(Note: We think we fixed the vertical movie issue, but they are a bit larger. It might be a bit slow loading, but let us know if the vertical movies play sideways.)

(Note: If you click the image, you will be able to zoom in on the photographs. Some of the animals were distant, so you might need to zoom to see details. You will need to “go back” from clicking the image links.)

Kate was … vocal … about the distinct lack of baby animals this visit to Yellowstone. To resolve this issue, we decided to visit Lamar Valley in the north east of Yellowstone. It is known for having bison in large numbers.

It is a little over 40 miles north from Fishing Bridge RV Park to Lamar Valley. In Yellowstone, that means, at least, an hour drive. If you get stuck behind a slow driver or run into a Bison or Bear jam, it can take much longer. You pass through three major areas, Hayden Valley, Dunraven Pass, and Specimen Valley, to get to Lamar Valley. Much of the drive is along the Yellowstone River. We ran into at least two bear jams and two bison jams on the drive. Some were bad, and some were minor.

On the way out through Hayden Valley, we saw large white bird swimming in Yellowstone river. These were either Trumpeter Swans or Tundra Swans. Our best guess is that they were Juvenile Trumpeter Swans. Juvenile swans because the heads are still grey. They should be close to adult because the beak is fully black. They appear to be Trumpeter swans because the black mark leading to the eye is a wedge instead of a a line. The final test would be whether the black was a wedge or curve around the forehead, but no photographs showed this clearly against the grey. The two swans were far away; John needed to add the 1.4x extender to the 400mm lens to get pictures this large and clear. (Click here for a Google Street View of where we watched the Trumpeter Swans.)

The American Wigeon followed that swan around like it was a pet. In another picture, there was a barely recognizable Green-winged Teal. Hopefully, we can get a better picture in the future. After the swans, we saw a tour bus and a group of people on the side of the road. It was a bear; specifically, a Grizzly Bear butt. It was a very light bear jam because it was early.

After passing through Hayden Valley, we planned to stop in Canyon Village to hit the post office. Shortly before Canyon Village, we saw a black bear. It already had people swarming to view it, so we did not stop here either. In Canyon Village, the post office is cash only because they do not have internet. You would think it is still the 1980’s in Yellowstone. After Canyon Village, we continued north through Dunraven Pass, which passes through the Washburn Range.

There were some nice views passing through Dunraven pass, but there are not as spectacular as the view of the mountains across Yellowstone Lake. We might have passed a Black Bear in the woods with no where to pull over. Shortly after the pass, we came to an observation area with a Mountain Goat standing on the side of the road. People slow for goats, but you do not really get goat jams. There were two Mountain Goats down in the observation area and a group of four, including a baby, on the hill. (Click here for a Google Street View of the dead tree that framed the baby mountain goat.)

You can see the head and ear of the baby in the triangle of the tree opposite the mom. While the goats where wandering around, a Red-tailed Hawk soared over our heads.

Someone coming from the north told us that there were a few black bears further up the road in a field, so we headed out. On the way down, John saw some big birds. (Not the Sesame Street kind.) These turned out to be Sandhill Cranes. They were new to him, but Kate said they are common in Wisconsin.

Finally, we go to the bear jam. This is the worst bear jam that I have seen. People clogged the sides of the road. Cars just stopped in the street to take pictures despite signs all over the park saying that you are not permitted to stop in the street.

At this bear jam, there were two adult bears and cub. It turns out that not all Black Bears are black. The black bear female had a cinnamon black bear cub. An adult male cinnamon Black Bear was also hanging around. When the male first came around, the cub climbed a tree. (Click here for a Google Street View of the tree the cub climbed.) The female got aggressive with the male when he went near the tree. The belief of the (knowledgeable?) viewers was that the male wanted to kill the cub to make the female go into heat again, so he could mate with her. The female was trying to protect her cub. As we were stuck in the bear jam trying to leave, the adults had moved from lounging to a Mexican Stand-off at the base of the tree. As we drove by, the male had backed away from the tree.

As we were leaving Dunraven for Specimen Valley, we hit another small bear jam for a black bear 30 feet away on the side of the road. People (I am related to) go nuts looking for bears, and we were actually getting tired of seeing bears and waiting in bear jams.

Finally, we got to Specimen Valley where the Bison (start to) roam. Here we saw scattered groups of Bison with babies. Most of them were 100 feet or more off the road. (Click here for a Google Street View of where Kate saw her first baby Bison, this year.)

Passing from Specimen Valley to Lamar Valley, we stopped at an observation point with an Osprey nest. We did not see any baby Osprey, but an adult head was poking up. The nest was across Lamar Canyon with the Lamar River rushing through it. (Click here for a Google Street View of where the Osprey will nest in about 10 years.)

In Lamar Valley, Bison roam in large numbers. Baby Bison abound. There are a few Pronghorn Antelope, but Bison are everywhere. We even had a baby Bison pass ten feet in front of the car. (Click here for a Google Street View of the pull off with the bison jam.)

Leaving Lamar Valley, we stopped by Slough Creek. There were a lot of people here. It turns out that there is a Wolf den in the area, so people will hang out all day hoping to see a wolf. We did not see wolves. We saw Yellow-headed Blackbirds hunting for bugs in the grass. (Click here for a Google Street View of where we watched the Yellow-headed Blackbirds.)

At the intersection near Roosevelt Lodge, we saw another Black Bear out in the field with the Bison. Fortunately, there were places to pull over, so the bear jam was just building up. Passing back through Dunraven Pass, we saw our first deer in Yellowstone. Someone, incorrectly, told us that there were no deer in Yellowstone. There are, at least, Mule Deer here.

We had lunch in Canyon Village because Roosevelt Lodge does not open until June 6th. Heading through Hayden Valley, John had Kate stop at a pond that had rust colored ducks a few days ago. The Cinnamon Teals were there again today. (Click here for a Google Street View of where we saw the Cinnamon Teals.)

Further into Hayden Valley, John had Kate stop again. There was a duck with a light color white strip on its head. It turns out that John finally got a decent photograph of an American Wigeon. Sadly, there was not enough sunlight to show the green sheen on his head. While taking that photo, a Northern Shoveler showed up. (Click here for a Google Street View of the stop we watched the American Wigeon and Northern Shoveler.)

In total, we saw adult and baby mountain goats, adult and baby bison, at least seven bears (including a cub), deer, and marked eight birds off the Yellowstone bird list. The birds today were – (Juvenile) Trumpeter Swan, Green-winged Teal, Sandhill Crane, Yellow-headed Blackbird, American Coot, Red-tailed Hawk, Cinnamon Teal, and Northern Shoveler. There were a few birds on that list that we did not get pictures of because we needed binoculars to even see them.

Today’s trip took 10 hours, and it felt like an animal photography job.