We didn't see any wolves today but there was a report of a black wolf from the Junction Pack heading west through the Lamar Valley. We waited and watched from a pull-out east of Slough Creek, hoping to see the black come over the ridge but we had no luck. We did see a black bear, however, making its way up the slope to the ridgetop. We then went to a pull-out that has a great view of the Slough Creek valley. I sighted four Great Blue Herons sitting together on the branches of a large bush along the creek. (In the photo above, the bush the Herons are sitting in is in the far left of the image,...

Watching wolves in the Lamar Valley can be challenging. Because the road is heavily traveled on the north side of the valley the wolves are mostly seen on the south side of the valley which can be 1 to 2 miles away. Viewing with a spotting scope vs binoculars can make a big difference in the enjoyment. This morning we were following 6 members of the Junction Butte pack getting close to the border of the Lamar pack's territory. I think one of the younger males spotted a herd of Pronghorn and decided to chase. The older, more experienced wolves would have known it was a fruitless effort. It was no contest....

On our way into the Park this morning we saw a cinnamon-colored black bear foraging not far from the road. It was still rather dark so the image-quality is not great. Breakfast. Everybody needs breakfast including wolves. This grey wolf seems to be taking hers back to her pups. Next entry in diary

This morning found four Junction Butte wolves heading east in the Lamar Valley. We moved from the "Trashcan" pull-out (all the pullouts are named by the "Wolfers" so they can figure out where a sighting is made from) to "Exclosure" by the confluence of Soda Butte Creek and the Lamar River for a closer and better view. From there we watched three black wolves and one grey for a couple of hours. At one point, we noticed a couple of Bull Bison traversing the slope behind us. They got real close and there was no place to go. We gave them all the room we could, moving off the trail and down the steep...

A restocking trip was in order so we headed out early to Cody, Wyoming the closest metropolis. It is a beautiful drive with a lot of history. This Raven stopped by to tell the story of the Nez Perce at the top of the pass. In 1877, Chief Joseph lead 600 Nez Perce, in an attempt to flee from the murderous General Howard, over an 8000ft pass into the Absaroka Mountains. It was an arduous passage for his people and winter was nearly upon them. They fooled the army into following a false trail as they moved in the opposite direction over the steep pass. The variety of landscape...

Sunrise yielded some nice views with fog on the way into Yellowstone this morning. The fog drove us out of the Lamar Valley and over to Slough Creek where we went looking for a Golden Eagle nest. We did'nt find the nest but, in a little cattail pond nearby, we found Yellowheaded Blackbirds singing a morning song. They are really striking with their yellow heads and white epaulets. Next entry in diary

A beautiful sunrise over the Beartooths this morning. Spotted a Sow and two cubs in the Soda Butte area this morning. The clouds closed in unfortunately and it was very dark. Got a few bad photos but... Next entry in diary

This morning, heading to Bearclaw Bakery for cinnamon rolls, we spotted this Red Fox who wanted to show off his breakfast catch. We decided to make an early evening trip into the Lamar Valley to see what we could see and catch the early evening light. A large herd of bison had gathered near the river and we watched them for awhile as they slowly moved through the landscape. The rut takes place in July and August and we're beginning to see more and more activity amongst the bulls. Next entry in diary

We took a day to do the grand loop through Yellowstone. We headed down the Lamar Valley to Tower Junction and then up Mt. Washburn. This is the early morning light looking back from Mt. Washburn north. Next was a bit of watching for wolves in the Hayden Valley where we struck out. We moved on to photograph the Grand Prismatic hot spring near Old Faithful. We headed back to the Lamar Valley via Fishing Bridge and the Hayden Valley again. In the Lamar Valley the setting sun painted the valley with beautiful warm light. We were awed watching a large Bison herd crossing the Lamar River,...

In the Lamar River Canyon, linking the Lamar River Valley with the area called Little America, we stopped for a view of a well-known Osprey nest. Such a striking bird with their eye-mask of brown. On the way to viewing the Osprey nest, we encountered a herd of bison crossing the road and heading into a large meadow. This handsome bull was showing a group of younger bison the way. Next entry in diary