Chocolate Bribes Work!

Not bringing binoculars, or even a decent camera to Yellowstone, is as silly as going on a tropical vacation without bringing a swim suit. (At least you can go swimming nude, one wildlife photographer reasoned!) I have seen some of the most amazing animals since arriving to rural Montana nearly one month ago. Our only way of documenting them has been by Shawn’s cell phone camera - very humbling next to the $14,000 high-speed lens I was privileged to look through yesterday. (I bribed this native Montanan with a piece of Ghirardelli chocolate.) He was photographing a pack of wolves commonly referred to as the “canyon pack” just 200 yards off. We would have walked right by them without knowing - they were perfectly camouflaged lying amongst the sagebrush. Where is Santa with the bag of goodies when you need him?

WOLVES! I had never seen one until yesterday afternoon. Through the photographer’s high-speed lens I observed a pack of 6 resting in the snow. The big white Alpha female was directly in our vision. She resembled a big white Husky and was surrounded by five black wolves. Two were “missing in action” and a few minutes later a lone howl echoed through the icy canyon. I
then observed Alpha-girl and the blackies point their noses toward the sky and howl a long slow response. They were calling their friend over. It was amazingly…EERY…and yet beautiful to listen to.

Yesterday we also witnessed three Big Horn Sheep males prepare for the rut. It’s mating season, or about to be. We had only driven 2 miles into the park when these three crossed the road just ahead of our vehicle and began dueling it out. Shawn didn’t see when the first two smacked horns violently. He thought the loud-crack had been a gun-shot. A crowd of spectators quickly gathered. I found it amusing that one male always seemed to instigate a battle by ramming his head into the butt of another male – pushing the other two closer together. It reminded me of two high school boys about to duke it out in the cafeteria with the third, smaller kid urging them
on. (How is that for some anthropomorphizing!)

So the animals are about even in 9 degree weather! After mailing my journal to my advisor for grading, I’ve had no means to write about all these wonderful sites. Bozeman is a 1.5 hour drive away where I could get a new one. I was forced to open dad’s Christmas present and use the blank one I made for him. Oh well - it’s a good thing we’ve still got a few weeks till Santa flies!