Yellowstone (Part 2)

Barbara
May 29
4 min read

We were up at 4:00, picked up some coffee headed toward Blacktail Pond, where we left the buffalo kill last night. We were getting close to the Pond by about 5:00.

Almost there!

It was waaayyyyy too dark to take photos, so I improvised and took this video with my cell phone so you could hear what we were hearing at the kill site, at that time of time morning. Volume Up!

As soon as I could take a decent photo, I did. The cinnamon black bear from yesterday had returned for seconds.

He/she didn't stay long.

Pretty morning colors.

Next to visit the site was a black wolf!

It, too, was very cautious . . . checking out the surrounding area before approaching.

After assessing the situation, it did not come to the kill. It continued across the valley and out of sight.

Not to worry, next up . . . an adult bald eagle, a juvenile bald eagle and a raven.

They may have been doing "rock, paper, scissors" to see who got to hit the carcass first.

The winner of the competition, or most likely the highest on the food chain, the bald eagle approached the bison.

The sun was starting to rise and there were HUGE cameras lining the pulloff and road up and down from the pond.

Meanwhile, the cinnamon black bear was napping across the street within striking range of the kill, should the urge to eat more arise.

It was fascinating to see all of the birds compete for the right to feed. There definitely is a hierarchy, but occasionally the offering was too good not to sneak in for a bite. And, maybe they just got tired of fighting off the other birds.

At this point, it was almost 7:00, so we decided to explore further into the Lamar Valley to see what else was happening.

We saw a moose not far from Elk Creek! Harold and Mary Sue probably know where that overlook is. It's adjacent to where the black bear den is, the one we saw the mama black bear and her 2 cubs actually digging out their winter home a couple of years ago. It's across from the Petrified Tree. Anyway, we rarelu see moose in Yellowstone. Naturally, I was thrilled!

Moving on . . .

Bison along the roadway -

This photo is for Harold. The new bridge over the Yellowstone River is coming along nicely and is expected to be completed in the Fall of 2026. It will be 1,175 feet long and 162 feet high, which is a significant increase in the length and height compared to the existing bridge. You & Mary Sue will need to come out when it's complete so we can all ride across it. We're game - are you?

Black bear napping next to a pond.

White tailed deer in the distance -

This nice family let me take their photo.

The Lamar River, running fast and muddy.

Lamar Vallley -

Spotted a coyote hunting.

A bison jam.

Once they get on the road, there isn't anything you can do to move them along. They TAKE the right-of-way!

We spotted a grizzly bear along the Soda Butte Creek. Don dropped me off so I could set up my camera & tripod, while he looked for a place to park.

It didn't stay long enough and soon made it's way into the willows.

While I was shooting the bear, Don found another great photo op. Bison crossing the river!

Back in the car with Don, we passed the Soda Butte.

And further into the Lamar Valley is this unique bush growing naturally from a rock outcrop. Looks just like a bull moose!

Saw a couple of pronghorns . . . not as many as we usually see.

We drove through the Northeast Entrance and through Silver Gate on our way to Cooke City, just to see what was going on there. ***To view this assortment of photos here, click on the black arrow on the right side of this photo and continue to click until you have seen all 6 photos.***

Back in the Park, we stopped at Barronette's Peak, looking for mountain goats. The snow made it very difficult to find any . . . they really blend in! Several cars had stopped and lots of scopes and binoculars were aimed at the Peak, but no one spotted anything!

Except some pretty waterfalls!

More bison!

Heading out of the Lamar Valley -

Up toward Tower Falls, we spotted a mama black bear with two cubs! One cinnamon and one black.

We left Tower Falls and headed back toward Blacktail Pond. Before we got there, there was a bear jam.

Mama looks like a larger version of her baby.

They stopped briefly so the little one could nurse, but some people were blocking the road with their cars, it was a true bear jam and Don was stuck in the traffic. I got out to take a couple of photos. Folks in the jam became impatient - honking their horns. The bears fled into the trees to find a much more quiet spot for lunch.