Yellowstone National Park is a magical place. Few places have such remarkable access to some of natures most magnificent creatures. I have been in the park many times over the years. My first experience was when I was about nine years old. At that time true “bear jams” were a frequent occurrence. Lines of cars would be assembled for the black bears to selectively approach for handouts. It was common for a visitor to have a bear lean against the side of the car and actively beg for treats with it’s nose well inside the windows. Of course, it is now recognized that this practice was not good for the bears nor for the park visitors. A “bear jam” today is an occasional occurrence with the bear continuing with their own business and park visitors capturing the moment with their cameras. Rarely is the interaction between visitors and bears a “close encounter”. But bears are not the only residents of the Yellowstone ecosystem. Wolves have been re-introduced with remarkably positive impact. Elk are numerous. Bison are thriving. Moose are common. Many coyotes also claim the park as home. Those listed make up, what I call, the Sensational Seven. If you are counting, I consider the Black Bear and Grizzly Bear separate members. However, if you were to stop there, many other “lesser” creatures would be missed. This post is a tribute to the critters of Yellowstone and all those that make it possible for a place like this to exist in our “modern” world.
July 15, 2015
It was incredibly crowded this week. At one point traffic was backed up on the West Yellowstone entrance for about seven miles. The problem was a single “prankster” bison that was occupying the road. It is still a beautiful place. Wildflowers were abundant, the weather was surprisingly mild with minor showers each evening. We did not actually see any grizzlies or wolves this trip, other wildlife was out and about.
This bull elk was feeding quietly with quite a crowd amassed to watch him. I was a bit surprised at how quiet and respectful this particular gathering remained. It was a nice change from other encounters during the week.
I noticed many osprey fishing on the Madison River, and tried to photograph a few of them, but the “osprey” highlight was a nest with two young birds being protected by one adult. It was interesting that the nest was just a bit away from the pathway down to the lower falls overlook. The nest was located on a rock spire and basically was unnoticed by most tourist until I set up my tripod and camera. Many were then excited seeing their first “eagle”. Some understood it was “just” an osprey.
We did come across one large black bear in our travels. This generated a “bear” jam reminiscent of the 1950’s. People were lined up on the road, all hoping to get a glimpse. Again most were respectful, but one fellow walked down off the road and forced the bear to run into a thicket to try to hide. This was not enough for the intruder. He kept pursuing the bear until he was just a few yards away from the bear’s hiding place. The bear then broke cover and ran for open ground. The interesting part was the verbal abuse this individual received from the onlookers as he walked back to his car. It was deservedly brutal. I was fully expecting to see pitchforks and torches.
