We got in last night so late I was too tired to post anything. But we got in earlier tonight so here goes.
We spent a lot of yesterday looking for, and never seeing, the Beryl Springs bear and cub. Later we heard a male grizzly had come into her territory Monday around 8:00 pm and chased her and her cub across the Gibbon River and the road and up into the trees on the west side of the road. As far as I know no one has seen the bears since then. I sure hope she comes back.
While we were waiting for the Beryl Springs bear that never showed we suddenly saw what I at first thought was a white good size dog on the far side of the Gibbon River. Then the “dog” turned around and it hit me. That is the Canyon alpha female! The only white wolf in Yellowstone!! She is so beautiful. I have only seen her 3 or 4 times and never photographed her before, until now!! She didn’t stay long. She walked downstream and disappeared into some trees. We waited and waited for her to come out but she never did. But what a treat it was while it lasted. It is moments like that that make all of the driving and waiting and looking worthwhile. This wolf is a survivor. She was a member of the Hayden Valley pack that was decimated by the Mollie’s. She and two Mollie males formed the Canyon Pack. No one knows exactly how old she is but she is probably around 9 years old. Last year she broke her front left leg (No one knows how. Maybe a kick from an elk.) She somehow survived and now walks with a limp, but if you look at her left front leg in the above photo you will see why. It healed but it healed at an angle that makes her left leg shorter. It also looks thinner in the area where it was broken.
We didn’t see a lot today but we had a lovely conversation with 4 young people from France, Germany, Scotland and Switzerland. They just finished a 1 year tour of Canada and are now touring the U.S.
One of the things we did see today is one of my favorite flowers, Pasque flowers. They are some of the earliest blooming flowers in the park and they are just getting going along the first part of the road that leads to Petrified Tree. If you can be in the park go see them. They don’t last long.
Congrats on getting the photos of the only white wolf in YNP!
I’m getting so excited. My husband and I are heading to Yellowstone middle of May. We have been there several times over the last 45 years but never this early in the season. Hoping to view more wild life this time.
That should be a great time Georgia. There are more people in the park in May than 10 years ago but if you get up early and get out there you should see some nice grizzlies and hopefully some coy on the west side, Hayden Valley, and along the north side of Yellowstone Lake. Good Luck!!
Love the flowers and that wolf. Though, I am certain that is not the Canyon alpha because that one is really white. You said it was limping?
It was limping and if you look at the front left leg you can see it is bent. A bunch of other people including the guy that runs Brush Buck Tours thought it was her and thought she might be on her way to Old Faithful where she has spent time in the past. The last time I saw the Canyon alpha female Bob Landis was there and he thought it was her. But that has been 2 years.
Think I am wrong – it is probably the alpha female. Beautiful.