Yellowstone being such an intact ecosystem, there are animals, even big mammals, everywhere. Just walking along the roads there are scats and tracks from bears, wolves, and otters too! On a hike up Mt. Washburn, I saw yellow bellied marmots peering at us from the rocks. This is one running away, as they are shy and I am slow with my camera.
Further on, the trail was blocked by these bighorn sheep. These actually had quite small horns. Either they are females, or they are males who will not get any females. We watched them leap around the rocks for 20 minutes or so (they are much better at mountain climbing than I am) before they moved off along the ridge, kindly silouetting themselves against the sky for pictures.
Ground squirrel. Not that exciting, but what other animal can you get such close-ups of?
Bison are all over. They are like the squirrels of Yellowstone. Except they weigh 2,000 lbs and can kill people.
As bison and elk are not much of a challenge to find, my dorm mates and I go birding instead. The tourists give us incredulous looks when we say we are watching cinnamon teal, pelicans, or american dippers, then jump in their cars to chase the latest bear sighting. And yes, I have seen a bear. I have no desire to see any more.
I have not actually seen an otter yet, though I am studying them. Just plenty of scats and dens.
1 comment:
Hi Jan, we are all here at your "other" lake and have all enjoyed your great descriptions and pics. But Grandpa, that's me, worries about your hiking too far from people--ALONE! PLEASE BE CAREFUL!
"All here" means all but Katie, yourself and Karen, of course. And it's cold here, too. Water at 67 this AM, air at 56. We miss our Jan. The view here today is absolutely gorgeous up to Center Harbor, Red Hill and THE mountain.
Post a Comment