Jackson Hole Wildlife Eco-Tour Adventures

The first moose calves and elk calves have been seen in the Jackson Hole  and Grand Teton area.   We are watching newly hatched ravens in their nests.  The bison are still caving while the numbers of Pronghorn Antelope are growing steadily as they migrate back into the valley…            Blankets of Larkspur Delphinium nelsoni  which is in the buttercup family blankets the floor of the Snake River bottoms.    This is a plant that we do not nibble on because of its toxicity.  It is very pleasant to look at, but quite poisonous.    There are alkaloids which are poisonous to cattle and wildlife.  Cows think the plant is tasty and will eat it causing death while the wildlife in the area knows better.   The wildlife will graze on this plant during the latter months of the summer season after the plant flowers and loses its toxic properties.           Finally the weather has broken and we are seeing the sun… How great it feels on the skin after months and months of being wrapped up in sweaters and Gore-Tex.   The snow line is still moving up the mountains creating a river of mud flowing down the Snake River drainage.   The temperatures will rise into the 70s today, we hope!   Going on a camping trip today to take advantage of the weather.. Will report back soon.   Craighead, John J., Frank C. Craighead and Ray J. Davis. 1963. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers. Houghton Mifflin Co., Boston

Finally the weather has broke and the sunshine is comming our way.  Yesterday I toured with some wonderful ladies from California.   What a wonderful day we had.  Two bull or male moose were seen, in addition to a plethora of other species.

          Being a member of the deer family ( Cervidae) the male moose grow their antlers that are shed each year towards the beginning of winter.   Males of this family are the only sex that grow antlers, there is one exception to this rule.  The male and female caribou of the more northly latitudes both grow antlers.    The female caribou do keep their antlers through the winter, while the males drop their antlers in the late fall.  It is thought that the reason why the females grow and keep their antlers through the winter months is to help them compete for food with the males and to aid them in protecting their young calves from predators.

      On our trip yesterday we also had to opportunity to observe and learn about bison, elk, pronghorn antelope,  hawks, nesting ravens, yellow warblers, mergansers, and other forms of wildlife.   Throughout the day we also went on short hikes in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole.   We talked extensivly about the geology of the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park.     Join us for a guided hiking wildlife park tour in Jackson Hole, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone National Parks. 

Take a hike or wildlife park tour with Eco Tour Adventures!  What’s happening with the wildlife in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park?    In the past week the first goslings have been spotted.  Geese normally nest near the water and will build their nest of sticks, vegetation, moss, and other available materials.  At times of heavy snows, and the ground is covered with the white stuff, geese will nest in trees or other structures.  There is one problem that arises here.   Imagine the young goslings that want to walk shortly after hatching and they find themselves thirty feet above the ground.    They make the superman leap to the ground with partly developed wings, making a crash landing..  After hatching the young will stay with both the parents for 40-73 days, then away they go on their own…      

           The trees in Jackson Hole are finally leafing out… Yes the rest of the country has seen leaves on trees for some time and here it is the end of May and we have started to see some green..  The town of Jackson lies at about 6,200 feet.  Here the trees are green and glowing vibrantly. Twenty miles to the  north at Moose, Wyoming  (6,453 feet)  spring still hasn’t sprung.   Give it a few days; the green will dominate the entire valley.   All of the valley lakes have melted and the water is warming making the swimming season all that much closer.   The snow line is still quite low,  9,000 feet give or take.  The Grand Teton sits at 13,770,  yea still lots of snow at the upper elevations… I hope to ski some more!    

          As the temperatures have been quite cool and the mountains have been getting a bit more snow, the river levels have tapered a bit.  The Snake River is running at 9,000 cubic feet per second.   The river levels peaked at 16,050cfs on the 21^st after our warm spell.  When I say warm I speak of temps in the 70s.    The levels will peak at close to 30,000cfs when water is released from the dam. 

What’s happening in Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park?   The wildlife has been super active for the past few weeks.  I am not expecting anything to change anytime soon.   We have been guiding park and wildlife tours in both Grand Teton and Yellowstone and have been seeing the first pronghorn antelope of the season.   The pronghorn have started to make their annual migration back to Jackson Hole over the Gros Ventre Mountains from the Upper Green River Basin.   They embark on the second longest mammal migration in North America, 200 miles round trip! WOW  The caribou of the far north perform the longest migration in North America, up to 3000 miles they travel in a year.    The oil and natural gas development in the pronghorn’s wintering range around the town of Pinedale, Wyoming pose serious threats to their existence and migration corridors.                                                                                                                                                                                                          The wildlife in the southern portion of Jackson Hole on the National Elk Refuge have been on the move.  As most of the snow is clear of the valley floor the animals have made their way north, migrating to their summer range.   The refuge is free of elk except for a few stragglers.   This may change as snow is forecasted for the next few days and some of the elk might move back to their winter range.   The Jackson herd is the largest in the state numbering close to 12,000 animals, there are approximately 100,000 elk in the whole state.  Elk are migrating to their summer range this time of year and are headed into Yellowstone, Grand Teton National Parks, and the Gros Vente Mountains.   They will begin calving the beginning of June.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      The Snake River has been steadily rising during the past few days.  We have seen temperatures in the low 70s for the past week which has quickly increased the snow runoff.   The upper tributaries are swollen to capacity and now that rain and snow are forecasted some localized flooding may occur.   The river is a torrent of mud at this point and won’t be fishable for at least a month and a half.                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The grizzly bears have been on the move in the north part of Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National park.  On wildlife EcoTour on Sunday we spotted six different grizzly bears.    One was a cub of momma #399.  Last week momma pushed the three young cubs away and immediately was seen breeding with a large boar, or male bear.  These bears will breed through the summer and then the fertilized egg or eggs will implant on the uterus wall in the fall.   The bears were seen digging up roots and small mammals.   We also watched a larger bear, which could have been a boar feed on an unidentified carcass.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Plants that are flowering include the sagebrush buttercup,  starflower,  spring beauty, yellow violet, biscuitroot, and the yellow fritillary to name a few.  The corms of the yellow fritillary taste of potatoes and were a staple of the western Indians.  Bears, pocket gophers, and ground squirrels enjoy the corms of this plant.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Craighead, John J., Frank C. Craighead and Ray J. Davis. 1963. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain                               

           Red Fox    Vulpes vulpes

  What an amazing place Jackson Hole is.  It’s not everywhere that you can drive through town and see 50 or so people on a sidewalk with cameras photographing foxes.    Right in the town of Jackson, “Wildlife Happens” as my good friend Reed states.    Jackson being in the center of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a mecca for wildlife and hiking enthusiasts.    Professional photographers and novices alike line the fence watching the kits or (baby foxes) play in the field.  Even though the den is 15 yards from the sidewalk the young aren’t phased.   Normally foxes are shy of people but this is not the case here.   We were speculating why the mother is raising her kits so close to civilization, when there is 18 million acres of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to live in.    One theory that we came up with is the absence of predators..  In such an urban setting animals like coyotes, eagles, and ravens would be less likely to prey on the kits.   The vixen or female mother isn’t phased at all with all the commotion on the road.  These are truly urban animals.     Typically the dad or also called the dog fox will stay with the litter and help the vixen feed the kits.   This is not the case here, the dog fox has not been seen around the den site.   Foxes have been known to be polygamous, polyandrous, or monogamous.    These kits are about one month and we speculate that they will be concentrated around the den site for another few weeks until they start venturing out on their own.   We are expecting that the vixen will start bringing around living prey to teach the kits how to kill and hunt.  At this point we have seen her bring back birds, ground squirrels, mice, and a snake.           Fox, D. 2007. “Vulpes vulpes” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 20, 2008 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vulpes_vulpes.html.Join us in Jackson Hole, Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park, for a wildlife park  guided tour to remember.

A park and hiking tour in Yellowstone.  When one thinks of Yellowstone, thoughts might wander to geysers like Old Faithful, hot springs, fumaroles, bubbling mud pots and wildlife.  For the past three days my time was devoted to viewing wildlife and hiking in Yellowstone National Park.   The south entrance just opened on the 10^th  of May, and I took the opportunity to go on a scouting mission for my wildlife eco tours.   I loaded up my binoculars and spotting scopes and north I went.  With one mission, spending time and touring through the Lamar Valley.  This in one place in the lower 48 where wolves and grizzly bears are quite visible and common,  if you know where to look that is.  From years past I had a good idea, but knowledge in the field in priceless.   As I dried myself off from swimming in the Boiling River Hot Springs I wondered just what I would see and learn in the world’s first national park.         It was approaching sunset and I knew the time was right.   I headed straight for a wolf den site that I remembered from last year.    I got sidetracked by a huge grizzly grazing 200 yards off the road.    In this area the snow has just recently melted leaving patches of grass here and there.   Food is not all that abundant for the large bears this time of year.    When bears come out of hibernation they have burnt off their fat reserves and are hungry.    The problem is that sometimes food can be hard to come by..   There is a rough progression of food items that grizzlies consume through the year.     After waking, the available food happens to be winter killed ungulates ie. hoofed mammals.  The snow and winter temperatures preserves these carcasses, and the bears and other scavengers get a 5 star dinner as the carcasses thaw.   As spring and summer progresses, vegetation grows and bears turn to these grasses, wildflowers, and roots for food.  In some places a bears diet might consist of over 80% vegetation.   For the most part bears are opportunist feeders and will munch on what’s available.   Starting with the bison, as we are seeing now, the young of the season are being born and are a relativity easy meal for the large carnivores.    Elk and moose will give birth in the next few weeks.  In the Lamar Valley the grizzly bears take advantage of the wolves and will push the wolves off a kill they had made.             On a short hike I found a carcass which appeared to be an unlucky elk that didn’t make it through the winter.    Most of the large bones were broken in half.. A sure sign of wolves.. With a biting jaw that can exert up to 1500 pounds of pressure per square inch it takes no time to snap large bones to reach the rich protein and fatty marrow inside.        Summer for the grizzlies means eating small mammals that they can dig up,  tearing through rotten logs to find insects,  and feeding on any other food that might be available.    So this means as you go hiking through the park don’t leave any food unattended.               Something as small as a moth is also an important food source for the bears.   The army cutworm moth being up to two inches wide, migrates from the great plains in the summer to the   mountainous Rockies  in search of cooler temps and the nectar that is produce by our array of wildflowers.   They feed at night and then retire to the cool shade under the small rocks.  This is where the bears will uncover them and eat 10,000-40,000 in a day, all this happening at elevations greater than 10,000 feet.   WoW,  Who would of known.      

       The fall is the all important time for the grizzled beasts.    80% of all the calories that these bears burn through the year come from the whitebark pine tree, more specifically the nut that the tree produces.   What so scary here is that this tree is declining fast..   The whitebark pine blister rust, the pine beetle,  and the warming temperatures are all to blame.  With only 500-600 grizzly bears in the 18 million acre Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem we can’t spare to lose any.

Turner, Jack. Travels In The Greater Yellowstone. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2008

Wow what a trip.!!!!   Tim and I took a wildlife tour last night in Grand Teton National Park specifically looking for Grizz #399.   We found her and her cubs and then so much more…   Hiking along the shores of the Gros Ventre River we stumbled across something amazing…  We found the head of a winter killed elk.  Not a small elk but a huge one.   Both the antlers were on the head and measured over six feet across…  It was a seven by seven(seven points on each side) massive…  A beautiful specimen for sure..   Onward to the Oxbow Bend where the action was happening…    Here is a short list of the observations…….    White Pelicans, Trumpeter Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Mergansers, Cormorants, (My first of the season), Dark Eyed Juncos, White Crowned Sparrows,  a Harrier Hawk, a Red Tail Hawk, (a Bald Eagle, Ravens, and Magpies dining with the bears), Otters, Elk, Moose, Bison, 15 Beavers, Muskrats, and we can’t forget Momma Grizzly Bear #399 and her three cubs.   They were the highlight as they were feeding by the semi frozen shores of the Snake River.    As the water level dropped over the winter months some fish got isolated in the river and then ultimately died.   These bears with their exceptionally sense of smell found these fish and started excavating them from the river bottom under the thin ice.     Bear’s sense of smell is probably their best well evolved sense.   Although the region of the brain devoted to the sense of smell is average in size, the area of nasal mucous membrane in a bear’s head is one hundred times larger than in a human’s. This gives a bear a sense of smell that is 7 times greater than a bloodhound’s. In addition, they have an organ called a Jacobson’s organ, in the roof of the mouth, that further enhances their sense of smell.
Here are some accounts of how truly well a bear can smell:“A black bear in California was once seen to travel upwind three miles in a straight line to
reach the carcass of a dead deer.”“. . . male polar bears march in a straight line, over the tops of pressure ridges of uplifted ice . . .
up to 40 miles to reach a prey animal they have detected.”“A bear has been known to detect a human scent more than fourteen hours after the person passed along the trail.”“A male can detect which way a breeding female is traveling just by sniffing her tracks.”
Quotes are from The Great Bear Almanac by Gary Brown Amazing stuff.   Off for another wildlife adventure this evening,   Who wants to come….?   

May 1, In Jackson is a date to remember.  This day marks the end of the Winter Wildlife Closure areas.   The Gros Ventre Mountians line Jackson Hole on the east and are great habitat for wintering animals.  The eastern flanks of the Gros Ventre Mountians are closed to all human use during the winter to give a safe haven for the wildlife.    These animals need not be disturbed during the winter because they are trying their best to conserver their energy reserves.   Causing an elk or moose to run through a deep snow pack could me death due to calorie expenditure.   The elk are the most numerous large animal species on these closure areas, and this is where they drop their antlers.   So this winter there were about 8 thousand elk on the refuge which borders the national forest and these closure areas.  Of the 8 thousand maybe 30-40% were bulls or males that grow antlers.   That’s at least 2400 x2 (two antlers per male) 4800 shed antlers.. WoW            May 1, being the first day that people can travel on the previously closed area there are literally hundreds of people eagerly awaiting the opening of the national forest to collect antlers.   My good friend Brian and I decided to take park in the antler collecting frenzy.    What an experience!  Living here for the past six years I have never taken part of this antler hunt.   We decided to get an early start to beat the crowds..  We arrived half asleep at six am to find ourselves at the end of a line of about 150 cars and trucks…  Apparently people started arriving two days prior..   Antler collecting is a huge business and there is quite the incentive…  Last year at the annual antler auction,  towards the end of May the antlers brought $11 a pound.  A healthy mature bull elk might have a total of 35lbs of antler bone on his head..  WoW that’s over $350 bucks per pair of shed antlers..                           At eight o-clock the gates opened and off we went… The forest service, the refuge, police, and game and fish employees were all present to make sure things were running smoothly.  At first people were running to their predetermined hot locations…  As everybody spread out we were able to relax a bit and wander through the woods.    Finding my first shed was pretty amazing.  As I was climbing a snow covered slope I looked ahead and sure enough there was a six point antler shed.   I took a moment to think about the past year of this magnificent bull elk’s life.   What a hard winter he must have had, and I thought how he is preparing to grow another set of antlers and do it all over again..  This was one of the snowiest winters in the past few decades, and it took its toll on the elk..  There were a dozen winter kills that I saw people drag out of the creek bottom.     Life goes on for the rest of the herd and for us in town 10 miles away…  

 One beautiful bird. It’s not every day that one spots a White Faced Ibis in Jackson Hole. Definitely a highlight of the trip today. Even though I can’t pronounce the family name Threskiornithidae, this bird is worth talking about.
This Ibis is a wading bird that eats aquatic invertebrates, insects, worms, small fish, and some aquatic vegetation. This bird’s bill measuring up to 7’’, is a scary sight for the unsuspecting fish. Stab goes the bill, as this elegant bird wades through the marsh. Weighing 1.3 pounds and having a wingspan of over 36’’ this is no small bird. Breeding White Faced Ibis sport an iridescent dark reddish and greenish plumage of feathers, making this one classy bird.
The pair bond is monogamous for one breeding season. The little ones are born with little hair, not able to leave the nest, and with eyes open. After incubating the eggs for 21-22 days the eggs will hatch and the furry balls will then fly in another 28+ days. This nest is never left alone while the female tends during the night and the male tends some of the day.
Waa waa waa waa and wehp-ehp wehp-ehp goes the Ibis. For some reason that isn’t in the dictionary?

Grizzly Bear #399

What a special sight. Yesterday around sunset about 30 wildlife enthusiasts gathered on the highway to get a glimpse of momma grizzly bear #399 and her three cubs. It’s kind of weird to call a bear by a number but for the past few years this particular bear has been quite visible and has gotten the name 399. Last night we saw the family on Blacktail Butte in Grand Teton National Park. From 400 yards they appeared to be feasting on a winter killed animal. The young were so filled with energy bouncing and playing with each other and their momma that people were watching with amazement. At one point the family started climbing the butte and one of the young cubs found a patch of snow and slid down the butte for 100 feet or so.

This time of year there is not much food for the bears. The vegetation has just begun to sprout in the valley and the mountains are still completely covered with snow. They really rely on winter killed animals for food during these hard times. These bears were first seen April, 13, probably just after emerging from their winter dens. Bear cubs will normally spend three winters denning with their momma. Wildlife officials believe that these cubs will leave their mom soon, as they are just over two years of age. What’s truly amazing about bears is that delayed implantation occurs of the fertilized egg onto the uterus wall. What happens here, is that after the bears breed in early summer the fertilized egg floats around the uterus until fall. This is a mechanism where only healthy and well fed female sows will give birth. If the summer forage was poor then the female might abort the fetus. The gestation is about 6-8 weeks and a young cub is born in the den during the middle of winter. These cubs are born weighing about a pound and the size of a human fist. For the next few months in the den, momma the sow nurses one to four cubs which is an energy intensive process.

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