Just a quick update from a trip into Yellowstone today:
1) The "over snow" season is apparently over, so the only way in the park is via car between Cooke City and Mammoth
2) The vistor center staff noted that yesterday was the first bear sighting of the season.
3) The "druid" pack of wolves took down a bull elk in the Lamar Valley, East of the Ranger Station. They were visible pretty much all day.
4) Another pack of wolves, took down a Bison Cow. I can't remember the name, but it was about 6 miles West of the "druids"... it was a *loong* way out there. The wolves looked like tiny little specks even w/ a 500mm lens + 2xTC + digital factor.
5) There were (3) bighorn sheep just outside the park on the way into Gardiner.
6) Elk and Bison were everywhere today... some pronghorns just inside the Gardiner gate.
7) no good shots of them, but I probably saw about 10 bald eagles and there was a golden eagle sighting near the wolves.
8) damn it's cold
Posted by Josh Anderson on March 14, 2006 at 9:57 AM
Sounds similiar to my experience in December. All except for the bears!
Posted by Randy Beacham on March 14, 2006 at 12:10 PM
Hi Christian,
I know what you about the cold weather! The last time I was there I stayed in Gardiner. One morning the tempature was +2 when I left Gardiner but -35 at Lamar Valley. It was fascinating to watch my tempature guage in the car going up and down as I drove from higher to lower elevations. When there's a cold air inversion going on Lamar Valley can be brutally cold in the mornings.Randy
Posted by Richard Wong on March 16, 2006 at 11:23 AM
Awesome man, winter in Yellowstone has been on my wish list for a while. You have to post photos of that pack bringing down the elk. Perhaps even a pano of it.
Those wolves were a mile away... literally, that was the estimate from the researchers. The guys there w/ the spotting scopes had a better chance than me. I have the type of photos that you'd see someone saying, you see that black bump... that's a wolf.
Now... bison, elk, coyotes, bighorns, etc... I have tons of those.
Posted by Richard Wong on March 16, 2006 at 1:57 PM
" have the type of photos that you'd see someone saying, you see that black bump... that's a wolf." Well at least you've added some "abstract" shots to your files.
Discussion
5 replies1) The "over snow" season is apparently over, so the only way in the park is via car between Cooke City and Mammoth
2) The vistor center staff noted that yesterday was the first bear sighting of the season.
3) The "druid" pack of wolves took down a bull elk in the Lamar Valley, East of the Ranger Station. They were visible pretty much all day.
4) Another pack of wolves, took down a Bison Cow. I can't remember the name, but it was about 6 miles West of the "druids"... it was a *loong* way out there. The wolves looked like tiny little specks even w/ a 500mm lens + 2xTC + digital factor.
5) There were (3) bighorn sheep just outside the park on the way into Gardiner.
6) Elk and Bison were everywhere today... some pronghorns just inside the Gardiner gate.
7) no good shots of them, but I probably saw about 10 bald eagles and there was a golden eagle sighting near the wolves.
8) damn it's cold
I know what you about the cold weather! The last time I was there I stayed in Gardiner. One morning the tempature was +2 when I left Gardiner but -35 at Lamar Valley. It was fascinating to watch my tempature guage in the car going up and down as I drove from higher to lower elevations. When there's a cold air inversion going on Lamar Valley can be brutally cold in the mornings.Randy
Those wolves were a mile away... literally, that was the estimate from the researchers. The guys there w/ the spotting scopes had a better chance than me. I have the type of photos that you'd see someone saying, you see that black bump... that's a wolf.
Now... bison, elk, coyotes, bighorns, etc... I have tons of those.