12th August - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - Day Two

Up at 5.00 am, away by 5.30, we headed back into the park not expecting to encounter much traffic, but ended up behind a low rider carrying construction equipment.  The road from Norris to Mammoth is under construction, and closed overnight, and this truck and trailer was headed there.

The sun does not rise until around 6.00 am, so it was dark as we followed the truck to the Madison Junction, but after that I was able to get past it, and we were able to move a little easier.  We were heading for the Lamar Valley, another area of open grassland that is considered to be the top wildlife viewing spot in the park.  Early morning is the best time to be there, as there is always the chance of seeing any of the big animals at that time.  It is though, at least 50 - 60 miles from the west entrance, so with a speed limit of 45 mph the early start was essential.  The weather though was a little disappointing with overcast skies, but a little warmer than the day before.

To Norris the road follows the Gibbon River, opening out in places to wide lush meadows, and then past steaming sulphur geysers.  From Norris we headed east to Canyon Junction where we turned north, past Mount Washburn, and over the Dunraven Pass at 8,859 feet, and then down towards Tower and the Roosevelt Junction.  As we came over the pass the sun was rising, and red light was making its way through the gaps in the cloud.

At the bottom of the valley is Antelope Creek, and the area is a prime Grizzly Bear site, but needless to say we never saw any sign of a single bear.

At the Junction we turn right and into a initial hilly landscape that consists of several kettle ponds, small lakes formed by the glaciers, but after some winding turns the road joins the mixed sage and grasslands of the Lamar Valley.  This is home to large herds of Bison, and Elk, along with the Pronghorn Antelope, but the bigger attraction is the possibility of seeing one of the several wolf packs that have set up territories.

However it was the Bison we first encountered close to the side of the road.

Feeding in the grass around the Bison were juvenile Cowbirds.  They pick up the seeds the Bison disturb as the make their way through the grass.

The rutting, or mating, season lasts from June through September, with peak activity in July and August. At this time, the older bulls rejoin the herd, and fights often take place between bulls. As we pulled over and I got out of the car, you could hear the grunts of the male Bison, as they pursued the many females.

Many of the females had young calves with them, and many of these had to move away as the older males moved in.

The herd we were watching was very restless, something that is encountered during the breeding season. The animals appeared belligerent, and possibly unpredictable, this is known as the time when they can be at their most dangerous.

It appeared that head dress was the fashion of the day, several bulls wearing flowers behind their horns and ears.  They probably picked them up while scraping the ground.

Some of the males could be seen wallowing on the ground in the dirt. 

 A bison wallow is a shallow depression in the soil, either wet or dry. Bison roll in these depressions, covering themselves with mud or dust. One of the explanations suggested for wallowing behaviour is a grooming behaviour associated with male-male interaction (typically rutting behaviour).

Some of the large bulls moved about the females, snorting and scrubbing the ground with their horns.  The Cowbirds stayed close in these situations some taking the opportunity to ride the Bison's backs in a manner similar to the ox-peckers in Africa, but for different reasons, the Cowbirds looking to pick up the seeds not ticks on the animals

Other bulls were sticking close to their chosen females.

We moved on but there were plenty of Bison now crossing the road, and slowing the traffic down to a crawl, as the number of cars increased as the morning wore on.  The bulls were not going to be moved as the strode defiantly along the middle of the road.

With animals on both sides of us it did give the opportunity for some close up shots of these impressive animals.  There is a certain look of sadness in the Bison's eye.

And a majesty when the animal is seen head on.

Among Native American tribes, especially the Plains Indians, tribes of which moved through these lands, the Bison is considered a sacred animal and religious symbol.  The creation stories of where buffalo came from put them in a very spiritual place among many tribes. The buffalo crossed many different areas and functions, and it was utilized in many ways, not just as meat. It was used in ceremonies, as well as to make tipi covers that provided homes for people, utensils, shields, weapons and parts were used for sewing with the sinew.

We finally managed to get past the Bison on the road, and headed on to one of the turnout spots that overlooks the valley, and the Lamar River.

Here Bison could be seen feeding on the open grassland, and wading across the shallow river.  We scanned the distant hills and forest edge for signs of anything else, but we were not lucky, Helen did though find a small group of Pronghorn Antelope lying down on the top of a rock ridge, our first encounter with this species.  Though not an Antelope it is sometimes known as an Antelope because it closely resembles the antelopes from the old world, and in fact behaves in a similar way.

As we scanned the area we had breakfast, but once we had finished moved on, the number of cars was increasing once again.  A little further along the road, a Yellow-bellied Marmot ran across the road and away across the sage from us.

The road turns away from the Lamar River and into Soda Butte Canyon, following Pebble Creek.  The canyon takes its name from Soda Butte, which is the cone of the only thermal feature in the north east corner of the park.  Just before we passed the butte we noticed many cars parked along the road and in a turnout.  Down below in the valley people were gathering on a bluff above the creek.  Rather than carry on to the park exit we decided to turn around and check what all the fuss was about.  Parking was limited but I managed to find a spot.  We changed shoes and with telescope as well as the usual camera and binoculars we set off to cross the creek and make our way to the view point.  We were told that there were wolves in the area, so we walked along not knowing to be excited or not.

When we reached the view point there were quite a few people present, and we were told the area to look in.  Apparently the wolves had drifted away into the after having fed on the remains of a kill, however one or two were still returning.  We stood and watched, then a black mark appeared that through the scope you could clearly see to be a young Wolf cub.  The photo shows only the location and the smudge, but please believe me it was a Wolf.

We watched using binoculars and the scope, and were finally rewarded by a second animal, this time a definite older and grey Wolf that joined the young one.  Both gave clear views, but unfortunately only through the scope, and were not close enough for my camera.

When Yellowstone National Park was created in 1872, Grey Wolf populations were already in decline in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The creation of the national park did not provide protection for wolves or other predators, and government predator control programs in the first decades of the 1900s essentially helped eliminate the Grey Wolf from Yellowstone. The last wolves were killed in Yellowstone in 1926. After that time, sporadic reports of wolves still occurred, but scientists confirmed that sustainable wolf populations had been removed and they were absent from Yellowstone during the mid-1900s.

 In 1995, Grey wolves were first reintroduced into Yellowstone in the Lamar Valley, and numbers peaked in 2007 at 171 individuals in eleven packs.  In 2009 the wolf was removed from the endangered list and could now be legally hunted.  In 2013 there were estimated to be just under 100 wolves in the park with 10 active packs.  Wolf population numbers are subject to natural fluctuations but although wolves within the park boundaries were still fully protected, wolves that ventured outside the boundaries of the park into Idaho or Montana can now be legally hunted. During these hunts, Montana hunters legally killed a number of wolves in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness known to frequent the north-east corner of the park.

We were very lucky to get the views we did, and after a further wait we decided that was as good as it would get so we headed back to the car.  We headed back to the Roosevelt junction, and then left towards Tower where we were able to get a cup of coffee.  

Just before the Tower Junction there is the Calcite Springs overlook which provides views of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone in an area called the Narrows.

In the picture you can see the vertical basalt columns that were part of a 25 foot lava flow that covered the area 1.3 million years ago, and below that are glacial deposits, the lava having exploded through these.  Above the basalt columns is volcanic ash that was deposited from the same volcanic action that produced the lava.

The Yellowstone River has then cut through the area revealing the past.

We finally reached the Tower General Stores where we were able to get our coffee.  We had passed through here earlier and the car park was empty, as we pulled in now the area was full of cars.  After coffee we then walked to the Tower Falls overlook.  This is where Tower Creek falls over 130 feet down into the Yellowstone River.

The Falls get their name from volcanic towers that surround the falls, that make it look like a fortress, and has earned the name Devil's Den.

We were then back on the road, and joining the many vehicles that had now appeared in the park.  Despite the fact it was only 19 miles to the Canyon Junction it took some time in the traffic.  Driving past the junction we turned off onto the North Rim drive, stopping at the first view point, at the brink of the Lower Falls.  Looking down you could see the falls.

From here we walked down to a viewpoint where it was possible to get closer views of the falls, and views down the valley.

The sides of the valley covered in a yellow ochre coloured rocks

Where the water was creating spray this was covering the sides of the valley, and from the green patches you could see the reach of the spray.

The walk back up was an effort in the altitude, we decided to turn off and walk the North Rim Trail.  Gaps in the trees revealed views of the spray being generated by the Upper Falls, again the spray generating vegetation on the sides of the adjoining rock.

The trail abruptly ended and we were not able to reach the Upper Falls, so we headed back, and then from there we continued along the drive, pulling over at the Lookout Point for further views of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

In a way we were fortunate that the sky was overcast, and sometimes there was even rain, as the colours in the rock were not washed out by the midday sun.  The reds, and yellows contrasting with the greens of the conifers.

It was here we encountered a father and his sons, the boys could not have been more than three or four years old, and they looked quite perplexed when they were told by their father that he had not heard any of them pointing out any hydro-thermal activity in the area!

Looking back towards where we have come from you could see the Upper Falls away in the distance.

The last view point was tantalisingly called Inspiration point, you descended a few steps, but unfortunately the final two were closed as the area was still eroding.  From here, further views along the canyon, and the one piece of wildlife that was always present where people gathered, the Raven.

The North Rim Drive then carries on through the Lodgepole Pines, and comes out at the Canyon Village.  We took the opportunity to have lunch here.

The weather conditions had been overcast for most of the morning with some rain falling in places, so we decided to head south through the Hayden Valley towards the Lake.  As we approached there were signs of blue sky to the southern shore of the lake, but as we crossed the Fishing Bridge it was still raining slightly.  We passed the camp sites and through a wooded are, coming out into the open at a place called Pelican Creek.  We drove across the bridge and pulled over to scan the marsh and grasses that surround the creek as it meandered down to the lake.  This apparently is a good place to spot Grizzly in the spring time.

Looking across to the lake I picked out three American White Pelicans on a sand bar in the water, so we decided to head back across the bridge to the car park where there was the start of a small trail that led down to the lake and beach.

The trail wound its way through a small copse of pines, and then across a marshy piece, emerging on the beach.  We walked down to the waters edge to get a better view of the Pelicans.

The sand bars apparently appear when the water in the lake is low, and there were plenty of other signs of low water, with pools showing along the beach.  There were five juvenile Franklin's Gulls in the water.

Plus an adult Ring-billed Gull that was dancing through the shallow water in order to disturb the mud, and hopefully a meal.

Two more Pelicans flew in, circling the sand bar before dropping from the sky using their large webbed feed as air brakes to perform a perfect landing.

There was also the obligatory Ravens on the beach foraging close to the shoreline.  We turned and made our way to the edge of the trees.  The bank here has been eroded away by the water, and as a result many trees have fallen and died, the wood being bleached white by the sun and the water.  Another Pelican was fishing just off shore, plunging it enormous bill it the water, and then lifting its head high as it squeezed out the water, while hopefully leaving something to eat.

There were calls from the top of the trees that I thought could be Jays of some sort, but then one of the owners flew down to one of the fallen trees, and made its way to the water to drink.  Similar to a Jay and a member of the crow family this is Clark's Nutcracker.

Like jays the Clark's Nutcracker caches seeds for later consumption, and is in fact crucial to the survival of the Whitebark Pine, a tree seen in the area.  This Pine tree is in decline due to rust infections and beetles, the Nutcracker is playing an important part in that recovery with the two very dependent on each other.  No Whitebark Pines no Clark's Nutcracker in the area.

The weather had now changed with blue skies and sunshine, looking along the beach to the east you could see clearly the Absaroka Mountain range.

We started to make our way back to the trail, stopping again though to take in the views over the creek away to the distant mountains.

There had been the calls of a young Bald Eagle, and I had managed to find a brown shape in one of the distant pines that looked like a juvenile bird, but as we reached the car and I scanned again I picked out a distant adult bird at the top of a pine, the white "bald" head clearly visible.

In contrast to the early view we had of the creek, now, with the sun out, and a very blue sky it looked quite spectacular.

This had been a lovely spot, and we had managed to escape the crowds and cars, but now it was time to make our way back.  It was mid afternoon and the peak time for vehicles in the park, and on the journey back through the Hayden Valley we were brought to a stop in queuing traffic on several occasions.  For some the Bison were the attraction and they did not care if they blocked the cars to get the views, for us we were beginning to get quite annoyed with the Bison.

Leaving the Hayden Valley we drove alongside the Yellowstone River, and Helen called for a Dipper on one of the rocks in the river.  I pulled over, and walked back to see if I could get a good view, I could make out the bird but it was difficult to photograph.  Then from the other side of the river two Red-tailed Hawks came out of the trees and circled above the river calling.

The journey back passed though areas of cloud again, and then back into sunshine as we approached the West Entrance, however we were pulled up about a couple of miles from the gate in a traffic queue due to an accident that had happened just on the park side of the gate, two cars, somehow hitting each other front on, it was quite a mess but thankfully we found out later that no one was hurt.  Once past the gate it was back into West Yellowstone and the hotel, and dinner.

11th August - Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming - Day One

An early start saw us driving through the relatively empty streets of Chicago to O'Hare where we were catching the early flight to Salt Lake City.  Despite some confusion over departure gates we arrived in Salt Lake City on time, but had an agonising one and a  half hour wait for the hire car which meant we did not get on our way north to West Yellowstone until well after midday. Consequently this meant we did not reach the hotel until 17.30.  The journey was highway all the way through flat plains until about an hour from our destination when we started to climb into the hills and the Targhee National Forest.  Along the way we saw soaring Turkey Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks, but the highlight was an Osprey that flew over the road as we arrived into West Yellowstone.  As a result there were no photographs from the journey and the day.  After checking in we walked around the town,   West Yellowstone is primarily a tourist town with plenty of souvenir shops and restaurants, but that said it wasn't in your face and it was pleasant to walk around.  The climate was hot to start with but there were some threatening storm clouds around us. We had climbed to just above 6,000 feet in altitude, and this was noticeable as you moved about.  Fortunately the heat was dry and not humid.

Our time in Yellowstone started properly on the 11th, with a relatively early start into the park at around 7.30, after the long journey yesterday there was no great appetite for an early start, but nevertheless we were still awake at 6.00am.  As we set off there was a blue sky with a few clouds about, and a temperature of about 42 degrees F (apologies for the imperial measurements but these were all we had to work with from the car)

We arrived at the West Entrance about a mile from the town, and paid our $30 for a weeks entry, not a bad deal.  Once we cleared the gate we headed east towards the Madison Junction following the Madison River.  The roads are excellent in the park, and with plenty of places to pull off to view the area.  We pulled off at one of these alongside the river where a pair of Ravens were sitting in a dead tree.

Our first encounter with Ravens raised the excitement levels but we quickly found out that they were the commonest birds to be seen around the park.

There was a mist hanging over the water as the air was quite cool despite the heat of yesterday, and looking west down the river I could just make out a distant Osprey sitting in a tree above the river, with mountains as the backdrop.

Another stop produced views of at least three Lesser Yellowlegs that were feeding on the floating vegetation in the river.

We were heading into the park along the western entrance, by all accounts the most popular route in.  However it was still early and the traffic wasn't too bad, but you sensed that later the roads would become quite congested

As the river plain opened out we finally came across some large animals, a herd of Elk in the long grass and streams that were feeding into the river.

Looking down river the mist could be seen hanging over the water as if steam were rising from the meadow..

At Madison Junction we turned right and headed south towards Old Faithful and the Geyser Basin  The plan was to do the touristy bits today, and Old Faithful was up there as one of the top attractions in that area.

As the road came into open meadow we could see the steam from the many geysers in the area away off in the distance.

This area is known as Geyser Country holding the park's most spectacular hydrothermal activity, and almost everywhere you looked there was steam rising.  The area has the world's densest concentration of geysers over 200 in an area of 1.5 square miles.  It is this area that makes the Yellowstone Park globally unique

We pulled in once again as we drove across an open grassland, I had seen two large birds in the middle of the grass.  A closer look revealed these to be Sandhill Cranes.

Sandhill Cranes prefer small open wet meadows but can also be found in dry meadows and along the edge of aspen groves, willows and Lodgepole pine stands.

In summer they feed more in marshy and wet meadows on a variety of insects, amphibians and rodents. They are very good at walking and may walk great distances while feeding.  During summer months, Sandhills are found in pairs and tend to be reclusive.

As I was watching the cranes Helen tapped on the window and pointed to the other side of the road where a lone bull Bison was slowly making its way by the side of the trees.

This was one of the animals we had wanted to see coming here, and there was a lot of excitement around this first sighting.

Bison in the bag already we carried on.  The geysers seemed to be everywhere, and the views were extremely dramatic.

We passed many spots where there were board walks and trails alongside steaming geysers.  We were still very much in exploratory mode, recognising that we had several days in this wonderful park, and we did not have to try and see it all in a day.

We finally stopped at the Black Sand Basin, and left the car to wander the board walk around the geysers in this basin.  The Little Firehole Rover meanders through the basin, and much of the run off from the geysers flow into it, warming the water.

Close up the deposited minerals and bacteria living on them produce some lovely patterns.

Through the steam on the far side of the basin we could hear birds calling and we found a Belted Kingfisher perched on one of the dead trees above the river.

One geyser, named Cliff Geyser was spouting as we arrived.  It is called Cliff Geyser due to the wall that separates it from the creek.  It is known to be a regular splasher.

Close by was the Emerald Pool, which looks like a flower and has a lovely orange lip.  it gets its name from the yellow bacteria that blend with the blue reflections to create a green colour.

One feature of all the geyser sites are the bacterial mats, or microbial mats.   Microbial mats are the earliest form of life on Earth and have been the most important members and maintainers of the planet's ecosystems. Originally they depended on hydrothermal vents for energy and chemical "food", but the development of photosynthesis gradually liberated them.  A microbial mat consists of several layers, each of which is dominated by specific types of micro-organism, mainly bacteria.  

We will see many different and beautiful examples of these primitive forms of life as we travel the hot spots of Yellowstone.

It was still quite cool, and all around the hot geysers were sending steam up into the cool air creating a ghostly effect in the basin.

The final geyser of interest in this basin was Rainbow Pool.  In the sunlight it reflects many colours, but as we walked around the sun was not out, but it was possible to see the different colours around the sides of the pool and in the clear water.

When we arrived at Old Faithful we were hit by a tidal wave of people, they seemed to be everywhere.  Having just missed one eruption we decided to wait for the next, and passed the time with a coffee from the Old Faithful Lodge, 

Old faithful Inn is known as a historic building, designed and built in 1904.  It is considered to be the only building in the park that looks like it actually belongs there.  

Built almost entirely of logs, the lobby rises to almost 80 feet.

With coffee in hand we set off walking around the many geyser pools close to Old Faithful.

A board walk leads you around the spouts and pools as the ground is extremely fragile and there is the potential to go through the crust and end up in extremely hot water.  The pools though are extremely beautiful with wonderful colours and patterns.

This is the Blue Star Spring.

And with no particular identity from where they came from here are some of the beautiful patterns and colours produced by the bacterial mats and the mineral deposits.

Rather than join the masses around Old Faithful we decided to watch from the boardwalk. Though it is not the tallest nor the most predictable geyser in the park, Old Faithful is the most frequently erupting big geyser.  The average time between shows these days is 90 minutes or so, and over the recent years the interval has got longer.  There is though a plus and minus caveat to the predicted timings, and as a result we got into place in good time which was lucky as the geyser erupted about 15 minutes early, putting on quite an impressive show.  From the first bubbles...

To a bit more water..

Then full power...

From a distance the water and steam rising to over 200 feet.

Then finally dying back.

There are two types of geysers: cone geysers which erupt from cones or mounds of siliceous sinter or geyserite, usually in steady jets that last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes; and fountain geysers which erupt from pools of water, typically in a series of intense, even violent, bursts  Old Faithful is a cone geyser, we will encounter fountain geysers in other areas of the park.

As we made our way back off the boardwalk we passed the Anemone Geyser.  Shaped like its namesake it fill with water just before it erupts, which it does every 15 minutes, as we passed it was filling.

And then it erupted.

Having seen the show we decided to continue on our way heading towards the West Thumb of Lake Yellowstone.  After getting back onto the main road though we pulled into look at the Kepler Cascades, a series of waterfalls dropping 125 feet.

The falls were impressive but my attention was taken by a bird perched in a dead tree that turned out to be a Northern Mockingbird.

The road was lined with many trees and we both commented on the fact that we would not want to drive this way again as it was not the most interesting we had driven.  The road climbs and goes through the Craig Pass and the Continental Divide between the Atlantic and Pacific basins.  Further on, finally the Lake Yellowstone came into view.  Apparently this is the largest lake at altitude in the US, and the views were amazing.

We pulled over to admire the lake, out on the water there were rafts of Barrows Goldeneye, and a several Red-breasted and Common Mergansers.

As we drove around the lake we continued to pull over to take in the views.  At one pull in there was a small pool on the other side of the road from the lake.  The first thing we saw were 3 Buffleheads, all in eclipse or juvenile plumage.

Dragonflies and frogs were also present around the edges of the water.

Then Helen picked out an animal swimming towards a dead tree in the water.  At first we though maybe Beaver.

It showed several times, then Helen found one again closer in.  We watched as this one swam towards the shore and came out to have a brush up, and to eat some pond weed it had brought up from the bottom.

We still were not sure what it was, but it gave some lovely views.  Then another appeared from the dead tree again, and swam across the lake before diving and showing a black, but round tail, they were Musk Rats.

They will forever be know as Susie and Sam

We continued the drive around the lake, stopping to watch more Goldeneye, but this time with Ring-necked Ducks and Redheads.

we stopped at place where we could walk out onto a spit that stretched out into the lake.  On the shore line of the spit we disturbed three Spotted Sandpipers, they all seemed to be young birds.

A little closer in and accessible were a family of Lesser Scaup.

Once again some lovely views out across the lake on a beautiful, clear and warm sunny day.

After Lunch at the Lake Lodge we headed north towards Canyon.  This route takes you through the Hayden Valley, a wide glacial valley that at its heart the Yellowstone River meanders gently through.

The Hayden Valley is one of two prime spots for watching the larger wildlife of Yellowstone, and was created by a former lake bed that was formed in the last ice age.  The fine silt and clay of the former lake bed prevents water from percolating into the ground preventing trees growing, but supporting the shrubs and grasses favoured by Bison

At first we came across a small group of Bison, but quite close to the side of the road.

They seemed unconcerned by the on lookers in the parked cars that built up.

As well as the small herds there were single male Bison choosing to be alone.

Further on though the road goes up the side of the valley, which widens out into a vast open meadow.  From the turn out point there were lovely views across the meadows below, and a large herd of Bison.

This was what we had come to see, and as we watched them grazing and wading through the water, it was hard not to think how incredibly impressive the huge herds that used to roam this area must have looked like.

The American Bison are the largest terrestrial animals in North .  They are nomadic grazers and travel in herds. The bulls leave the herds of females at two or three years of age, and join a male herd, which are generally smaller than female herds, the mature bulls rarely travel alone, single bulls seen are usually old.

Bison are good swimmers and can cross rivers over half a mile wide.  As we watched several males were following females around with only one thing on their mind.  

The breeding season staring in the late summer, the bulls were keen to follow the many females

As we sat watching the Bison below us in the meadow the rain started to fall, it seemed like it would only be a shower, but as a result we decided to leave and head north into the Canyon country.  A little further along though we stopped again by the side of the river, four swans was the reason, but these were not just any old Swans, these were Trumpeter Swans, and a new bird for me.

This is the largest living bird native to North America.  Closely related to the Whooper Swan, the numbers of this swan are of concern.  There are only currently two breeding pairs in Yellowstone, and up to ten non-breeding individuals.  There is an ongoing programme to augment the swan population in the park.

Adult birds have dark black legs

While the sub adults retain the yellowy orange colour of the legs, although leucystic (white) birds retain the yellow colour into adulthood. I am not sure exactly what this bird is.

The traffic and the people now were beginning to get to us, The road continued on to the Canyon Junction at the head of the Yellowstone Canyon, all the major areas though were swamped with cars, and there were tail backs in many places.  Mid afternoon is not the best time for wildlife watching, and with all the scenic places now full of people we decided to head back to West Yellowstone.  We did though pull over along side the Madison River once again just before we left the park.  There was nothing much to see though, other than a beautiful view that is.

Back in West Yellowstone we regrouped, and prepared for dinner and an early start the next day, when we were intending to make a big effort to cover the north eastern side of the park, in the hope of finding some of the enigmatic species the park is well known for.