It was an exciting two days off in the park with more bears, eagles, owls, badgers and coyotes. My first goal was to find the Great Horned Owl nest in Mammoth. After some searching and questioning a park ranger I finally located it. The adult was out on a limb and two young were down in the nest. Here is the adult.
My next goal for the weekend was to find the badger's den I had heard about from several people. With a little searching I found it and watched mother and three juveniles interact for over an hour. Normally not active during the day the three young were very playful often seeming to aggravate mom. Here they are.
As I started to head for home on Saturday I noticed a few photographers in chairs but with cameras ready beside the road. I asked what was going on and they said they were waiting on a fox that hunts in the field below them. So I decided to wait with them. Within ten minutes here comes the fox looking for rodents. It is a bit shaggy looking as it sheds a heavy winter coat but was fun to watch. I did miss the best photo when it leaped into the air and pounced on a small rodent.
Also on Saturday I spent 2+ hours perched on the side of a hill watching three black bears traveling together. The larger male was cinnamon in color and the two females were black. It was midday and warm which resulted in the cinnamon bear going for a dip in a small pond. I'll post those pictures in a few days.
Until next time, thanks for following my Yellowstone Blog.
David
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