Yellowstone wildlife

~ MaryG

I’ve already posted too many times about my recent trip to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. But what the heck…it’s my blog and I can post what I want, right?

As previously mentioned, spotting wildlife is a major activity in Yellowstone National Park. After your first 500 or so bison (aka buffalo), you start coveting sightings of the more rare animals— like wolves and bears.

Here’s everything we saw:

Bluebird
Lots of elk
Bison galore
Raven
Osprey (baby)
Killdeer
Magpie
Two grey wolves (one white and one black) from a long distance, but very clearly seen through a stranger’s scope
The black one looked like this
Chipmunk
Pronghorn
We saw mountain goats from a long distance in that cliff face behind us. They are non-native and therefore a bit controversial in Yellowstone.

We also saw sandhill cranes and vultures, but I wasn’t able to get photos.

The wolves were the most exciting to spot, partially because everyone else was so excited! There are people that go around spotting wolves all day long in Yellowstone. They know individual members of each pack. They have special spotting scopes and they sit in certain areas watching for wolves. When you see a clump of those people, you pull over to see what’s going on. Their excitement is infectious and they are very generous with their spotting equipment.

Despite all the warnings about bears and the need to carry bear spray on hikes, we never saw one! I’ve still never ever seen a bear in the wild.

I am pleased to report that with this recent trip to Montana and Wyoming, I have now visited more than half of the fifty United States (26 to be exact). I have 24 left to go!

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PS: Is anyone else disappointed that MyGenXerLife’s blog seems to have disappeared? Did he make an announcement while I was away or something? I really loved that blog! Any info appreciated.

18 thoughts on “Yellowstone wildlife”

  1. I have loved your other posts from Yellowstone and this post is no different. Some things you share in your photos I have not seen or heard before when it comes to wildlife.

    I thought things had been quiet a little bit with MyGenXerLife’s blog. But I wasn’t aware until you mentioned it that it had gone private. I have seen no mention from this blog thst this would happen. So I am none the wiser.

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  2. Not familiar with that blog, so I have no info about it.

    I enjoyed your series of animal pictures, especially the one of the lone bison. But this post reminded how reclusive many animals are. As someone who lives by the woods, I have had firsthand experience with this. In the woods behind our house are foxes, skunks, bears, fishers, coyotes, porcupines, and deer. Seldom do we see them. They don’t want to be seen. I think they have rightly come to the conclusion that humans are bad news and should be avoided

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    1. Thanks Laurie! It’s funny how the elk and bison in Yellowstone are not reclusive – at all! They’re just walking down the street or sitting in your hotel parking lot.

      It’s very cool that you live so close to the woods. And I agree that it’s a bit weird to see most animals in your yard at home. We had a rabid fox in the neighborhood once and he was out all day and bit a woman, so now I’m scared of that situation.

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    1. lol! Bear spray is highly recommended for hiking in Yellowstone, but you’re not allowed to put it in your airline luggage (for good reason), so there’s a lot of money made renting bear spray to tourists. It’s not cheap either! (We took our chances without it, but didn’t hike far into the woods.)

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