creek
We left early from Cooke City to get to an area where wolves had been seen the last few mornings. Pink light played on the 12,000-ft. peaks that surround Cooke City as we drove down along Warm Springs, Soda Butte Creeks, and finally into the Lamar Valley. Near Confluence, we spotted an elk cow in the river, the current pushing her strong body around like a cork. Not wanting to alarm her, we just stopped until she crossed while looking around for possible predators. Continuing on, we passed a group of several hundred bison and their calves – a sight reminiscent of the great wildebeest herds of Africa.

Our timing was just perfect: a volunteer working with Rick McIntyre had just spotted five of the Unknown Pack as Peg walked up to greet her! We quickly put up our scopes and enjoyed close to an hour of great views. This pack is now leading the show in Lamar, having put the Slough Creek pack on the run. This spring they killed the Slough Creek Pack’s beta male, then launched a siege for several days to force the Slough’s females to abandon their den (and escape with their lives!).

There is some talk that this pack may be the remnants of the once powerful Rose Creek Pack; Rick is calling it a Shakespearean drama, rightfully so! The Unknowns have surviving pups of last year, indicating they denned out of the park and away from the Distemper or Parvo Virus outbreak that claimed almost 80% of last year’s pups in Yellowstone. We had a grand time watching these yearlings, who could not resist chasing a group of Pronghorn. One of the blacks approached a lone Pronghorn, which read its intention and ran uphill – almost right into the other four wolves! The older gray never moved, knowing the hunt would go nowhere; but the young just have to use up that energy. The pack reassembled under the shade of a Douglas Fir tree, and did quite a bit of howling. They were answered by others of their pack closer to Lamar Canyon -- we could see them howling – wow!

What do you do for an encore to that? As Rose Marie said, “time for our breakfast.” Near a bend of Slough Creek we set up a tailgate feast, while a Golden Eagle out in the meadow put on a show, flying from low perch to low perch and grabbing a ground squirrel to feed on. We bathed in the sunlight (it had been COLD standing and watching wolves…) and admired the reflections of snow-capped peaks in the winding oxbows of Slough Creek. Into these reflections swam Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal. How elegant they were with their own reflections backed by a mosaic of reflected mountain light! We saw Pied-billed Grebe and American Wigeon; Peg also spotted a Cooper’s Hawk, perched quietly on a log pile, perhaps admiring its reflection.

We then walked up the Slough Creek Road, caught between looking up at birds or down at the carpet of wildflowers. We were delighted to see Western Warbling Vireo, Williamson’s Sapsucker, and the same Golden Eagle flying above. Then we went to check a spot where Peg had seen Bighorn Sheep often at this time of year; while they were absent, we found a female Harlequin Duck feeding amid tremendous current in the spring meltwaters of the Yellowstone River. These ducks are built like trout – it seems unbelievable they can maneuver and prosper in these strong waters.

Driving back through the Lamar Valley, we could not resist pulling over near an Aspen grove, where Cedar Waxwings were catching insects acrobatically and a group of about 50 bison were napping. What this sun must feel like to them after enduring a Yellowstone winter! One by one they rolled in the dirt -- even the young calves gave dust bathing a try. Mothers lounged as if at the beach, while youngsters tried out their legs with short runs. Two little guys, likely two weeks old at best, gave sparring a try. What a gift – to have time to witness spring and all this new life.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch under massive volcanic cliffs banded with new green vegetation and remnants of snow. Mary sat quietly by the creek taking in all the beauty; when Peg approached she smiled and said, “I’ve wanted to come to Yellowstone since I was a little girl.” We stopped at Baronette Peak en route home, to scope for Mountain Goats. We found several and watched them negotiate the cliffs. They are certainly animals of the mountain realm; on this first sunny day they were seeking shade!

Everyone enjoyed the late afternoon and evening free to walk Main Street of Cooke City, an experience in itself. Three of the group returned to Lamar Valley with Peg for some evening viewing and were rewarded with fine views of Bison and Pronghorn lit by low-angled sun. While waiting for the Druid Pack wolves to possibly emerge, we watched Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goats on the cliffs and Elk and Mule Deer in the meadow. We had seen all of Yellowstone’s eight species of hooved mammals in one day!

Thurs., June 1 Beartooth Mountains / Top of the World
Everyone enjoyed sleeping in and a restaurant breakfast before heading out for the day. Our first stop was Dan Hartman’s gallery to look at his fine portfolio of photographs of northern Yellowstone, and perhaps even catch a glimpse of the elusive Pine Marten. As he graciously offered to show us slides the following day, we left and drove on to what Charles Kuralt has called ‘the most beautiful highway in North America’. The first part was under construction, but by the Sunlight Basin turnoff we had clear road conditions and just incredible vistas. The waterfall at Crazy Creek was just roaring! Wildflowers lined the path up to a vista of the falls; below, under a bridge, we found a nest of American Dipper. The campground host pointed us to a great viewpoint of Pilot and Index, two majestic mountains that dominate the Cooke City area. After checking out several viewpoints, we stopped at Beartooth Lake to admire a perfect reflection of Beartooth Butte. A female Barrow’s Goldeneye was sleeping a thin skim of ice that covered half the lake.

Gail suggested a walk to the viewpoint for Island Lake, an adventure as snow covered some of the entrance road. More than one of us fell through up to our thigh a time or two, trying to get great pictures of Lonesome Mountain and other peaks that frame the view from the lake. Mountain Bluebirds and American Pipits were feeding on insects that seemed to be hatching from the snow. A pale colored Merlin (prairie race) flew right over Peg’s head, likely after one of the pipits! Our weather could not have been more perfect; we lingered by the viewpoint taking it all in. Pat could not resist the urge to make a snow angel amid all that beauty.

We stopped for a tailgate lunch at Top of the World, then continued up toward the West Summit, searching for Rosy Finches. Success! Al spotted the first one, such a gorgeous black color against the snow. With its pink wings it blended in perfectly with the Beartooth granite. We got fantastic looks at several more. We also spotted four Mountain Goats that seemed to be using a mineral lick. Several Yellow-bellied Marmots posed on rocks in their lofty kingdom; myriad tiny brilliant flowers hugged the ground, including bright magenta Moss Campion. We took reams of photos before descending back into the world of trees. Patterns on the frozen lakes, views that went on forever – quite a memorable day!!

Fri., June 2 Lamar Valley / Antelope Creek
We had one final day to spend amid the glories of Yellowstone and it was difficult to decide where to go! We left early (with fresh baked cinnamon buns under our belts!) and headed out to see what the day would bring. Near Hitching Post we discovered one of the highlights of our trip: a mother Grizzly Bear with three basketball-sized young. We watched them for about 40 minutes, noting that mom spared her young no effort. She covered a lot of ground, including steep slopes, and the three youngsters seemed pushed to the max to keep up. However, once she would stop to graze or dig, they collapsed into heap, chewing, boxing, and otherwise rough-housing – play seemed monumentally important, interrupted only by the inconvenience of travel. The mother bear had her hands full for months to come!

We traveled on, hearing news that the Agate wolf pack had a kill up Antelope Creek. We were distracted by so many Bison and calves, as well as other wonders of light and scenery in Lamar, but finally reached the creek. The wolves had gone but might return, so we contented ourselves to search for birds. Farther up Dunraven Pass a male Blue Grouse put on a superlative show: he was oblivious to our presence, turned on by auto noise, and further attracted by a present female. Several of us photographed in earnest; others just enjoyed the show, and Al narrated throughout!

Tracing our way back down Dunraven, we pulled up to the overlook near the Agate Pack kill site just in time to see three wolves return! Two went right to the carcass, but the third, a yearling, seemed cautious. To entertain himself while waiting, he dug up a pelvic girdle and played with it, tossing it in the air so the leg dangled, then rolling over it in the sage - dogs will be dogs!

Continuing on, we passed a gorgeous cinnamon colored Black Bear,. Sue was eager to photograph it, but doing so was tough due to all the deadfall and lack of pullouts. We then hiked down towards Tower Falls, finding newly arrived Western Tanager, before breaking for lunch at picturesque Warm Springs.

In the afternoon we found a Snowshoe Hare close to Cooke City and enjoyed a slide show by Dan Hartman. How wonderful to be greeted by the warmth of the Hartman family in their log home and to share tales of their lives lived so close to all this wildlife. We celebrated a great week with a fine dinner at the Log Cabin Café in Silver Gate, then went for a final cruise of Lamar Valley. It seemed quiet, and we were about to call it a day; but t hen we got super looks at an adult Black Bear grazing near Pebble Creek, as well as a few more Moose coming and going. Ah the wonders of Yellowstone!

June 3 Lamar Valley / Mammoth Hot Springs / Return to Bozeman
We had some time this morning before we needed to be at the airport. We heard of no real wolf activity on our route out, which gave us time in Mammoth to see the visitors center and scout out a beautiful male Lazuli Bunting.

Peg was stuck on hold with Delta Airlines, trying to change a ticket, when a Prairie Falcon buzzed a grassy lawn near our van. It banked, circled a building, then banked again, showing its dark underwing pattern. It then grabbed a ground squirrel about 30 yards from the van and continued flying our way with prey in talons –WOW. What a great grand finale to a great week in Yellowstone! To our great satisfaction, we’d seen all the major mammals and 103 species of birds.

 

Montana Prairie Spring
June 3-8, 2006 - Daily Journal

Sat., June 3 Bozeman / Columbus – Molt Road / Billings
We met in Bozeman at noon and drove east to Columbus, where we turned north to the prairie. Right away we saw Western Meadowlark, many Horned Larks, and large flocks of Lark Bunting. The males sang almost constantly, and performed a lot of flight displays. Les spotted a Prairie Falcon on the fly, likely hunting these songbirds. It was a beautiful day, with impressive but non-threatening clouds. The Beartooth Mountains’ snow-covered peaks framed yellow-and-green striped farm fields, rolling prairie, and picturesque farms. Several abandoned buildings leaned into the wind, having survived a hundred Montana winters or more.

The afternoon passed quickly; in Molt we were able to find Say’s Phoebe and several bright male Chestnut-collared Longspurs. We enjoyed watching the antics of Black-tailed Prairie Dogs; but with a storm moving in we were not able to find Burrowing Owl or to stay out much longer. We arrived in Billings, got settled into our accommodations (with a bit of fuss!) and feasted at Jake’s, a steakhouse downtown, for our welcome dinner.

Sun., June 4 Two Moon Park, Billings / Drive North to Malta
We spent a lovely morning in Two Moon Park, a green oasis along the Yellowstone River. The place was just filled with birds: first a Yellow-breasted Chat perched boldly against the blue sky, then a Cedar Waxwing flew in to take its place; a nearby Lazuli Bunting added to the parade of beautiful plumage. We walked along the cottonwoods and willow-lined river, watching flocks of White Pelicans overhead. Several flycatchers were calling and we got good looks at Western Wood Pewee. A Red Fox was a great surprise, sitting right on the trail. It quickly scampered away, as did the White-tailed Deer we encountered a bit later. Red-eyed Vireo were common and easy to see; a Western Warbling Vireo was more furtive, but did lead us to a male American Redstart showing off bright breeding plumage. The whole walk was enchanting, so vibrant with new spring growth. Rose Marie pointed out the intoxicating smell of Wild Rose and Russian Olive. Before we knew it three hours had passed and we had a ways to go!

We returned to the hotel to pack up our things, and then drove north towards Broadmoor and a site for seeing McCown’s Longspur that Helen had showed to Peg years before. They were there and displaying, beating their short little wings rapidly to propel themselves skyward and singing in flight. Lunch was at a local café in Lavina, a town that was once an important stage stop between Billings and Fort Benton. Taking in the local activities was fun, as was eating homemade peach, coconut cream, and lemon pie!

We drove much of the afternoon, studying along the way the interesting geology of the various small mountain ranges that jutted up from the rolling plains. The land was bright spring green. Against a background of gathering clouds and storm it was pretty magnificent! We reached Malta about quarter to six, and greeted friends John Good and our co-leader for the rest of the journey – Helen Carlson of Billings. Dinner was fun at the bar of the Tin Cup, a local golf course with a super view!

Mon., June 5 Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge
We woke this morning to blustery winds and skies, so Peg decided to make the field breakfast in the coziness of her room. Fortified by coffee, fresh fruit, bagels, cereal, etc., we drove out towards the refuge. Helen was in the pilot seat, tallying our birds as we went. First we spotted Ring-billed and California Gulls; by the time lunch was over we had tallied 72 species! Despite strong winds, we found some prairie specialties such as Chestnut-collared Longspur, Upland Plover, and even got scope views of a Grasshopper Sparrow!

On a walk at the entrance area’s pond we spooked up a Great Horned Owl, which was immediately harassed by Western Kingbirds. A Brown Thrasher was one of our best posers, allowing everyone to get a scope view as it sang its repertoire of song. At a lakeside viewpoint, we saw almost every species of waterfowl known to the refuge, all in breeding plumage, a beautiful sight. We found a handsome male Pronghorn, posed elegantly with the prairie grasses blowing all around him. Later we found several females, one with a newborn young one running at her side. Other favorites were Black Tern, White-faced Ibis, Black-necked Stilt, and American Avocet.

After such a busy morning in fierce winds, we decided to choose Peg’s bar and grill (fresh veggies and good deli meats) over the local café, and so returned to have lunch in the shelter of our room. After a couple hours of rest, we headed back out to take in the local museum. Dinner at the Cattleman’s in downtown Malta was fun, with a definite small town flair.

Tues., June 6 Bowdoin NWR (the long way around….)
We started out the day with a walk around the city park in Malta, where large trees line the river. It was evident that migration had given way to residents in the process of breeding: lots of song from Yellow Warbler, American Robin, Western Wood Pewee, and others. The highlight was a bright male Baltimore Oriole, singing away in the tree tops. We then drove on to the refuge, taking what we thought would be an alternate route in.

We discovered, some 30 miles later, that it was indeed an alternate – but enjoyed exploring. We got superb looks at a nesting pair of Swainson’s Hawks, one peeking out of the nest and the other perched low on a farm fence nearby. We watched Ring-billed Gulls harassing an unknown predator and both species of kingbird playing on the wind. On the hill of a lone farm road, we walked in the open prairie, taking in the sounds. Many Lark Buntings hurled themselves skyward, joined occasionally by Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Willit, and Wilson’s Snipe. As we came out on the highway near the Sleeping Buffalo Stones Monument, we took a peek, noting the many prayer offerings of Crow and other native people. We continued on to nearby Medicine Lake, which afforded us looks at some new species – Common Nighthawk overhead, a bright male Common Loon, out in the waves, and a Bald Eagle flying above several fishermen.

It was late morning by the time we reached the refuge. Peg set out lunch at the prime viewing location of the boat ramp, so we could sit in the warm sun and watch Eared Grebes courting, Wilson’s Phalarope feeding, and myriad ducks, gulls, and waders. Such a life! After filling up, several opted to walk awhile; Les and Margie put in several miles.

It was a sparrow reckoning day, and we searched hard for those we were missing. We picked up McCown’s Longspur: though the long grass partly obstructed our views of them on the ground, we also observed them in the air. Walking about the prairie, we found several cacti in bloom – yellow blossoms on the prickly pear, and magenta on the pincushion cactus. Finally, atop a hill near a heavily grazed pasture, Peg spotted our elusive Sprague’s Pipit, and several were able to spot it. We returned to the hotel for a break, and then enjoyed a second meal at the Tin Cup.

Wed., June 7 Little Rockies / Return to Billings
Today we left Malta to head to different habitat, a lush mountain realm of Quaking Aspens and Ponderosa Pine. We stopped before the campground as we spotted Mountain Bluebirds in the air, and had a great time watching a male Wild Turkey walk between lichen covered rock and swathes of colorful wildflowers. Mary Kay found a Catbird, which perched upright in a thicket of Chokecherry for us to view. We spent a couple of hours exploring the Camp Creek Campground, where a diverse mix of trees provided good cover. We found several species new for the trip, including a singing Ovenbird, a Cooper’s Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Orange-crowned Warbler, and more. It felt good to walk before our drive back to Billings, and we all wanted to linger in the fresh mountain air.

We stopped in Roundup for an Espresso, with Les leading the pack with a double shot. Beartooth, a Gray Wolf animal toy that had become our beloved mascot helped Helen lead us to a spot she knew where Cassin’s Kingbird were possible. We found Eastern and Western Kingbirds there, and had almost given up, when Betty Ann said, “what about this one?” A great find for Montana, and to top it all, Rose Marie spotted a Ferruginous Hawk as well.

Our final dinner was delicious and lively at the very busy Walker’s Grille downtown. We celebrated a good trip, and the opportunity to see a part of Montana was few venture at a special time of year.

Thurs., June 8 Return to Bozeman
Our return to Bozeman was highlighted by delicious coffee in Big Timber, some last hours for camaraderie, and the sight of a mature Bald Eagle along the river. We tallied up close to 120 species of birds and, just before reaching Bozeman, added another mammal when Margie spotted some elk grazing in deep grass. So lovely to be here at this green time of spring abundance!

Photo Credits:
All photos by Peg Abbott.

 

 

 

 

 

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