June 14, 2014

Today was wolves and bears, with some antelope, eagles and falcons thrown in for variety.

The day started wet and cold. It had snowed in the higher elevations and the peaks were white. I went out to the Lamar Valley to check on the bison carcass. Around 7:00 am, a grizzly came along and fed on it for about 15 minutes. It then looked back the way it came and left, like it was getting away from something. But nothing ever showed up. We stood around talking about why, but couldn't come to any conclusion.

One surprise happened, though. A fellow came up that I thought recognized. We looked at each other and he said “I know you”. It was Yoshi, a fellow I had met 2 years ago here. He's an instructor at Santa Clara College and, in the summer, is trying to be a professional photographer. It was good to see him again.

So I decided to move on. I went further up the valley and came across a group of antelope. 2 of the juveniles were sparing:

Then, the idea was to go down to the Hayden valley to check on the wolf situation.

When I got there, they were seeing 2 wolves of the Canyon pack, way way along the west edge of the valley. Maybe a mile away. It was cold, around 40 degrees, windy and occasionally a few snow flurries. Along with that, the sun was heating the ground causing all kinds of waves in the air making it difficult to focus the scope that far away. After about an hour, 3 grizzlies came along the south edge of that part of the valley – a mother and 2 large cubs. The cubs were almost as big as her. The conditions were so bad, I didn't get the camera out. Instead, I stood around talking to a retired couple from Broomfield, Colorado.

Then, it was back to camp and I tried to fix the inverter, but it was dead. It was a cheap one and I guess I got what I paid for – one season out of it. I'll replace it with a good one when I get home. In the meantime, I can't use my microwave. I'm not sure I can survive that hardship.

After reading a bit and a nap, I went back out to the Lamar valley to check on the bison carcass. But I got a bit sidetracked. Near Calcite Springs, there is an overlook where you can see a peregrine falcon nest:

Then, I moved over the the Lamar valley. Around 7:00 pm, the bear came back and I took some photos:

It's a long way off, so the pictures aren't very good. The arrival of the bear brought lots of people to watch:

By 8:00, I was done and headed back to camp for dinner.