In the first two Springtime in Yellowstone blog posts, we covered Grizzly and Black Bear cubs, adorable Fox Kits, Badger cubs, a three-day-old Moose calf, Bison with their romping little Red Dogs, and much more.
For this final post, I believe I have saved the best for last.
This was the highlight of the trip for me. At our kickoff dinner, we were asked what we would like to see. My answer was anything in the Weasel family. These animals are few and the ones that are there are very shy and elusive. I knew the chance was slim but hey, dream big right?
Short-Tailed Weasel!
On our last full day, we stopped for lunch at the Sheepeater* Cliff picnic area. Looking up at the rockpile from the base of the cliff we spotted something extremely fast darting in and out of the boulders. Lunch was quickly forgotten as we all grabbed our cameras and sprang into action. While the rest of the group scrambled up the rock field, I worked my way up a trail, through some trees bordering the left side of the rockpile. Peering into the brush, I spotted her looking at me. She was very small, maybe 8 – 10 inches from nose to tail.
These little Weasels are twitchy-quick and fast which can make them extremely difficult to photograph but they also seem to be very curious. I spotted her multiple times as I worked my way up the trail. She’d stop and look back at me and if I was on it, it gave me just enough time to get a shot. The trail ended at the top of the rock pile, and we seemed to come out of the trees at the same time. She would rise out of one crevice in the rocks, look at me, then quickly disappear only to pop up in another spot a couple feet away. At one point she sprang up from a gap between my feet. She was so close my camera wouldn’t focus on her. I’m sure it was the exhilaration of the moment, but I could swear she was playing with me. It was so much fun to watch.
As you can see in some of the pictures, she was carrying something in her mouth. Weasels have a well-earned reputation for being ruthless little carnivores. The speculation around the picnic table was that she had raided a squirrel den. After zooming in on the photos, taking a close look at the baby and how she was holding it, I think she may have been moving her nest and this was one of her litter. It was springtime in Yellowstone after all…
When it was over, we went back to the picnic table to eat lunch and our guide mentioned that for all the time he spends in the park it had been five years since he had last spotted a Weasel.
I was extremely lucky and so very grateful for this wildlife encounter.
* The Sheepeater Indians were a band of the Shoshone Tribe that lived for thousands of years in the area that is now Yellowstone National Park.
American Pika
Any trip to Yellowstone should include a drive to the top of the Beartooth Highway. Drive through the Lamar Valley to the northeast entrance at Silver Gate MT and keep going through Cook City up US Route 212. It’s not that far and it is well worth it. The Beartooth Highway tops out at 10,947 feet and the views are breathtaking. Be forewarned, if you have issues driving up high mountain roads this will surely be a white-knuckle drive, but the road is good and the views are so worth it. Once you are up there pull over to marvel at the views, then wander through the rock fields, and look for Pikas. Pikas are adorable little cousins of the rabbit that live at high altitudes. Just remember, you’re at 11,000 feet and the air is thin.
Pikas winter in their high-altitude homes but they do not hibernate. In the fall they start stuffing their little burrows with enough grass to hold them through the winter. They remain active all winter traveling through tunnels under the rocks and many feet of snow.
FYI, the “Stop The Car Trading Post” in Silver Gate is a great place to stop for a cup of coffee in the morning or Ice cream on a hot afternoon.
Harlequin Ducks
Harlequin ducks are as interesting to watch as they are beautiful to look at. The ducks congregate on rocks in the river. Occasionally two or three would take off flying low and fast upriver for 100 yards or so before plunging into the white water. This was in early June, and the rivers were raging with the Spring runoff. Diving, swimming, and periodically rising to the surface the ducks would forage for grubs on the river bottom as they made their way back downstream to their rock where they would hop out and rest up before their next swim.
Great Horned Owls
Owls proved to be almost as elusive as the moose on this trip. We spent time wandering through some of the boreal forests of Yellowstone that were reported to be owl habitats without luck. We finally found this nest high in a pine tree, between two buildings at the park headquarters in Mammoth Hot Springs. The two fluffy chicks and their mom were in the nest while dad was in another tree keeping watch about 50 feet away. I didn’t get many pictures of these owls as the birds were settled into their nest, not moving around. It must have been their after-meal nap time. It was a thrill just to see them, but it would have been nice if they had hopped up on a branch and struck a pose 😊.
Gallery
Yellowstone National Park is a unique and wonderful place. It was hallowed ground to the Native Americans for thousands of years before Ulysses S. Grant established Yellowstone as our first National Park in 1872. While we should never forget those who came before us, or what this place means to them, this park was set aside and protected by the wisdom and foresight of our forefathers. It is a gift that belongs to us all and it’s spectacular.
Thank you for taking the time to read these photo essays of my Springtime wildlife adventures in Yellowstone. I didn’t write these so much to share my experiences but to inspire others to step out and find experiences of their own. If in some small way, you find yourself more inclined to unplug and head out, whether it be a local park for an afternoon or a National Park for a week my goal has been met….. Happy trails.
“Lose yourself in nature and find peace” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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