Places Visited: Along the Madison River in Yellowstone National Park

Aug 1-4, 2007.

We are staying in Grizzly RV-Park in West Yellowstone, Montana just out the west gate of Yellowstone National Park. We stayed in a different site every night because we did not have reservations and at this time of year they are FULL. The only way we got to stay there for 4-nights was to move into cancellation sites. The rates range from around $37 to $47 depending on a variety of things but generally back in sites were cheaper than pull-thru sites. Then they charge $4 for wifi. I suppose the pull-thru sites are a bit larger so the BIG rigs would probably be forced into one of them. Grizzly is a nice park, the nicest campground in the area. Bottom line is if you are planning to visit WEST YELLOWSTONE during July thru Aug-15 you need a reservation as every campground in the area is FULL. After August 15 you can have your choice of campgrounds with no reservations.

This has been our year to spot coyotes. I don't know if a bumper crop was produced this spring or if by chance we have gotten better at spotting them.

Whatever, between the two of us we are spotting more coyotes this year than in past years.

Coyotes have an easy gate, faster than a walk but not a run. They can cover great distances in search of food.

Along the Madison River near Madison Junction we seem to always find elk in the flats along the river.

More elk along the Madison River.

This moose mother and her calf were causing a "moose-jam" on the Grand Loop road just north of Canyon Junction

Occasionally we spot mule deer in Yellowstone. They are in the park we just don't seem to spot many of them. Notice that this one is out in the sagebrush instead of the lush grasses along the rivers, this is not what I would have suspected.

Female elk and this years offspring.

One day we spotted this solitary old bull miles away from the herds. He was just ambling along side the road in no particular hurry.

I think these buffalo were in the Hayden Valley located between Fishing Bridge and Canyon Junction on the Grand Loop Road.

This year we found herds of buffalo near Grand Loop Road in both the Lamar Valley and Hayden Valley.

These buffalo are in the area of the Hayden Valley although they have climbed out of the lower valley into this more arid area where they can enjoy dust baths in sandy spots.

Some of the buffalo delight in standing on the road in front of vehicles. I think they like to see how much traffic they can back up. This old bull got a real charge out of backing up that lane of traffic.

This old bull seemed to be posing for Joyce.

Another bull posing for the camera.

This bull has just positioned himself where he can stop the other lane of traffic. One can only wonder about when he will move.

This lone buffalo is posing beside the Yellowstone River a few miles north of Fishing Bridge in the Hayden Valley.

This year we have seen a good many Canada geese along the many rivers in Yellowstone. In some places we have seen several hundred geese gathered in a grass field for what appears to be lunch.

How can you resist photographing this lone bull silhouetted against the sky?

You have to pay close attention but we have learned to look for coyotes hunting for small rodents among the herds of buffalo. The buffalo pay no attention to them.

This solitary bull is about to drop down and take a dust bath.

Notice in this picture how sage brush is growing on the valley floor as well as on the slopes leading to the valley floor. Sage brush has a silver or gray sheen that helps identify it.

Napping elk.

Another coyote!

Coyotes are always on the move. Unlike dogs, that sleep away most of the day, coyotes seem to always be up and about on the lookout for food. Coyotes always seem to be alone. We seldom see more than one at a time.

By chance we spotted this mountain goat on a cliff on the far side of a canyon. This goat was approximately a mile away across a deep canyon. The cliff this goat was on was all of 500' straight down and another 500' straight up. None of us could see how this goat got where he was.

This is another picture of that same goat.

The antlers look like a big horn sheep but some of the locals said it was a goat.

This is the Lamar Valley near the northeast entrance to Yellowstone Park. The Lamar Valley is a good place to spot grizzly bear and wolves but we did not see any today.

The Lamar Valley like the Hayden Valley is supporting good herds of buffalo. Rangers assure us that most of the big herds are in other valleys within Yellowstone where they can not be seen from the paved roads.

Buffalo are scattered all along the valley floor.

Lamar Valley supports a remnant of the vast herds that once roamed North America. Here the particular mix of conditions creates ideal habitat for elk and bison. The wide, open valley makes predators easy to spot. Tasty sedges border streams and damp meadows; forbs and bunch grasses cover slopes. During Yellowstone's extended winters, temperatures are relatively moderate at this lower elevation, and snow cover is usually shallow enough to allow foraging.

During the midsummer the greatest numbers of elk and bison are in the mountains on either side of Lamar Valley. Today we did not see the first elk in the Lamar Valley.

Herds of both buffalo and elk attract scavengers like coyotes, eagles and ravens. This coyote is hunting for an unsuspecting ground squirrel, or whatever "lunch of opportunity" presents itself.

This coyote had a radio collar on. Look closely and you can see both the collar and the radio.

This isn't a good picture but it is the only stellers Jay we have seen this summer. That is unusual for us since we are accustomed to spotting them at higher altitudes.

These are grouse, of that I am fairly sure. However, I can't tell if they are blue or ruffled grouse. Locals call all grouse "sage hens" and drop it at that.

Surely some of you folks can help me identify these birds.

Is this a ruffled grouse or a blue grouse. We spotted it at around 8,000 feet in altitude in an area of spruce trees near one of the passes in Yellowstone.

I do not see a crest on the heads of any of these birds so that should rule out ruffled grouse but the coloration does not fit a blue grouse either. They may be immature birds that have not yet developed adult plumage & coloration.

Send me an e-mail with the identification: mike@travellogs.us or mikehendrix@isp.com

Thanks in advance. You will know when someone identifies this bird because I will edit this travelogue and identify it. Over 250 people per-day visit this web site so don't dilly. Be the first one!

Until next time remember how good life is.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix