TEXT ONLY VERSION Introduction After a superb trip to neighouring Arizona and Utah
some years earlier, a return to Colorado to explore the other side of the
Rockies was always on the cards. When we looked at planning the itinerary, it
became obvious that an inverted horseshoe route, taking in a more northerly
area, was suited to our needs. This would then include the Rockies themselves,
the Badlands of South Dakota, and most importantly, Yellowstone National Park.
This meant an arrival at Denver in Colorado, and a departure from Salt Lake
City. As usual in the States, distances are much greater than we are used to in
the UK and even Europe as a whole, with the greatest journey being around 10
hours between Rapid City in South Dakota and Yellowstone. This did mean that we
experienced a variety of impressive National Parks, with scenery and wildlife
in general as the main target, and birds more or less seen as an incidental to
this. The bases used on our journey were Estes Park,
which is a characterful small town right next to the entrance to the Rocky
Mountain National Park, Rapid City, a functional place plonked in the centre of
the Custer National Park (or Mount Rushmore if you are in the typical tourist
trail!) and the Badlands, and West Yellowstone for the first few days for
Yellowstone National Park (again, better for the Old Faithful brigade and also
Grand Teton National Park), with a finish off in Gardiner for the North
Entrance of Yellowstone (better for access to the wildlife richer North loop).
We hired our car beforehand, and the midsize we wanted was inexpensive and more
than adequate for its task - don't believe the usual upgrade rubbish that
offers a more powerful engine for the mountains. A sat nav unit was
indispensable for driving - we bought an expansion SD card for North America
for our own portable Garmin unit in the UK for around £45, which was a lot
cheaper than hiring at the car firm. June is probably an ideal time to visit the area.
We noticed that many of the park roads, particularly in Yellowstone, are closed
right up until May, presumably due to Winter snow, which was still evident in
the peaks. We had been keeping a close eye in the weather before we left and
expected it to be quite cool with variable precipitation. The variability in
this became evident. We had almost unbroken sunshine throughout, with
temperatures up to the 90'sC in the Rockies, and 80'sC elsewhere. However, we
arrived at Yellowstone in sleet and the temperature gauge showing only a few
degrees above freezing. A heavy rain shower fell in Rapid City one late
evening. The watch word is to be prepared - the gloves, hat and mac may be
necessary at this time of year on any given visit. We did experience a few
minor bites from insects, but these were generally not a nuisance. Accommodation Denver - Embassy Suites. The airport seems to have
been built fairly recently, and with it a clutch of attendant hotels with
complementary shuttle services such as this. The free breakfast was immense,
including freshly cooked omelettes and pancakes. The surroundings are worth a
look prebreakfast, since the hotel is next to some open land. Estes Park - Discovery Lodge. This is a privately
run hotel, built at the start of a run of chain lodgings, which also means it
is a closer walk to town. They have an emphasis on environmental awareness, and
the rooms are very comfortable. Main downside is that this was the only place
we stayed at which didn't include breakfast in our booking, and had no air
conditioning. On the other hand, there was quite a bit of birdlife in the back
yard to keep up interest. Estes Park is not only handy for Rocky Mountain
National Park, but is not a bad place to stay in itself, offering an
interesting array of restaurants. Rapid City - Best Western Town & Country. Much
like the rather soulless town itself, the hotel is purely a means to an end,
and no better or worse than any of the other chains along this quite busy
stretch of road. Breakfast was "included" with our booking after a
fight, but is merely a $5 voucher towards breakfast at the adjoining diner. Yellowstone. We originally booked all 5 nights at
the Yellowstone Lodge in West Yellowstone, since this small town is next to the
more popular West entrance to the park. The room we were given was large, and
the location on the edge of town, only a short walk from the rather limited
choice of restaurants (Bullwinkle's is probably the pick of them). After
deciding on the Wolftracker day in the park, where the favoured entrance is the
North one, we had 2 nights in the Yellowstone Village Inn on the outskirts of
Gardiner. This was again absolutely fine, and I would recommend taking a meal
at The Mine, a family grill just across and down the road. Salt Lake City - Fairfield Suites and Hotel. Take
your pick for one of the many airport hotels here. Complentary breakfast and
free airport shuttle is probably a standard, and the location and lodging
suited just fine. Rocky Mountain National Park Even before we left Denver, in fact not even
outside of the perimeter of the overnight stop at the Embassy Suites Hotel near
to the airport, there were some Stateside birds to be munched on, even if they
were all fairly common. The new airport has also spawned a new hatchling clutch
of servicing hotels nearby, so they look potentially stale from a birding point
of view. Yet a short pre breakfast walk around the perimeter found a batch of
Western Kingbirds, both noisy and approachable. Brewer's Blackbirds were in
only slightly lower numbers, but were just as brash, and held the morning light
well in the glossy sheen on the plumage. American Robins were a little more
shy, but a couple of singing Western Meadowlarks were easily located in the low
stubble. The real holidaying began on arrival at Estes Park,
our base of the Rocky Mountain National Park. Or to be exact, just before
arriving here. Only a couple of miles short of the town, we pulled into a
popular roadside stop. The main attraction for the populace was the performance
by Least Chipmunks and Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels. A Red Squirrel skulked
in the background. Mingling with these was a Steller's Jay, and a slightly more
evasive Clark's Nutcracker. From our accommodation at Discovery Lodge on Big
Thomson Avenue, which seems to be the main "strip" of hotels in the
town, the common residents of the area could be seen well even in the back yard
- House Finch, Violet Green Swallow, and Broad-tailed Hummingbird were all
noisy, boisterous, and easy to see. The 4 miles walk around Lake Estes is also
on the doorstep from here, with most of the birds seen again being the expected
ones - Common Grackles and Turkey Vultures in particular. The walk is pleasant
and flat, although the herd of calving
Elk presented something of a barrier at the time of our visit, with a portion
of the walk cordoned off. Even more common than the Elk are numerous Wyoming
Ground Squirrels, which are very hard to miss. The lake itself offered no more
than common Mallard and Canada Goose, and these in low numbers. A sit down on
the northern shore did turn up a pair of Spotted Sandpipers and lone Mountain
Chickadee. Overhead was productive, with three different raptors in the form of
Ferruginous Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and Prairie Falcon. Pride of place in the Estes locale is the Rocky
Mountain National Park. Even without the addition of wildlife it contains, this
is worthy of a visit due to the stunning scenery throughout. Costing only $20
for a week long pass, this peach of a park has glades and loose forest at its
lower end, which thins out to surround brilliant vistas from many lookouts and
short trails, to the still snow-covered tops of the spartan alpine peaks. The
Elk take pride place in the lower altitudes, and you must be extremely unlucky
not to come across these on any given visit. Taking the route 34 first along
the Trail Ridge Road means skirting the meadows of Horseshoe Park, where these
beasts are more or less guaranteed. A closer inspection is also worthwhile,
since Wyoming Ground Squirrels are also here. In one of the trees adjacent to
the road, a male Mountain Bluebird shared a branch with an American Robin, and
a Broad-tailed Hummingbird was busy feeding and occasionally resting, picked up
by its high pitched trilling. The conifers are also the home of Pygmy Nuthatch. One of the best stops was 3 miles short of the
Alpine visitor centre, where a trail led to some impressive rocks.
Yellow-bellied Marmots seem to be almost touchable here, with one sunning
itself next to the toilets. Buff-bellied Pipits were performing song flights,
with Shorelarks visible when their song was followed. Most impressive was a
pair of Mountain Bluebirds building a nest - amongst the woodwork of the
visitor centre itself! They were even watched and photographed through the
window of the coffee shop. Black Hills, South Dakota We were based in Rapid City, whose main claim to
fame is being on the doorstep of Mount Rushmore, and its less well known native
American and ongoing carving of Crazy Horse. A sumptuous day can be had at
both, I am sure, but the fees of $30 total for both can be saved by viewing
from the main highways (it IS possible to do this for both), and make haste to
Custer State Park, which is sandwiched between the two, and offers the
delectable wildlife alternative. As with many of the locations within this
large country, this park is a lot larger than it seems in planning. There are a
few entry points, each charging the princely sum of $15 per car for a 7 day
pass. The route 16A is the main access road, passes the Norbeck visitors
centre, but is fairly quiet overall. We entered from Keystone along the initial part of
the 16A, which is a narrow byway, passing through mainly coniferous woodland.
Stopping off at the Norbeck pullout was good for the localised white-winged
race of Dark-eyed Junco, and also a well sized flock of Red Crossbills. After
passing briefly through the visitor centre, we took the Needles Highway scenic
drive, where we passed the first (lone) American Bison, and also marvelled at
the great scenery at the top. The nearby Sylvan Lake was worth a circumnavigation.
In addition to the common American Robins and Red-winged Blackbirds, with
Violet-Green Swallows overhead, a couple of Cordilleran Flycatchers were found,
and Pine Siskins were flying to and fro. The Southern part of the park, which is enclosed by
the Wildlife Loop road, is the best for mammals. The herds of American Bison
are the most famed of these, with a stable population of 950 or so providing
ample opportunity to come across them in collections on the grasslands. We even
became part of a true "bison jam", with a small herd parking the bus
across the road, preventing the traffic from moving. The two small towns of
Black-tailed Prairie Dogs were a real treat, with many visible, and one in
particular almost daring in its approach to our stationary vehicle. The only
other big critter of note was Pronghorn, a most inelegant looking beast, but
fascinating nevertheless. Most were singles or pairs at a distance, until a
group of four were finally passed next to the road. Near to them, a pair of Mountain
Bluebirds were using a nest box as home, with singing Western Meadowlarks as
company. Apart from the numerous Common Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds, the
only other bird of note was a Swainson's Hawk which seemed to be doing a mini
flight display. Badlands National Park At just over an hour's drive East of Rapid City,
this park is well worth a visit for the day. $15 buys a 7 day pass to a
stunning geological spectacle, where the elements have eroded some impressive
rock formations. A map is handed out at the entrance station, and is really all
that is needed for the visit. Covering the area is quite straight forward,
since there is one main Road, the Badlands Loop, which runs the length, merging
into the gravelled Rim Road. This in turn goes North as the route 502 and East
as the Sage Creek Road. Most of the park is covered in the car, stopping for
views and wildlife either at well signed lookout points on the way, or whenever
wildlife appears. There are also some short trails at the Eastern end. The
Cliff Shelf Trail turned up a Say's Phoebe, Chipping Sparrow, and Black- billed
Magpie. The Door Trail offers a short wander into the badlands architecture,
and also holds singing Rock Wren and Say's Phoebe, as well as breeding Cliff
Swallows. For much of the length of the Badlands Loop Road,
the main birds are many Red-winged Blackbirds and Western Meadowlarks, although
there are the odd Western Kingbirds and a single Loggerhead Shrike. The first
interesting mammals were reached at the Homestead Overlook, where a couple of
family parties of Bighorn Sheep were perched on rocky outcrops just below the
road. These included lambs, presumably ewes which had shortish horns and were
collared. A group of 6 rams in a "bachelor party", most sporting a
fine pair of large horns, were a little further along, just beyond the start of
the Rim Road. 4 miles along this road is the beginning of a very large
Black-tailed Prairie Dog town, with many of the showy individuals right next to
the track. Some were heard calling when a Prairie Falcon passed overhead. This
part of the grassy prairie also held a large herd of American Bison. The most interesting part of the park for birds is
the route 502, turning East into the 590, or Sage Creek Road. It is at first
gravelled, then tarmac, and passes through some excellent grassland. Shorelarks
were the first to show in amongst the Prairie Dogs. Once the "town"
was left behind, an Eastern Kingbird preceded some good grassland birds. Lark
Buntings were quite regular, and one had Blue Grosbeaks for company. A Spotted
Towhee was on the fence just before a small lake to the South, which held a
handful of American White Pelicans. Yellowstone National Park Despite the number of visitors we encountered, the
magnificence of this park dwarfs the human content. The entrance fee is only
$25 per car for a 7 day pass, and as usual for this country, the size of the
park is much larger than you would imagine. Covering only the South loop took
us all day, and much of this was to take in the range of geysers and geothermal
array of features that are a must when visiting here. After a very chilly
arrival, with the sleet hitting the car windscreen in temperatures as low as
38C, the next day demonstrated the variation in weather systems here with highs
of almost 70C, and unbroken clear skies. Driving is deliberately and thankfully
slow, with top speeds allowed of 45mph, and this certainly lends itself to much
greater scrutiny of passing wildlife. Examples were early Coyote and Western
Tanager during our first few miles on the first day. Not only are the geysers and lookouts worth seeing
in themselves, they can also turn up birds. Waiting for Grand Geyser and Old
Faithful to erupt in sequence, we found Mountain Bluebird, White-crowned &
Chipping Sparrows, Brown-headed Cowbird, and Pine Siskin on the walkways
between. Midway Geyser Basin had a successful fishing Osprey on the river next
to it. One of the best areas was the base of the Yellowstone River, where it
joined the Lake. Small numbers of Lesser Scaup had been seen on the shoreline,
and a single Bald Eagle flew over Fisherman's Bridge, with a group of 22
Barrow's Goldeneye on the West Thumb. More Barrow's Goldeneye were on the river
itself with a drake American Wigeon nearby. The LeHardy’s Rapids were interesting
in their own right, but the group of 4 male Harlequin Ducks playing on the
torrent were even more captivating. The river followed along the Hayden Valley, which
lived up to its reputation as a good spot for American Bison. The river and
banks held copious Canada Geese, but amongst them was a group of 4 Goosanders,
and White Pelican a little further up. Perhaps the most astonishing find was a
Mountain Goat "jam", where a group of cars had pinpointed a lone
Mountain Goat lying down on the upper almost vertical slopes above one of the
smaller rivers early evening. Even leaving the park, on the road to the West
exit, is worth vigilance - we saw a perched Bald Eagle and Osprey at the same
spot at 7pm. The North Loop, which also incorporates Lamar
Valley, is reputed to be the best spot for wildlife viewing. We followed the
road from Madison , stopping off at a couple of spots on the way and picking
off Chipping & White-crowned Sparrows, Mountain Bluebird and a trio of male
Elk on the way to Norris. We took the road North to Mammoth Hot Springs, where
we passed a couple of Sandhill Cranes in a meadow, before spending some time on
the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces. Not only do these offer yet another form of
geo-thermal wonder, but also held a pair of Mountain Bluebirds and Western
Tanagers. The Blacktail Plateau Drive was a gem for Black
Bears. We were caught up in a bear jam for some time, spending up to half an
hour watching a mother Black Bear with its 1 month old offspring down below. A
huge male Moose was also in this small valley, with a Red-tailed Hawk flying
in. On the way back along this road, a youngish lone Black Bear had been found,
and we started off our own bear jam when we located a mother and almost full
grown cub. Overhead, another Red-tailed Hawk was wheeling, with a Brewer’s
Sparrow singing opposite a pond holding 5 Ruddy Duck. The coniferous forests
along Black Plateau Drive hold Dusky Grouse, as witnessed by a female sat on
the road one mid morning. A female Belted Kingfisher was watching over the
river flowing down from Mammoth to the North Entrance to the park. Wolftracker Since the introduction of Wolves back into the park
in the mid 1990's, they have become one of the wildlife must sees in
Yellowstone. However, they are still not great in numbers, and are generally
difficult to see, often being in non accessible parts of the park from the
road, or some distance away on the slopes. We decided to look for some
assistance in this task and came across Wolftracker.com after a short search. They
can organise anything from a day tour upwards, using a lot of expertise and
knowledge in the park and its wildlife. While the cost is rather high at around
$600 for the day, this is irrespective of the amount of people in the party,
and the day we had with McNeil Lyons was certainly worth it. While wildlife
cannot be guaranteed, we saw three dog species and both bears, and some
excellent birds as almost incidentals in addition to this. The day starts early, 5-5.30am, which is always the
best time for this type of venture, and they prefer to pick up in Gardiner,
since it lies next to the Northern entrance to Yellowstone National Park, which
is also the best area for wildlife. Our day, which went on until our return at
2.30pm, was wholly spent in the Blacktail Plateau Drive and Lamar Valley area.
McNeil had planned to listen on the radio for any wolf sightings from others in
the company, and had an idea of where he wanted to look. He also asked what our
other preferences might be - the list was full! We had already passed a large
herd of Elk on the outskirts of Mammoth, and picked up Sora on one of the
roadside pools, when the message came through that Wolves had been seen at
Slough Creek in the Lamar Valley. These were frequent visitors to a bison
carcass, hidden on a distant hillside. After a short wait, we picked up a light
and a dark Wolf around this spot, but two black Wolves from the same pack
behind us were much closer on a nearby hillside. While waiting, Chipping &
Brewer’s Sparrows tantalised from song posts in the sage brush. We then made our way to the Lamar Valley, where
among the herds of Bison and occasional Pronghorn, we were shown a den on a
nearby hillside which had 4 playful Coyote pups outside. Our return later would
follow one of the parents trying for some Uinta Ground Squirrels. In the
distance, on a high slope just below the snowline, telescopes could just pick
out a mother Grizzly Bear with her 2 cubs. A Sage Thrasher was singing from the
sage brush, and Brewer’s Sparrow from a nearby perch. We were taken on a short half mile hike (upwards)
to Trout and Buck Lakes, ostensibly to look for the possibility of otter
feeding on the spawning trout. None put in a show, but it proved an excellent
spot. Top billing was an adult brown coloured Black Bear slowly making its way
through the tree covered glade near to where we stood. Buck lake held
Green-winged Teal and female Barrow's Goldeneye. The birdlife around this glade
was in constant song. Chipping Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Audubon's Warblers
were commonplace, with a couple of male Western Tanagers plying to and fro. A
single Mountain Chickadee was above Trout Lake, and perhaps bird of the locale
should go to the male Williamson's Sapsucker which passed through. After a fulfilling morning with brilliant wildlife
and beautiful scenery, the return was made all the more pleasant with stops at
an Osprey nest, handily placed just below our eyeline next to the river below,
and a Golden Eagle nest, with chick on a cliff face. Finale entrants were a Red
Fox which insisted on its very own fox jam when it stopped for a pee on the
road, and Elk which also caused a jam as we crawled back through Mammoth. All
in all an excellent day out. Many passers by also benefited from our finding
various animals and birds, but they didn't have the full experience which we
had, including the knowledge and enthusiasm of McNeil, our guide. Having had such a good day, and with late afternoon
still to spare, we decided to go back ourselves to the Lamar Valley to check on
an American Badger site McNeil had pointed out. The omens and a good day were
with us, since we chanced on a Coyote with food plying its way along the road
not far from Mammoth Hot Springs. After passing the regulation bear jam at Elk
Creek, where the mother and cubs were apparently still performing, we headed
straight for the badger sett next to the road and just short of the Lamar River
bridge. Fortune was indeed with us yet again. As we pulled up, the Badger
exited the sett, and ran along the scrub in front of us, took the underpass
route, and was seen hot footing its way behind us to what looked like
alternative burrows. To cap the day, 2 Bighorn Sheep were on the rocks above
the road just down from Mammoth Hot Springs, and 2 Mule Deer, only our second pair
for the park, were quietly grazing in a front yard in Gardiner as we left our
restaurant in the evening. Teton national Park This is the place to go to for mountain views.
Entrance is included with the Yellowstone National Park entrance fee, and the
journey to it if you are staying in West Yellowstone as we were is 2 hours by
park roads. Well paved roads run adjacent to the 40 miles long Teton range,
which on a good sunny day as we had are stunning. This is backed by the large
man made Jackson Lake, open grassland, and some areas of conifers. The area can
be covered in a loop, which encloses part of the flow of the Snake River. After picking up a pair of female Moose at the
Jackson Lake junction, we tried for more at Oxbow Bend lookout, which is
supposed to be more of a likely spot for them. They weren't party to this bit
of info however, although American White Pelicans overflew and also landed on
the spot, with Gadwall and American Wigeon on the river. A Yellow Warbler was
close to the overlook, with a Song Sparrow singing in the brush and an Osprey
over. Taking the Teton Park Road first, the dam held a
healthy population of Cliff Swallows under the bridge. Further along at the
Jenny Lake lookout, a group of Red-breasted Nuthatches were overhead. Despite
the crowds, the Jenny Lake visitor centre was quite good for birds on the short
trails from it, which were overall also devoid of people. Yellow Warbler was
again here, with singing Ruby-crowned Kinglet overhead, and Red-breasted
Nuthatch. The centre buildings were busy with Violet-green & Tree Swallows,
with Brown-headed Cowbirds eager for crumbs. The moose overlook only a short way along the
Willson Road provided just that - a mother and calf Moose, playing hide and
seek in the bushes next to the pond. A Northern Flicker flew through with a
couple of secretive Chipping Sparrows and not so shy Cordilleran Flycatcher
just below the onlookers. For those not fortunate enough to see Bison as yet,
herds were in the Antelope Flats and from Gros Ventre Road. Salt Lake City Our itinerary defined that it would be most
practical to travel South from Yellowstone and fly from Salt Lake City, and see
what delights we could dig up there. For those not wanting to partake in
religious or city based activities, there is also the alternative platter on
offer at Antelope Island. This is a rather barren island within the salt lake
now joined to the mainland by a 7 mile causeway. However, there is enough
vegetation and other food to support a herd of 800 or so Bison, introduced at
the end of the 19th century, and antelope & deer in the form of Pronghorn
& Mule. We saw all 3, as well as a Coyote wandering along the shoreline. We didn't do the island justice at the end of some
splendid wildlife viewing over the last two weeks, just popping into the
visitor centre and driving to the ranch and back along the eastern shore. It
appeared that some of the best birding to be had was on the causeway itself.
After a Yellow-headed Blackbird flew across the start of the causeway, where an
entrance fee of $9 per car is charged, each edge of the roadway belongs to
hundreds of California Gulls, small groups of Black-necked Grebes, and a large
collection of American Avocets. Many other waders were along here also, but
were left to their own identities today. The visitor centre itself was worth a stop, with
small numbers of Cliff Swallows amongst the colony of Barn Swallows. A Western
Meadowlark was singing just below, a Chukar on the boundary wall, and a pair of
Rock Wrens on the rocks in front of the building.
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