On Saturday, Non-Birding Vida and I went to Yellowstone to see if we could find some wolves. Vida had never seen a wolf, so I had a mission in life. We entered the park at 7 AM, and we proceeded toward the Lamar Valley. Upon the entering the valley, everything was still and quiet. Just a few bison bulls in the distance and not much else, save for the backside of a lone coyote. We cruised the valley twice without a wolf sighting.
Heading east toward Soda Butte, I spied a form atop a ridge. There he was, the alpha male from the newly named christened Silver Pack. Loping through the snow, he came off the ridge and across the road. He continued up and over a hill. In the saddle behind the hill, he joined 4 other wolves. A younger member of the pack was outfitted with a radio collar. The alpha stayed apart from his loafing compatriots, he just leaned against a Douglas-fir. It was apparent that he was suffering from mange from the missing fur on his legs. The parasitic mites were driving him to gnaw on his irritated skin.
After some extended wolf viewing and a quick trip to Cooke City for use of the amenities, we headed out the Lamar to the Boiling River for a soak. Passing Floating Island Lake, a bull moose was browsing on a stand of willows. It was quite interesting to watch this huge deer use its maneuverable upper lip to grasp the willow stems. The fact that moose can make it through the winter browsing on such nutritionally deficient plant material is rather amazing to me.
Arriving at Mammoth, we noticed a maintenance truck parked on the side of road and two orange-clad Park employees were glancing up the hill. They pointed out three wolves resting amongst the sagebrush. One black, one gray, and a third was almost white. What a great day to end the wolf-watching days.
The soak at Boiling River was too relaxing, and made magical by the singing American Dippers and Townsend’s Solitaires. The solitaires were busy chasing one another, maybe a sign that spring and its amorous aspects were repeatedly approaching.
