Thursday, May 27, 2004
Recent Black Bear Sighting
On May 16th in the area of Tower Junction, I enjoyed observing these two black bears (they sometimes come in a shade of cinnamon brown) as they tried to satisfy their big appetites following a winter burning their fat reserves while asleep in their dens. These two were making their way across an old lakebed which is drying up as we enter a fifth year of drought. The cinnamon brown bear was the most interesting to watch as he foraged for food among the grasses. He was not more than 50 yards away as the crowd watched from the road under the supervision of a park ranger.
This bear, although very healthy looking, clearly had suffered some problems serious physical problems. It appeared that he had lost one eye and that both legs on the left side (facing camera) had been injured as he flinched when he walked. He'd been in a fight with another bear or perhaps had found the carcass of an elk the wolves had killed and was helping himself to an easy meal. In any case, he had overcome these handicaps and appeared to be eating well, but he often had to turn his good eye toward the ground before pulling his claws through the soil to turn up roots and tubers to eat.
When his appetite was satisfied, he started up the hill at the back of the photo till he came to a tree he could use as a scratching post. He stood and scratched his back against the trunk. Next he found a spot above a downed tree and lay down for a late afternoon nap.
I've been fortunate to see two grizzly bears in the last couple of visits to the park. Each was working the ground hunting for roots or rodents such as ground squirrels or pocket gophers. It will be a while before the trout start spawning and the bears concentrate on fish in their diet.
Another special wildlife sighting has been Harlequin ducks. They are found in fast moving water and I saw them on the Yellowstone River--10 of them.
Monday, May 24, 2004
100th Birthday Celebration for Old Faithful Inn
On May 7, The Old Faithful Inn opened its big red doors for its one hundredth season. For the celebration, Yellowstone's Superintendent, Suzanne Lewis, convened various dignitaries to extol the praises of this venerable inn which overlooks Old Faithful Geyser and the many thermal features on Geyser hill. To mark the occasion, the old yellow touring buses (see photo) were brought out to carry dignitaries and a busload of school children up to the Inn's porte cochere where they alighted and entered the foyer. When they had taken their places around the towering stone fireplace, the manager of the Inn appeared at the doors and welcomed the crowd of about 100 to the festivities.
In we went to hear the speeches, see the displays about the Inn's first 100 years and mingle with the guests wearing attire of 1904. A quartet played on the mezzanine level and cake and punch were served in the foyer. It was announced that over the next 3 seasons, the Inn-- the National Park Services's first example of "parkitecture"--will undergo a facelift and have her underpinings shored up at an expense of many millions of dollars. At the same time a campaign is underway to finance the replacement of an inadequate visitor center adjacent to the Inn. The Yellowstone Park Foundation is undertaking this project.
If you haven't stayed in the Inn, this might be the summer to do so. Festivities commemorating the 100th birthday will continue through the summer. I stayed there in 1970 when a room without a bath was $14. I awoke at 5 a.m. and looked out our window in time to see Old Faithful erupt. I imagined that I may have been the only person to observe this particular eruption. At that time the interval between eruptions was about 75 minutes. Today the interval is closer to 90 minutes.
Touring buses at Old Faithful
On May 7, The Old Faithful Inn opened its big red doors for its one hundredth season. For the celebration, Yellowstone's Superintendent, Suzanne Lewis, convened various dignitaries to extol the praises of this venerable inn which overlooks Old Faithful Geyser and the many thermal features on Geyser hill. To mark the occasion, the old yellow touring buses (see photo) were brought out to carry dignitaries and a busload of school children up to the Inn's porte cochere where they alighted and entered the foyer. When they had taken their places around the towering stone fireplace, the manager of the Inn appeared at the doors and welcomed the crowd of about 100 to the festivities.
In we went to hear the speeches, see the displays about the Inn's first 100 years and mingle with the guests wearing attire of 1904. A quartet played on the mezzanine level and cake and punch were served in the foyer. It was announced that over the next 3 seasons, the Inn-- the National Park Services's first example of "parkitecture"--will undergo a facelift and have her underpinings shored up at an expense of many millions of dollars. At the same time a campaign is underway to finance the replacement of an inadequate visitor center adjacent to the Inn. The Yellowstone Park Foundation is undertaking this project.
If you haven't stayed in the Inn, this might be the summer to do so. Festivities commemorating the 100th birthday will continue through the summer. I stayed there in 1970 when a room without a bath was $14. I awoke at 5 a.m. and looked out our window in time to see Old Faithful erupt. I imagined that I may have been the only person to observe this particular eruption. At that time the interval between eruptions was about 75 minutes. Today the interval is closer to 90 minutes.
Touring buses at Old Faithful
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Rare winter sighting
In mid-February, I was snowshoeing in the Tower Falls area when I came upon a story in the snow of a recent wildlife event. To understand the story I had to study the several clues in the snow.
Along the Yellowstone River there was evidence that a bird had been killed: a few gray feathers in one spot and blood a few feet away. Near the feathers were the foot prints of a large bird. The bloodied area was not far from the river's edge. On the riverbank I noticed a large indentation in the snow and on either side, the imprint of wings. Now the story in the snow was taking shape. A Gray Jay or Clark's Nutcracker (both frequent the area) had been taking a drink from the river when a large bird had swooped down and snatched it up. There had been a struggle and blood was shed. Perhaps the victim had been able to move as far as the area where the feathers lay on the snow or the predator bird had hopped with the jay in its beak to eat it there.
Now I needed to identify the footprints. I didn't have a ruler with me so I couldn't measure them. I suspected an eagle or a hawk and when I got home, I checked my copy of Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains by James Halfpenny. I concluded that it probably was a raven as they sometimes make a meal of a bird and their prints are similar to the eagle's. Ravens are in this area year round.
Next winter I'll have my ruler and my camera with me on every outing!
In mid-February, I was snowshoeing in the Tower Falls area when I came upon a story in the snow of a recent wildlife event. To understand the story I had to study the several clues in the snow.
Along the Yellowstone River there was evidence that a bird had been killed: a few gray feathers in one spot and blood a few feet away. Near the feathers were the foot prints of a large bird. The bloodied area was not far from the river's edge. On the riverbank I noticed a large indentation in the snow and on either side, the imprint of wings. Now the story in the snow was taking shape. A Gray Jay or Clark's Nutcracker (both frequent the area) had been taking a drink from the river when a large bird had swooped down and snatched it up. There had been a struggle and blood was shed. Perhaps the victim had been able to move as far as the area where the feathers lay on the snow or the predator bird had hopped with the jay in its beak to eat it there.
Now I needed to identify the footprints. I didn't have a ruler with me so I couldn't measure them. I suspected an eagle or a hawk and when I got home, I checked my copy of Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains by James Halfpenny. I concluded that it probably was a raven as they sometimes make a meal of a bird and their prints are similar to the eagle's. Ravens are in this area year round.
Next winter I'll have my ruler and my camera with me on every outing!
