YELLOWSTONE'S WILD WORLD

Raspberry and that white faced cub have been the biggest show in town.  Photographers are returning to the park just to photograph the new family.  One of the rangers told me to be careful because they were going to start charging me sitting fees.

I have missed the best of the photo ops due to trying to split my time between non-existent wolves in Lamar Valley, and running down to Lake, just to have the bears gone.  So goes life these days.  I have gone down to see the Wapiti family numerous times but have yet to get a good view of the cubs.  They generally come out after I leave.  Always a dollar short!

But, I did make it down again at a time Raspberry was out with the cubs and it was just great to see them.  Mid-day light so nothing to shout about but it is always so nice to watch bears down south, as compared to watching anything in the northern range.  We get to smile, laugh, get into position and enjoy ourselves.

Here are some shots.

Well, this morning I went back to Hayden and was greeted by Valley Girl near Alum Creek, out there grazing and doing her thing.  I then continued on, meaning to go to Raspberry, but got stopped at Mud Volcano where a little, beautiful, male sub-adult grizzly was hanging out.  Right along with a cow bison in heat who was in hot demand by several males.  And bulls were looking to take their aggression out on anything and I saw red in their eyes a couple of times.  Even the grizzly went and hid.  After the bison crossed the road we heard the biggest fight – I half expected to see blood flying from the forest.

The bear stood up and then ran for cover.  With no bear in sight everyone left and it was just me there for awhile, enjoying the show.  Blue bird fledglings were testing the wings, and the bear wandered back out for awhile.

Isn’t he just a beauty!

So, I never made it to Raspberry but did hear that she was not available for photo ops today.  So, I went back north and spent several hours with the kestrels.  The two babies now have their head out the hole and are running their parents ragged, trying to keep them fed.  What a blast it was to watch – I am so in awe of nature and the fact that the two kestrel parents work as a team.  And, it is great fun to watch mama kestrel fight off all intruders.  She is fierce.

Here are some shots from the kestrels.

And, just for a grand finale and finding something at the den area tonight, if not the wolves, I stopped in the road to take this photo of a pronghorn.  Actually, they were trying to cross the road and so I stopped so that they could do so safely.