The visitor pulled over just short of a bridge in Yellowstone to allow a herd of bison to pass. He was thrilled to see and hear them.
A couple of weeks ago, Jeremiah Frick pulled over just short of the bridge in Lamar Valley in Yellowstone National Park to allow a herd of bison to pass.
As the herd approached, Frick rolled down his window to get the full effect, and when he did, the sounds of clacking hoofs on the cement resounded inside the car. Grunting could also be heard.
Frick shared his video with ViralHog. On some servers, you’ll have to click on the video link to hear the striking noise. (Warning for a minor expletive at the end.)
“Oh boy, here come the buffalo,” Frick told ViralHog in his short description of the video.
Most of the bison went around his car, but some went in front of the car before joining the rest of the herd in the valley.
Frick was obviously thrilled over what he had witnessed.
The scene revealed to observers that a time of critter births is also a period when many newborn animals succumb to the elements.
Yellowstone National Park abounds with wildlife and visitors typically leave with wonderful memories involving critters they had encountered.
But visitors who spend enough time in the park also witness heart-wrenching scenes that leave them wondering why nature can seem so cruel.
In late May, I pulled over west of Lamar Valley and watched from a distance as a bison herd began to cross the Lamar River.
Momma bison searches for calf downstream.
The river was shallow but with deep, swift-running channels. The opposite bank was steep with loose dirt and the crossing seemed like a perilous proposition for newborn calves.
Within seconds, one calf was swept downstream and around a bend, leaving mom in a panic. She ran down the middle of the river, staying on a shallow. bar, and ultimately accessed the bank to continue her search.
Bison calf pleads for help as momma closes in.
As this occurred, another calf was swept about 40 yards downstream, but regained its footing and ultimately crossed the river with mom’s guidance.
As the herd continued up and over the bank, the bison that lost her calf paced the area for several minutes before abandoning her search to rejoin the herd.
Momma bison helps calf exit a deep portion of river.
I was with other tourists about 500 yards away. We could not see all of the action but concluded that only the one calf had been lost, likely to be preyed upon or scavenged by wolves, coyotes, or bears.
I was so far away, with a 400-millimeter lens, that I didn’t even look at my images until recently. So I cropped the accompanying shots to help illustrate this story.
Baby bison is back on its feet after most of the herd had crossed over the bank.
The scene revealed to us that a season of critter births is also a period when many newborn animals succumb to the elements or predation.
Remarkably, a day later I witnessed a pronghorn birth from almost the same spot, while also watching a momma badger excavate a den for her kits.
If you’re able to spot the black bear in the Yellowstone National Park image you’re either lucky or have a keen eye.
A Montana-based guide who leads hiking expeditions in Yellowstone National Park on Friday tweeted a landscape image and asked followers if they could spot the black bear.
“I’ve been told my more recent ‘Find the Animal Friday’ posts have been way too easy,” Douglas Scott declared. “This one is a little more challenging.”
Can you spot the black bear? Photo: Douglas Scott
Scott, who runs The Outdoor Society, granted ForTheWin Outdoors permission to use the image and supplied a second image that we’ve posted below to serve as a hint for those who might struggle initially to spot the bear (as I did.)
Can you spot the bear in the images posted above? (Answer below.)
Scott told FTW Outdoors that he captured the image June 21 from above the Lamar River “on a perfectly clear day” in the park’s northern range.
“It was definitely a fun spot as my client was amazed I saw it so easily from so far away,” Scott recalled.
I’ve been told my more recent “Find the Animal Friday” posts have been way too easy. This one is a little more challenging.
Find the black bear in this picture from above the Lamar River in Yellowstone National Park. pic.twitter.com/5Z8QmmQgYJ
— Beyond the Boardwalks: Yellowstone National Park (@_out_door_) June 29, 2024
Scott’s X followers chimed in with guesses but, as of Sunday night, only one had pinpointed the bear’s location.
When I guessed, Scott informed me that I had found “the shadow of a tree.”
Another guess was met with the reply: “Unfortunately, you are incorrect. You most definitely found a non-animal shadow though!”
Black bear is pictured in the clearing barely left of center. Photo: Douglas Scott
The image posted immediately above shows the bear when Scott was closer (or zoomed-in). Readers, if they choose, can use landmarks in the image to match the location of the bear in Scott’s original image.
To view the answer, click on Scott’s tweet and scroll to Matt Inman’s comment. Or simply view the image posted below.
Scott specializes in leading day trips to remote areas “beyond the boardwalks” of Yellowstone National Park. The hikes typically last between four and seven hours.
In Yellowstone National Park, distant grizzly bear sightings can be as satisfying as up-close sightings, but you sometimes need a keen eye to see them.
In Yellowstone National Park, a distant view of grizzly bears can be as satisfying as an up-close roadside view because it requires a keen eye and the bears are in more of a natural setting.
Can you spot the momma grizzly bear and her three cubs in the image I captured this week from a hillside above the Lamar Valley highway? (Answer below.)
During this sighting the bears were ascending the hillside opposite the valley after being run off by a bison herd in a meadow surrounded by sagebrush.
They were too far for me to capture a detailed image with my 400-millimeter lens but I’ve attached a cropped version of a different image from the same sighting that shows the bears in more detail.
Trent Sizemore encountered the elusive wildcat while leading a photography tour last week in the park’s northern range.
Bobcat sightings are rare in Yellowstone National Park, in part because the stealthy felines are mostly nocturnal but also because they’re masters of camouflage.
How easily can you spot the bobcat in Trent Sizemore’s image?
Sizemore told FTW Outdoors that the extraordinary encounter occurred last Monday during a photography workshop he led in the park’s northern range.
“We stopped at a pullout near Lamar Valley to have lunch, when one of my clients spotted something up on the rock, and it was the bobcat watching us,” Sizemore recalled.
“This was my first one in 10 years here. We spent several hours there, seeing the cat a few more times that day. Up against the rocks, the camouflage was impeccable.”
The Yellowstone website states that bobcats occupy habitat throughout the park but are “rarely seen.” Most reported sightings occurred in rocky terrain near rivers.
Bobcats are in the lynx family and can weigh up to 30 pounds. They prey largely on small mammals and birds, but have been known to stalk deer and pronghorns.
Yellowstone is currently plowing roads in preparation for the spring opener, scheduled to begin April 19.
A llama that escaped during a commercial trekking expedition in Yellowstone National Park has been on the loose since Aug. 12.
A llama that escaped during a commercial pack trip in Yellowstone National Park has been on the loose since Aug. 12.
Susi Huelsmeyer-Sinay, owner of the Yellowstone Llamas, told FTW Outdoors that the llama was tethered with other llamas near a Lamar Valley trailhead when bison stampeded through the area.
“He was terrified when a group of bison thundered through camp and ran towards the trailhead and the trailer he knows,” Huelsmeyer-Sinay said, adding that the llama, Joaquin, broke his tether. “[Then] he was diverted again by a group of bison milling around the area.”
Buckrail reported that a Yellowstone Llamas guide waited at the trailhead overnight but Joaquin “did not come back.”
Trout Lake image courtesy of NPS/Dave Krueger
Huelsmeyer-Sinay said Joaquin was sighted near Trout Lake on Aug. 14. But he has not been seen since. The search effort has focused around Trout Lake, Buck Lake and Shrimp Lake, north and northeast of the trailhead.
“Wolf watchers, wildlife companies, construction crews, horse outfitters, Park Service staff, and park visitors have been alerted,” Huelsmeyer-Sinay added. “We are still hiking the area and encouraging hikers to keep an eye out for Joaquin, who may still be dragging his line.”
Joaquin is a tall, brown llama with a white face. Anyone who spots the animal is asked to call the Yellowstone Backcountry Office at 307-344-2160.
While Joaquin faces danger from bears and wolves, another llama named Lewis once survived three months alone in the park before being located by Huelsmeyer-Sinay and led back without a harness.
Yellowstone Llamas is a licensed outfitter that specializes in single and multi-day pack trips.
–Image showing Joaquin is courtesy of Yellowstone Llamas
