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Today in the Park Report
April 20, 2002


Two Gray Wolves of the Druid Peak Pack by Joseph E. Uhler ©

Druid Wolves by Joseph E. Uhler © - 20 April 2002





20 April 2002 - Saturday


The crew for this jaunt into the park was my sixteen year old son, Joseph and myself. We left our home about 4:15 pm and headed towards parkadise. Just about the three mile mark on Highway 89 the sage was decorated with a brilliant flourescent blue. As we passed the area the blue took to flight, and we saw our first small flock of Mountain Blue birds. It was nice to see them back and their color is so brilliant. I have to get some pictures of them and post them on the page. One year on our early spring trips we drove through the Roosevelt arch on our way into the park and the whole triangle area was covered in blue. At first Carlene remarked look at the spring flowers and then they all took off, it was just fantastic to see so many.


In any case, back to our trip. The sky over our home was clear and bright blue. As we headed north to the park, it was covered in a large mist. I was somewhat disappointed to think that we were headed into rain or even snow. But it was just mostly a heavy mist that turned into fine snow crystals at Black Tail Drive and Hellroaring. Then it started to lift. We saw buffalo all over the place. I was even privileged to do a small bison drive just past the Gardner River bridge as about 35 bison were walking south towards Roosevelt. We saw small herds of bison all along the drive from Black Tail Lake to Lamar Valley. We also saw a very large elk herd just east of the Yellowstone picnic grounds as you break out into the large open valley at the Specimen Ridge Trailhead.


Druid Peak Pack Gray Wolves ©

No one was doing any spotting in Little America or Slough Creek, but the cloud cover was low on Slough Creek so we continued on to Lamar Valley. There was no snow down in the valley but the south hillsides were all still snow covered. There was no one at the first, second or third pullouts in the valley. We were looking for some loons that we knew were in the valley, RayT and his wife Jo. So we continued on down the road to the ranger station. We saw Ray and Jo there so we pulled in to join the fun.


They had a yearling black wolf out in the valley south of the ranger station. We could all watch it without scopes or binocs. The black wolf was just slowly walking around looking the area over. We met a few new folks there and enjoyed watching the wolf. It seems that the Druids are not at the traditional den site but further east up the valley.


Someone stopped by and said that there were two black wolves on an elk kill east down the valley. So Joseph and I and Ray and Jo headed east. We stopped and setup our scopes and sure enough, there were two large black wolves on the kill. We watched them as the ravens and magpies patently waited for their turn at the plate.


Soon the two black wolves were finished and the ravens and magpies moved in. They weren't there too long and a coyote joined in and chased some of the winged guests off. The coyote was there about five minutes when two very large very beautiful gray wolves appeared and claimed the meal. The elk kill was at the top edge of a small ridge and hillside behind the kill was dark with pine trees behind it. The wolves looked almost white on this background and stood out and looked so awesome. Joseph took some photos on his digital camera and will email them to me from school tomorrow. Ray was filming with his video camera and I was back in the dark ages using my 35 mm camera. It was so great to see these wolves and the dark contrast made the coloring on their shoulders and backs stand out.


Druid Peak Pack Black Wolf ©

Two other, no make that three other loons pulled up, Joe and Bill from California and Tonya or Graywolf. They reported what they had seen the last few days. The Druids had been very visible and fun to watch. There was a bull elk that was injured and was on the north side of the road and had moved across the road to the south side yesterday but no one had seen a kill or anything happen to it. It had an injured hind leg.


They reported that they had watched this elk cow (the kill we were now watching - oh, this kill was just east of the ranger station and before the old picnic grounds). The elk was in this area on Friday evening and one lone wolf was following it and trying to bring it down as evening sat in on them. The hunt went on as they headed back to Cooke City.



When they came back to the area early Saturday morning, there were wolves on the kill and a grizzly showed up and took a piece of the kill and headed for parts unknown. That brings us up to this point. Bill from Pokey stopped by and we chatted for a few minutes and he was headed down the valley intent on finding a griz. A short while later, Larry (grizzn) another loon stopped by looking for bears. We chatted and he headed west following Bill in their search for the Great Bear.


Joseph called me and said a huge bird had just landed on the kill. It was an eagle, either an immature bald or a golden, but in any case is was large and beautiful. At this time, we heard that a gray wolf had crossed the road and joined the black that was out in the valley. We all set to our scopes and finding the gray. Joseph found it. It was down by the Lamar River bank almost directly across from the ranger station. I was able to pry the scope from Joseph and it was really cool, in the scope view I had antelope, two sandhill cranes a gray wolf and a black wolf. What a view! The one sandhill was doing a dance and pecking the ground with its beak after it did a small hop and a flap of its wings. Fun to watch all that was going on in Yellowstone in spring.

Druid Peak Pack Black Wolves ©

We were watching the eagle on the kill, and the black and gray in the valley and the other wolves that were showing up on the kill. A yearling black wolf showed up and chased everything away from the kill or so we thought. As the young wolf was jockeying for a piece of meat he pulled the rib cage and all of a sudden a magpie flew out from inside the rib cage and scared the wolf and it jumped back and turned tail. We all laughed.


We all were hoping that the griz that was at the kill this morning (it was also at the kill at 2:30 pm this afternoon), would come back. As we chatted with Bill and Joe and Tonya, they decided to head west down the valley to the ranger station.


Joseph wanted to use the scope again so I told him he could use it if he would find me a griz! Well, he was looking for about ten minutes and he announced that he had a griz up on the mountain behind the kill. It was about two ridges back from the kill. We all trained our scopes on our first griz of the year! It was a large dark griz with the large hump and gold behind its shoulders! It was cool and we were all excited at our great luck on this beautiful day in Parkadise!


Rick had shown up and was watching the bear with us. I asked if he could get in touch with Bill from Pokey and let him know we had bear. Bill was down at Slough Creek and could hear us but could not respond. He quickly turned around and caught Larry and they headed back to our area. They arrived as the griz had just disappeared behind a little ridge. Now, that never happened to any of us! Ha! In any case Bill and Larry got out their scopes and we chatted and the bear reappeared and we were able to watch it as it slowly made its way down the mountain side and towards the kill.


Druid Peak Pack Gray Wolf ©

The sun was setting and Bill and Joe and Tonya made their way back to enjoy the Great Bear with us and the beautiful sunset through lowering white misty clouds and higher white clouds and mountains! It just doesn't get any better than this, family, friends, bears, bison, elk, antelope, eagles, and wolves in the magic of Yellowstone. A day to remember in the years to come.


At about 8:15 pm the bear disappeared and dark descended upon us. We said our goodbyes and expressed our appreciation for each other and sharing the experience and headed to our places of abode. Wow, is about all that can be said and Thank You for the beauty that we enjoy so much that brings us together and we share in our lives. Take care until next time in the Stone!


Wildlife Seen on This Trip


Antelope, bison, an eagle, elk, grizzly bear, magpies, mountain blue birds, sandhill cranes, ravens, seven of the Druid Peak pack and a gaggle of loons!


The photos on this page were take by Joseph E. Uhler on a Nikon Cool Pix camera through my Nikon spotting scope. Some of the photos are a little blurry due to the trying to coordinate the digital camera and the spotting scope. But, they are pictures taken on Saturday evening in Lamar Valley of Druid Peak Pack Wolves. We hope you enjoy them.


Take care my friends until next time!


Lamar Valley Sunset by John W. Uhler ©

Lamar Valley Sunset by John W. Uhler ©


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