Yellowstone National Park 2024 Trip Reports
Trip Report ~ Bear & Wolf Sightings ~ by Bill Hamblin
06 through 09 April 2024
Yellowstone National Park
Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney © All Rights Reserved
Mountain Lion ~ also known as the Cougar, Puma, Panther, or Catamount ~ Puma concolor
~ April 2024 ~
April 6th - Saturday
37 degrees in Gardiner but 28 degrees at Slough Creek this morning warming up to 36 degrees out in the park. By midday, the low clouds and light snow made visibility a real problem seeing any of the high ridges. Lots of elk and pronghorn antelope had migrated up the valley all the way to Slough Creek, which is very early, showing how really low snowpack is this year. I found a large jack rabbit on the new road from Gardiner to Mammoth is morning. It was still in the white winter phase and stuck out really well with all the bare ground around Mammoth. I hope that it changes color quick, or the coyotes will get him. In the afternoon I came across two large flocks of cedar waxwings. The first was near straight-away pullout in Little America. The birds were traveling along the road going west. Feeding just along the side of the road. The second flock was on the new road between Mammoth and Gardiner. Both flocks had more than a hundred birds.
April 7th - Sunday
37 degrees in Gardiner but only 25 degrees near Slough Creek this morning warming up to 40 degrees with a strong wind. Tonight, a bison fell in and drowned in the Blacktail Ponds. Hoping a grizzly finds it. Andrea B had a fresh mountain lion track crossing west to east about three hundred yards down the Slough Creek Campground Road. I saw the track when I walked down to Bob's Knob later in the morning. Bob L had walked to Bob's Knob early in the morning and had one then two wolves in view. I walked down to the knob where three wolves were in view: the collared black pup (to be a yearling in a week), a gray adult and a black collared wolf just across Slough Creek. Rick M pointed out a black wolf moving around near the den. Rick M got a better angle to see the natal den and said the other wolves later looked into the natal den. While I was watching, five trumpeter swans flew into the area.
April 8th - Monday
31 degrees in Gardiner but 26 degrees in Slough Creek this morning warming up to 39 degrees out in the park with a cool wind. Kevin M showed me the first bison calf (Red Dog) of the year. A few flocks of blue birds in Little America this afternoon, some just a few to a flock of thirty plus. The road construction on the Yellowstone River Bridge near Tower Junction has stop lights installed but still orange flashing so no delays yet. The bison population is quite high this year and with the slow temperatures and little snow they are seen in quantity from Mammoth all the way to Slough Creek. Kevin M walked down the Slough Creek Campground Road and found the golden eagle on the nest across in the rock formation from the gravel pullout. Around 10:00 a.m. Grant J found a collared gray Junction Butte wolf trying to cross the road north to south at Curve Pullout near Boulder Pullout. Not sure if the wolf got across or not but was in view for five to ten minutes moving west under Junction Butte.
April 9th - Tuesday
37 degrees in Gardiner but only 27 degrees at Blacktail Ponds this morning warming up to 48 degrees with a cool wind. I started my day at Blacktail Ponds, but the bison carcass in the ponds had not been touched. I had five trumpeter swans fly over the road in Little America. I had my first cottontail rabbit today. And my first vulture flying near Gardiner tonight.
People Seen
Wolf Watchers: From Montana: Rick M, Doug M, Melba C, Kriztina G, Jeremy S, and Taylor R. From South Carolina: Chuck and Wynelle M. From Utah: Chris B with two of his sons and Paul H. From Connecticut: Jeff F with his two kids, and Tenile. And from California: Jim and Amber H. Bear Watchers seen this report: From Wyoming: Kevin M. From Louisiana: Bruce P. From Idaho: Kim and Joyce C. And from Utah: Larry M. Others seen this report: From Montana: Micheal S, Nate U, Bob L, Dliff B, Carl S, Pete B, Scott B, Andrea B, and Grant J. From the Netherlands: Jort.
Beautiful Mountain Lion ~ Lamar Valley ~ April 10th, 2023 ~ Photo by Linda Rudge Carney © All Rights Reserved
Mountain Lion ~ also known as the Cougar, Puma, Panther, or Catamount ~ Puma concolor
Yellowstone National Park
Lamar Valley Map - Yellowstone National Park
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