Today was another of those lucky ones – the three dog day of fox, wolf and coyote sightings. And, if you are in Yellowstone, 4 dog days make it extra special with a Jake sighting. Jake is the long haired German Shepherd owned by wolf watcher Doug McLaughlin. Most folks have to give Jake treats in order to gain his affection but not me. If I make the mistake of walking past Jake without saying hi, or try to leave before giving him a kiss and a scratch, Jake lets everyone know with some big barks. Although, we did discover today that Jake is more fond of bison watching than me. I truly don’t blame him – I am more fond of watching bison than paying attention to myself.
Today’s fox was at Twin pullouts and it crossed the road in front of me. Not much for shots because it was either too close or walking away. And, when Kirsty called me to come back to the Blacktail, I let the fox go about its day and rushed back to the west to see what the Prospects were up to. Apparently the alphas tied for just a couple of minutes and I missed the excitement once again. But, I did get to see 6 of the Prospects – with two missing. It was a nice view of them for a change and so worth going back.
Not sure if it was worth missing the Lamar Canyons 20 yards away, but I can’t be everywhere. Oh, and first thing this morning I found a pygmy owl! That was truly exciting but no photos. At least I know how to find them now.
Yes, Doug found the Lamars 20 yards off of the road at Hitching Post. They all crossed the road and continued south to bed down for the day. Slightly in sight so I got to see a few of them but not all 8. The day I have been yearning for since last July came and went without me.
The Prospect 6 were at Hell Roaring with only 5 and good signals on 969. I got there in time to see Twin take off to the east on a mission. Luckily for him he left the others behind. We think that the other black was still on Specimen Ridge as it had been seen there earlier in the day when a black and gray crossed to the north. We lost Twin and the other 4 eventually all bedded down together.
I headed towards home, going to go get the estimate on my car until finding out that the guy was not available today. So, I got something to eat and headed back into the park because I heard talk on the radio that Twin and 969 had finally met up. They probably did, according to signals and the fact that Twin was at the Junction Lake carcass with a gray but it could not be confirmed. Kind of wondering if that carcass was left half un-eaten to lure the girl in. If so, it worked because that is where he finally found her. I feel certain that the two are finally together – as predicted a few days ago. It was a moment I had been hoping to see but they were too far away for any of us. So, I went back out to Lamar and found them just like we had left them. And, headed home with very few photos for the day.
Slow day photo wise but there were moose everywhere, along with more foxes and coyotes. Moose seen in Lamar Valley, Soda Butte Valley and at Blacktail. Fox in Lamar and Soda Butte Valleys, as well as the one at Twin Pullout. And coyotes in pairs milling about. One photographer made the statement that he thought everyone was hungry. I think that is true. The Lamars haven’t had a carcass in a few days – though they were acting stressed at all. But, that meant that coyotes had to resort to mousing. Which is kind of cute. Unfortunately, most of the sightings were far off.
A pygmy owl – cool! Where did you find him? The kids and I are planning a trip to YNP in July – I would love to add this bird to my life list!