Roads End Naturalist

Exploring the natural world as we wander at the end of the road

  • Coyote Chill

    Coyote is always out there waiting, and Coyote is always hungry.

    ~Tony Hillerman

    Winter is the time of the coyote. Always on the move, always ready to take advantage of any food supply, and more visible to those of us that love to watch these amazing canids. It has been a particularly good coyote time these last few weeks. Here are a few of the most memorable encounters with these mid-sized predators.

    I was on a snow coach trip to the interior recently and we spotted a coyote high on a ridge line in Hayden Valley.

    Coyote in Hayden Valley

    The coach driver stopped so we could watch it. The coyote took a few steps then cocked its head as they do when sensing something in the snow. A slight crouch and I knew what was next so I raised my camera and took this shot through the window of the coach.

    The leap!
    This is the classic mousing jump of coyotes and foxes, especially in winter. This one did make a catch and quickly gobbled its rodent meal as it disappeared over the ridge.

    A few days later I was out along Soda Butte Creek when I spotted a couple of coyotes trotting along the creek bank. A couple soon turned into seven and I drove ahead and positioned myself along a high point near the road where I hoped to see the coyotes still following the creek. This has been an unusual winter out in Lamar Valley area with coyotes often appearing in large groups of 6, 7, and even 8 canids patrolling together. From what I have heard, groups of this size were more common back before the reintroduction of wolves when coyotes were the “top dog” in the park. After wolves became established the ever-adaptable coyotes tended to be in smaller units of 2 to 4 animals since wolves are dominant over the coyotes and will chase and kill them if they can. In talking with a few friends that have been here longer, we aren’t quite sure why we are seeing such large groups again. Perhaps it is just family units moving together until next spring.

    A group of seven coyotes moving through the valley

    The group did come closer as they followed the creek and paused at one point to sniff around, providing me with some nice photos (shot with my 800 mm telephoto and cropped).

    There was something of interest in this spot as a couple of coyotes stopped to sniff around the edge of the creek here.

    The next day I was back out on the northern range hoping to see more wildlife. It was cold with temperatures hovering just above zero. Though it was a somewhat slow day overall for critters, the coyotes did not disappoint. As I was headed home I saw a few cars stopped at a pullout in Little America. I soon spotted the reason – a coyote trotting along slowly near the road. I drove on with the intent of turning back and trying to find a place to park when I saw another coyote about 200 yard down the road from the first, and there was no one watching this one. I pulled off the road and watched from my car. It stopped and stood over a spot sniffing the snow. It then dug up a small carcass. I have no idea if this was something it had cached earlier or just found dead in the snow.

    A coyote standing over a rodent carcass

    The coyote soon started pulling at its find and chewing on it.

    Chewing on what turned out to be a pocket gopher

    –A slow motion clip of the coyote pawing at and chewing on the pocket gopher

    It wasn’t long until another car came by and stopped. Two people got out and started walking my way and the coyote looked up from its meal to make sure all was well. This is why I prefer to stay in my vehicle if possible. Most wildlife in the park seems tolerant of cars going by but the second you step out they become more concerned of that human form. If I do get out, I try to stay near or behind my car or squat down to reduce the human outline.

    The coyote looked up when a couple of other photographers approached on foot.

    The people stopped and the coyote finished its meal with one last gulp. After looking around for a few seconds, it wandered off angling toward the road.

    After finishing its meal, the coyote sniffed the area and then trotted off.

    Now there were three cars watching this coyote as it calmly crossed the road and then walked parallel to us before sitting down. It was close, but not watching us, just scanning out in the distance. It slowly got up and turned away from the road, moving in an irregular path toward a far hill.

    A coyote scans the landscape watching for who knows what – potential threats, companions, food?

    As it paused on top of the ridge, the coyote showed me an iconic predator surveying its majestic winter landscape.

    The coyote in its vast home.

    The next evening as I was driving through the Blacktail Ponds region, four coyotes were making their way between the frozen ponds. One stopped at a small hole in the ice that has puzzled us for some time now. What causes this hole, a small thermal underneath perhaps?

    A coyote checking out the hole in the ice (or perhaps just admiring his reflection).

    This next video clip may be a little tough for some viewers. It was getting late as I was driving home and I paused at a roadside jam of some sort to see what was up. I got lucky and found a parking space and walked down the road toward the scene. I was told a deer had been hit by a car earlier in the day and died just 30 yards off the road. Magpies, ravens, and a single coyote were on the carcass and a golden eagle just flew away when the coyote arrived (I had seen the eagle fly across the road as I approached). Within a couple of minutes another coyote arrived. Then someone up the road hollered, “a wolf is coming right toward you guys”. Not a wolf, but another coyote. I heard people call these wolves three times while I was there, a common mistake visitors make when they see a coyote in the park. Here is a somewhat long video clip of the interactions at the carcass. Notice the way the coyotes communicate with one another in addition to the growl and snarls which cannot be heard in this video.

    –Coyotes squabbling over access to a deer carcass

    As darkness started to settle in I got up and walked back to my car. Coming down the road was yet another small coyote. When I drove around the curve beyond the carcass site another small coyote was trotting down the road in that direction (presumably these last two were juveniles from this year). I stopped and checked the area the next day and there was hardly a sign that the carcass had even been there.

    How amazing their sense of smell must be to zero in on these scarce food sources. It just shows the resourcefulness of these misunderstood animals. Before I wrote this blog I saw a news report of a predator “rodeo” where 80 coyotes were killed in one day in a nearby state. Unfortunately, this is a too common response to coyotes on the landscape. But, these song dogs have been around a long time and revered by many indigenous people, hated by many others, and yet they survive and even thrive. They has even managed to expand their range and spread across the country including to my previous home state of North Carolina. They are a creature that plays an important role in rodent control and are a beautiful addition to our lives if we stop to observe them and appreciate their survival skills. I look forward to spending more time with the “trickster” in the coming months here in Yellowstone.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Two Poems for Today

    Last week, I had the privilege to again lead an Educators of Excellence Institute in Yellowstone. On a sunny afternoon, our group laid on the ground near a hot spring to feel the thumping of steam bubbles collapsing beneath us. As we spent time reflecting on our Yellowstone experience in our journals, these words came to me…

    Will You Join Us?

    Will you lie on the frozen ground
    to feel the heartbeat of the earth?
    Will you stand in the predawn glow
    and listen to the silence?

    Will you revel in the crystalline beauty
    of ice-kissed trees,
    the fairy-light of dusk
    on snowy mountain peaks?

    Will you breathe deep
    of the crisp air,
    and of the sulfur belches
    of the underworld?

    Will you allow yourself to linger in this
    one
    shining
    moment?
    Will you leave a sliver of yourself

    And in that breaking
    forge a tie
    to this place,
    this moment?

    Will you leave a gift of Thanksgiving for the
    wild within, and without?

    Will you join us?


    There have been things weighing heavily on my heart lately. The latest newsletter for our new hometown in Montana lists a $31,000 reward for information regarding a Yellowstone wolf that was illegally shot in December. Her radio collar was found cut off, tossed into a tree in the National Forest adjacent to the park. At the same time, I learned about the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. I read how he loved to spend time in wild places, just like I do. These two tragedies, the poaching of 1478F and the murder of Alex, have become linked in my mind.

    1478, Alex

    You stepped away from the warm fire,
    table cluttered with dirty dishes.
    One drop of red wine on the white tablecloth.

    You walked into the dark, into the forest.
    Dark coat, rubber boots,
    rifle over your shoulder.
    Perhaps just walking off the roast,
    and the smothering company of family?

    She trots across the far hill
    Alone, confident.
    Unaware of the invisible line she crosses.
    Unaware of the danger
    until she senses your aim,
    her intuition as a hunter,
    prey.

    Your shot– straight and true.
    Her yelp– short and sharp.
    Did you feel vindication?
    Was there even a twinge of remorse? Guilt?
    Or just power?

    You don a dark mask,
    wool scratching the lips that
    kissed your daughter goodbye.

    Adrenaline rushes as you and your
    brothers in arms,
    brothers in injustice,
    Roll onto the streets.

    He walks the yellow line,
    Fearful, brave.
    Unaware of the invisible line he crosses.
    Unaware of the danger
    until he is on the ground,
    until the blows land,
    victim.

    The rush, fists pounding;
    holding a man to the ground.
    Sweat beads on wool.
    The rush of hatred screams free
    as you pull your pistol and

    Fire
    again and again and again.
    When the rush recedes, what remains?
    Do you wander these streets in your dreams?

    They both loved the wild–
    A man, a wolf.
    Perhaps, once, in a sacred moment,
    their eyes met.
    Brown.
    Gold.
    A flash of recognition
    as instinct sensed what fate had arranged:
    To meet once in peace,
    and again in death.

    Two poems for today. One, an invitation. The other, an elegy. I hope that through both, our human connection with nature brings you a small moment of peace.

    Posted by

    Melissa Dowland

  • Lions!

    If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking.

    ~Steve Jobs

    It has finally happened – after visiting this incredible landscape for over 40 years, I saw my first mountain lion! Our friend Beth texted us one morning last week that a mountain lion was visible from the road just outside Mammoth up on Mt. Everts. We were both headed to Bozeman that morning but we decided to run up there in the hopes of seeing it. We have just missed them on a few occasions over the years…”you should have been here 10 minutes ago” or “we are waiting on the mountain lion to return to its kill” (as we are headed to Bozeman to catch a flight home). We drove the 15 minutes to an area just east of mammoth and soon saw a line of parked cars and scopes, always a good sign that something is being seen. After getting some directions on where to look, we found the carcass in our scopes. It was an elk carcass on a steep slope about 1.5 miles away near the top of Mt. Everts. There was a lone conifer adjacent to the carcass and bare ground and rocks with scattered snow all around. It was in a vertical ravine and at that hour of the morning, the whole area was in the shade making it difficult to see any detail. Finally, we saw movement to the right of the carcass – the mountain lion was turning its head we were told, but, boy, it was tough to make out.

    Melissa needed to go on to Bozemen to meet her teacher group at the airport but I decided to stay. The plan was for me to text her with reports on the lion so she would know whether to rush to try to get the group back in time to see it. I ended up staying all day. When the sun hit that part of the slope, you could finally clearly see that it was indeed a mountain lion – and she had kittens! People kept stopping by and I shared my scope view with a lot of park staff and other local folks that came by on their lunch break. In conversations with some biologists from the park I learned this was a collared female known as F210. That is how she was spotted at such a long distance – researchers studying her located her with a receiver that picks up signals from her collar. She was born in 2016 and this is her the sixth litter of kittens. This litter of three was believed to have been born back in October. These cougars (mountain lions go by various common names) are part of a population of mountain lions in the Northern Range of Yellowstone that is estimated to number around 40 animals. Their primary prey items are mule deer and elk though they will take smaller prey as well as the occasional mountain goat and bighorn sheep.

    The scene of the mountain lion sightings. Taken with my telephoto lens and yet the area is still tiny. The carcass is next to that isolated single tree above the center of the photo. (click photos to enlarge)

    The carcass and mountain lion are at the base of the lone conifer you can see just above the center of this photo. The sunshine finally gave me a chance to attempt a photo. Pics were taken with an 800mm telephoto and heavily cropped so the quality is not great, but at least you can tell it is a mountain lion.

    The adult mountain lion feeding on the carcass. Look closely and you can see she is a lactating female.

    I also shot some video through Melissa’s Swarovski spotting scope using my iPhone and a Phone Skope adapter. The heat waves were pretty bad at times giving the video a wavy look. Videos are best viewed full screen.

    –In this clip, the female is sitting to the left of the carcass and then slowly walks behind it. Look closely and you can see her research collar.

    I had heard she had two or perhaps three kittens but I did not see them for quite some time. It turns out they were under and in a conifer above the carcass site. They started playing and shaking tree limbs and that was when I spotted them. I only saw two, but later videos by other people confirmed there were three young. The young of small cat species (like house cats and bobcats) are called kittens. Those of larger cats like lions and tigers are called cubs. Apparently, mountain lions are borderline in size so their young can be called either. But I must admit, weighing in at between 75 and 150 pounds, adult mountain lions seem pretty big to me (males are larger than females).

    I finally did see two of the cubs come down to the carcass though it is hard to see the one at the base of the elk in this next photo.

    Two young mountain lions feeding on the elk. One is on top and the other is at the base of the carcass. The young look to be about 1/3 the size of their mother at this point.

    –A video clip showing the two young feeding. The adult female is lying down just to the right of the carcass.

    This final clip has a bit less heat waves so you can clearly see the adult feeding. One young is sitting above the carcass on a log

    –The female feeding on the carcass with one young watching

    This mountain lion family fed on the carcass for a week without leaving it. The fact that it was on such a steep slope probably helped keep other carnivores like wolves away. Wolves and bears can drive a lion off a kill. Normally, mountain lions will cover their kill with nearby vegetation to help hide it from scavengers but there wasn’t much available at that site so she just stayed right there to protect her food supply. I did see her jump up and stare at a raven that flew over a couple of times and she was having none of it…no sharing. When the lions finally did leave, folks reported ravens, magpies and bald and golden eagles visiting the carcass to glean the leftovers.

    Being close to Mammoth (the park headquarters) and visible from the road provided countless visitors (including us) with a chance to see their first mountain lions. What a rare treat for so many people. I look forward to our next sighting and hope that it is perhaps a tad closer.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Moosey Monday

    To catch a glimpse of a moose in its natural habitat is to witness a fleeting moment of pure magic, a connection to the wild that stays with you forever.

    ~Douglas Chadwick

    I went out into the park on Monday to refresh my brain and see what I could see. I eventually drove out to Round Prairie, the local moose hot spot and saw two bulls that had already dropped their antlers. Unfortunately, there was a large “moose jam” and so I just drove through. On my way back, the moose were apparently laying down in the willows and could not be seen. I pulled into the now empty pullout and soon met a wildlife photographer using a thermal imaging device which picks up heat signals in the environment. He let me take a look and I saw the shapes of two moose hidden from view in a willow stand. Pretty neat! The price tag on that unit was bout $2000 so i guess I won’t be buying one anytime soon:)

    Continuing on toward Lamar Valley, I spotted three moose out along Soda Butte Creek – and no one else was there! I pulled into the closest gravel pullout and started watching the three bulls (one had dropped its antlers) as they fed on willows along the creek. Cars drove by me and I was surprised no one stopped. There were scattered bison near the trio of moose so I am guessing people just didn’t notice that three of those large dark shapes had really long legs! In what is an uncommon occurrence in Yellowstone, I had these moose to myself for over 20 minutes before some visitors finally saw them and stopped

    Three bull moose along Soda Butte Creek . The lead bull has already dropped his antlers. (click photos to enlarge)

    Here’s a short clip of the moose browsing on willow branches. Videos are best viewed full screen.

    –Moose browsing willow (filmed with a spotting scope and iPhone with adaptor)

    I continued to watch these big guys as they fed and interacted. The one without antlers was larger and would often lay his ears back as the other two would half-heatedly spar with one another. Here is a slow motion clip of one such interaction. These next two clips were filmed with my Canon camera and telephoto.

    –The two antlered bulls would occasionally spar. I couldn’t tell if the antler-less one was aggravated by this or wished he could join in.

    They would also occasionally take off running a short distance and then stop and resume feeding. One bull lagged behind after one running bout and walked away from the willows towards the creek, crossing a large expanse of snow and ice.

    One bull heads to the water

    I drove a short distance down to the next pullout which was closer and where there was already a group of visitors excitedly photographing this incredible scene. The moose slowly ambled to the water’s edge and then paused as if to admire his reflection (the rest of us sure did).

    Moose and reflection

    After taking two long drinks, he slowly made his way back to the willows (leaving many happy photographers on the other aide of the creek).

    –This moose must know he is photo-worthy as he slowly struts back to the willows

    The three moose made one last run and essentially disappeared into a thick stand of willow shrubs. I’m always grateful for these moments in the wild in this winter wonderland.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Carcass Commotion

    For life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one.

    ~Kahlil Gibran

    Living in this wild place you see the reality of how the death of one creature provides sustenance for others. This happens in all natural systems but here in Yellowstone it is more visible than in the forests back in North Carolina. The landscape here often provides long views that facilitates seeing the wildlife. And the wildlife community is one of the richest in terms of species in all of North America. This past week provided two examples of the interconnections of life and death that were easily observed by park visitors – an elk killed by wolves and a bison that died after apparently being struck by a vehicle. Both carcasses were easily viewed from the road that crosses the northern range (the only road open to regular vehicles in the park in winter).

    I had heard reports that a fast-moving vehicle hit a few bison one evening but did not know anything about their fate. On our drive into the park we came across a crowd with scopes and cameras near the spot where that had happened. As we got closer, we saw a huge dark mound maybe 50 yards off the road with lots of ravens and magpies nearby. We pulled in and then saw a partially hidden (at least from our view point) coyote was also at the carcass. As we watched, someone mentioned there was another carcass down the road with wolves on it so off we went.

    The main pullout was packed with cars and viewers so we drove by to an unpaved pullout just down the road. We could see ravens and magpies but no wolves until suddenly a black wolf stood up in the sage. Someone near us shared that the wolves had taken down a bull elk during the night and there were four of the Junction Butte pack feeding on it.

    A young black wolf at the elk carcass in the sagebrush. We’ve been told that young wolves (those born this year) tend to have fur along the back of their neck that stands up like you see in this photo. (click photos to enlarge)

    Other wolves soon became visible as they moved about the carcass. When the wolves moved, magpies and ravens would also move around fighting for a space at the dinner table.

    A black wolf runs toward the carcass scattering a group of ravens
    A wolf flushes a group of magpies off the carcass area

    We watched this scene for the next two hours with wolves appearing and disappearing in the sage. There were at least 4, maybe as many as six wolves feeding on the carcass at any one time with a couple having unusual color patterns on their back. Most of the wolves in this pack are black in color but note the one unusual color pattern on one wolf in this clip. These videos are taken with my iPhone and Phone Skope adapter on my spotting scope.

    –Members of the Junction Butte wolf pack feeding on an elk carcass in the sagebrush

    This next clip has two wolves feeding including a gray one. You will see its fur is stained red from the carcass when it raises its head up. Also note the elk antler from the carcass.

    –Wolves feeding on the elk carcass

    Melissa spotted some of the other pack members resting on a ridge above the valley. Then it happened – a magical moment when the wolves up on the ridge started howling (the sound was much louder than can be heard in this phone recording). Melissa captured this video clip through her scope.

    –Wolves howling – turn your sound up! Video by Melissa Dowland

    It was getting late so we headed back in the direction of home driving through the expanse of Lamar Valley. We soon saw four dark shapes spaced out on the snow-covered valley floor. As we got closer we could make out they were coyotes, all resting on the snow.

    A coyote taking a late day nap in Lamar Valley

    As we passed by the bison carcass we saw a coyote and a few ravens still working on it. We should definitely come back in the morning.

    We headed out early the next morning and found a great parking spot to view the bison carcass which was already teeming with action. There are several things to note in this next video clip. There is a raven with leg bands visible at the start of the clip. I believe this bird also has an antenna coming off its back that is from a backpack harness with a GPS transmitter to track the raven. There is a long-term research study in the park investigating raven movements. Note the eagle’s reaction just before a second coyote comes in from the right. Both coyotes end up leaving the carcass with tucked tails and we witnessed a coyote chase (two against one) that happened away from the carcass. And note how quickly ravens and magpies rush in as soon as the coyotes move away.

    –Scavengers at the bison carcass

    The last clip shows a coyote working hard to get at meat under the tough bison hide. It is a longer clip that shows how tenacious all of these animals are as they try to get scraps of food in this winter landscape. Note the tagged raven is back. And at the end of the clip you can see a raven tugging at the coyotes tail as if to say “my turn”.

    –A coyote pulls at meat scraps from under the tough bison hide

    We drove by yesterday (one week from when we took this footage) and you can barely see the bison carcass unless there is a raven or something else sitting there. We’ll try to walk out in a day or two to take a look. The cycle continues…

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Endings… and Beginnings

    Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
    ~Fred Rogers

    For a number of years, Mike and I have made calendars for friends and family. Each month has a picture from that month in the previous year (give or take a bit) and a quote.

    Our 2025 calendar was slightly different. Given our departure from North Carolina after 24 and 47 years (for Melissa and Mike, respectively), we decided to make a “greatest hits” calendar. Each month featured one of our favorite photos from one of our favorite places in North Carolina, as well as a quote.

    The Fred Rogers quote was on the cover. This year has indeed been one of endings and beginnings. So, as we celebrate the arrival of 2026, we thought it would be nice to share the photos and quotes from our 2025 calendar with you.

    The Snow Goose Spectacle, Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Hyde County, NC – Mike

    Watching the animals come and go, and feeling the land swell up to meet them and then feeling it grow still at their departure, I came to think of the migrations as breath, as the land breathing.
    ~Barry Lopez

    Sunrise, Lake Mattamuskeet, Hyde County, NC – Mike

    Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty, if only we have the eyes to see them.
    ~John Ruskin

    Egret Feather, Merchants Millpond State Park, Gates County, NC – Melissa

    “Hope” is the thing with feathers— / That perches in the soul—
    And sings the tune without the words— / And never stops— at all—
    ~Emily Dickinson

    Barred Owl, Cashie River, Chowan County, NC – Melissa

    I enter the swamp as a sacred place.
    ~Henry David Thoreau

    Rose-breasted Grosbeak Male, Roads End, Chatham County, NC – Mike

    The presence of a single bird can change everything for one who appreciates them.
    ~Julie Zickefoose

    Sundews, Green Swamp Preserve, Brunswick County, NC – Melissa

    To think that plants ate insects would go against the order of nature…
    ~Carl Linnaeus

    Sunset from the Blue Ridge Parkway, Haywood County, NC – Melissa

    Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully.
    ~Kristen Butler

    Monarch Butterflies Mating, Prairie Ridge, Wake County, NC – Mike

    The butterfly counts not months, but moments, and has time enough.
    ~Rabindranath

    Tidal Creeks of Portsmouth Island, Outer Banks, Hyde County, NC – Melissa

    The edge of the sea is a strange and beautiful place.
    ~Rachel Carson

    Bull Elk Breathing, Cataloochee Valley, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Haywood County, NC – Melissa

    Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.
    ~John Muir

    Sunset and Moonset, Mount Mitchell, Yancey County, NC – Mike

    The sky is that beautiful old parchment in which the sun and moon keep their diary.
    ~ Alfred Kreymborg

    Ice on the Ephemeral Stream, Buteo Ridge, Chatham County, NC – Mike

    When you leave a beautiful place, you carry it with you wherever you go.
    ~Alexandra Stoddard

    We have most certainly carried the beauties of North Carolina with us to our new home. And, as we’ve shared in posts since our move in May, we have found many new beauties here in Yellowstone.

    Today, we spent time in the park marveling at ice crystals decorating the trees, listening to the sound of moose antlers clashing, following the joyful tracks of an ermine across the snow, and taking in this huge and spectacular landscape. We’ll share more details and images soon.

    For now, we reflect on a momentous year. We are grateful for our time in North Carolina, and for the wild places we love there. And, we are grateful that life has afforded us the chance for this new adventure in Yellowstone. Thank you for following along and sharing our journey!

    Posted by

    Melissa Dowland

  • White Christmas?

    He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter…. In winter the stars seem to have rekindled their fires, the moon achieves a fuller triumph, and the heavens wear a look of a more exalted simplicity.

    ~John Burroughs

    After traveling East for Thanksgiving, we decided to stay in Montana for perhaps our first white Christmas in many years. Unfortunately, the crazy weather has other things in mind and on Christmas Eve we may have set a new record high temperature of 51 degrees F. Plus, instead of snow, we recorded 0.6 inches of rain into Christmas morning. We do see snow on the mountains from our deck but none on the ground here. We traveled into the park on Christmas afternoon in hopes of finding snow. Well, there is some snow on the ground in the northeast section of the park, but much of what we saw was mud and water standing where I have never seen water before. Even the aptly named Phantom Lake had standing water (not sure I have ever seen that in my 40+ years of visiting). After walking just a few short steps in Lamar Valley in hopes of seeing wolves at a carcass, we returned to the car with muddy boots and only a few ravens out in the direction of the elk carcass. And now the day after, more rain. But the forecast is calling for snow tomorrow and then cold temperatures with nighttime lows below 10 degrees next week, then more snow. So, perhaps we will see a winter landscape soon.

    Meanwhile, here are a couple of images from our Christmas day trip with the unusual sighting of 7 coyotes hanging together in Lamar. One must not have belonged as it was soon ostracized by the others who calmly headed towards us and crossed the road before disappearing into the sage. Can’t recall ever seeing that many seemingly adult coyotes together at one time so we are guessing it was a family from last summer still hanging out.

    Four of the seven coyotes we saw together in Lamar Valley on Christmas Day. Note the lack of snow!
    This coyote was apparently the leader as it determined the direction that the group followed

    There was yet another coyote further down the valley and then we saw one more on our drive home making for a 9 coyote day. Lots of bison, a large bull moose, some eagles (golden and bald) and herds of elk and pronghorn near Gardiner rounded out our wildlife sightings for the afternoon.

    Today, we went up to the base of the cliff behind the house to change the card in our trail camera. I thought the batteries would be dead after all the wind we have had in recent days (the blowing vegetation tends to trigger the camera) but was pleasantly surprised to find otherwise. Below are the highlights from the last two weeks. Be forewarned that he first clip is a tough one to see.

    –This coyote appears to have a broken leg or at least a severely injured one. Three days after this video was taken, it came through again, this time with a little more energy in its step.

    –About 30 minutes after the limping coyote came through on its first visit, this chunky coyote walked by the camera. Looks like it is well fed.

    Back in the summer, this camera regularly caught two coyotes on this trail. Then they disappeared and have not been seen (or heard) for a few months. Wondering if these are the same two.

    Lastly, a beautiful animal that now has been recorded twice on this camera, the last time back in October. Looking back at that footage, it looks like this is a different individual as it is much more spotted than the previous one and appears smaller. Always great to see these wild beauties. Ironically, this one came through on the same night as the two coyotes and was ahead of the limping coyote by about two hours.

    –A beautiful bobcat saunters past the camera just a couple of hours before the coyotes walked through the same scene.

    Looking forward to snow!

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Wild Neighbors Only The Cameras See

    You only need sit still long enough in some attractive spot in the woods that all its inhabitants may exhibit themselves to you by turns.

    ~John Muir

    One of my favorite things is to find a place out in nature and just sit and watch. You never know what you might see and the longer you are there, the more the wild creatures begin to accept you and go about their business. Trail cameras offer another version of this activity as they sit in one place for days at a time and record our wild neighbors doing things we otherwise might not see. They have the added benefit of being on duty 24/7 but do have limitations – they can’t turn and survey the entire scene plus there are limits to battery life especially in cold weather. I have one camera right behind the house at our small water hole and one up along a path at the base of the cliff above our house. Its been a couple of months since I shared what the cameras have seen, so here are a few highlights..

    Days after the flurry of bear activity (sows and cubs) in our yard that I reported on in a previous post, this huge boar showed up in town. He made several trips by the trail camera up at the cliff but never came into the yard (by that time we had cut back the crab apple tree and picked all the fruit to remove the bear attractants).

    One of the most exciting video clips for me was of a bobcat strolling by the camera one night in late October.

    As I walked up to the camera one day to change cards, I saw what I thought was bobcat scat along the trail. Sure enough, a large bobcat had traveled that route and was caught on camera.

    Many cow and calf elk have often shown themselves on the cliff-side trail but the “town bull” has only been caught on camera a couple of times this Fall.

    This critter has been seen 4 times on cameras, twice in the yard and twice up by the cliff. The yard images only caught a flared tail tip.

    A striped skunk waddles by the camera with tail flared…perhaps something spooked it?

    With the approach of winter, more mule deer have been seen on the hillside behind the house and along the cliff-side trail.

    This nice buck has some sort of line tangled in its antlers. Hoping it can rid itself of this debris.

    While we were away at Thanksgiving, there was a nice 4-inch snowfall. This deer herd included a buck with a tall set of antlers.

    The day after we got home I found a pigeon carcass in one of our yard walkways. It had been pecked at but there was still plenty of meat on the carcass. This is the second pigeon kill I have found in the past month (glad some predator is taking advantage of the many birds that roost on the cliff). They were both most likely day-time predators so I figured it was a raptor of some sort, either an accipiter or falcon. I put a trail camera on one of the deck supports and checked it the next morning when I saw the carcass was gone. A deer mouse nibbled on the carcass for a couple of hours off and on. Then a critter came by and took it away.

    One of a few raccoons we regularly see on our cameras found the pigeon carcass and wasted no time in carting it away.

    Then the camera captured what I am assuming was the killer of the pigeon coming back at sunrise to reclaim its meal. I first thought it was a Cooper’s Hawk based on the size and the fact I think it might be tough for a sharpie to take down a pigeon. But the more I look at it, I’m not sure and it is possible it is a large female sharp-shinned hawk. Your thoughts are welcome as replies.

    A disappointed hawk arrives at its kill site to find its meal has disappeared overnight.

    I’m looking forward to seeing what new animals appear this winter. It may be more difficult to reach the camera at the base of the cliff with snow and ice on that slope but the insights into our wild neighbors will make it worth the effort.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Wanderers

    Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.

    ~E.B. White

    We ventured into the park this weekend hoping to find some wildlife and to just get out and enjoy the scenery and weather on perhaps the last day before the late-coming snows arrive. It was overcast even though the weather had predicted a sunny day. We quickly saw elk, bison, and a large flock of trumpeter swans on Blacktail Ponds. A little farther along I spotted group of birds perched in a dead tree along the road – waxwings! They looked a little bigger than the cedar waxwings we commonly see back in North Carolina and in our yard here in Montana. The light was terrible for photos but we pulled off the road and got out the spotting scope and confirmed they were Bohemian waxwings, a species that only occurs here in the winter and one that we have only seen once. Named for their nomadic wanderings, especially in winter, Bohemian waxwings are a bit chunkier in appearance than cedar waxwings and have more reddish tones in their feathers and some white in their wings. We traveled on happy to have seen this elusive species.

    As we approached a group of cars at the far end of Lamar Valley, Melissa spotted a golden eagle perched in a tree along the river. We pulled over and I walked back to the eagle to get a couple of pics.

    Golden eagle in Lamar Valley (click photos to enlarge)

    Meanwhile, she got out the spotting scope and looked in the direction of the group of observers down by the vehicles just ahead. As we had suspected, the group was watching wolves of the Junction Butte pack. A large herd of elk were bunched together on the slope and we could see wolves on the horizon above them. Melissa got this video through her spotting scope showing the scale of the scene.

    –Elk bunched up in a defensive group eyeing the nearby Junction wolves. A few of them can be seen here trotting along the skyline above the elk (video by Melissa Dowland)

    We watched the wolves until they all disappeared over the ridge with a group of pups having a playfest for several minutes before finally following the adults. Melissa walked back to the eagle and got this quick clip of it. The combination of that spotting scope, her Pphone and the Phone Skope adapter is truly amazing.

    The golden eagle surveying the landscape of Lamar valley (video by Melissa Dowland)

    We then did a short hike down to Soda Butte Creek and then headed back through Lamar Valley to see what we could see. We spotted another, much larger flock of Bohemian waxwings on a snag in Lamar Canyon. We pulled over and since they were on her side, Melissa grabbed my camera to get a few shots.

    Bohemian waxwings chowing down on Rocky Mountain juniper fruits (photo by Melissa Dowland)

    As I had seen with cedar waxwings in NC, this flock would fly down to a juniper tree and eat fruit, then return to their perches. They sat for awhile and then dropped down to a nearby muddy patch with puddles of water collected in depressions left by bison hoof prints. It was all done in a frenetic fashion and then they would return to their perch. A Townsend’s solitaire was not too fond of this enormous flock of waxwings devouring its winter food supply so it was constantly harassing the waxwings causing them to shift positions on the branches. But it seemed the solitaire knew this was a lost cause as it would periodically fly off and rest before returning to try once more. We headed off for another hike and by the time we finished the skies had cleared so we decided to head back to the waxwings to try to get some more shots. Now the birds were on my side of the car and the light was fantastic. We spent the next hour watching the birds feed, fly to the water, and interact in the snag.

    The Bohemian waxwing flock on their preferred snag.
    The flock switched to a different juniper for their feeding frenzies but then would return to the same dead tree.
    Waxwings returning to their perch in the dead tree

    One juniper was just above the water hole and a few birds continued to use that one for feeding allowing me a closer photo in good light.

    Bohemian waxwing in the top of a nearby juniper. The rust-colored under-tail feathers are diagnostic.

    They would occasionally rush down to the water hole (which looked more like a mud hole from our vantage point inside the car) and create quite the chaotic scene as some birds poked their heads down into the wet hoof prints while others flew back and forth to the snag.

    Waxwings landing to get water
    A Bohemian waxwing gulps a drink of water from the wet mud. This view shows their beautiful wing pattern.

    After photographing the birds from inside the car for a long time, we decided Melissa should try to ease out and set up the spotting scope behind the car to get some closer images. The birds tolerated that movement and she was able to get some nice close-ups of the birds on their perch.

    –Some typical behaviors of this gregarious species while perched in the dead tree (video by Melissa Dowland)

    –A closer look at these beautiful birds (video by Melissa Dowland)

    When the birds flew down to the water hole, Melissa was careful not to move so as to not spook them. I continued to shoot from inside the car and managed a few shots of birds in flight as they came and went from the ground.

    A waxwing takes off after getting a drink
    Take a look at the feather details on this flying Bohemian waxwing – the yellow tips to the tail, the small red waxy-looking tips on some of the flight feathers (easier to see from the upper side than this view), the rusty under-tail coverts. The black mask is characteristic of both of our waxwing species.

    After spending time watching these beautiful birds, we hope they will visit the mountain ash trees in our yard sometime this winter so we can view them up close. Based on what we saw in the park (we saw another large flock late in the day in the upper part of Lamar Valley), this may be an excellent year for the wandering winter waxwings.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

  • Woodpecker Ways

    A woodpecker’s drilling echoes to the mountain clouds.

    ~Dakotsu Iida

    Melissa and I hiked a wonderful trail back in June that took us though several diverse habitats including rocky slopes, mature conifer forests, open grasslands, and a few beautiful aspen groves. We love aspen groves for their beauty and diversity of wildlife that call them home. Years ago, our friend Dan took us to a grove up in the Beartooths and showed us how valuable aspen trees are to a variety of wildlife, especially cavity nesting birds. I reported on this hike in an earlier post and mentioned how we discovered a three-toed woodpecker nest under construction.

    The aspen grove (click photos to enlarge)

    After some time with visiting family, I went back a couple of weeks later to check on the woodpecker’s progress. While watching the three-toed nest cavity, I saw another woodpecker fly through the grove and land on an aspen trunk about 100 feet away. It went into another nest hole! So, I slowly walked over and sat on the trail edge to watch, but before I got close, the bird flew out. This aspen was down in the grove proper but I had a vantage point from the trail which was up a steep slope from the nest tree giving me an almost eye level view of the cavity. Soon, another woodpecker came in calling and landed on a nearby aspen trunk, looked around and then flew to the nest cavity entrance. I could now see that this was a Williamson’s sapsucker nest.

    Williamson’s sapsucker nest cavity. Male has just arrived with food for young. Note the start of another hole on lower left of trunk. This is a cropped image using a 500mm telephoto.

    It seems as though the sapsuckers had started their nesting activities before the nearby three-toed woodpeckers as they were already feeding their young. I decided to focus on the sapsucker nest since it was a better location for viewing the nest cavity from a distance far enough sway to limit any disturbance to the birds. This tree also had much better light on the nest cavity (at least about one and a half hours each morning). On my first visit I noted that the male and female were both feeding the young with an interval of only about 10-20 minutes between each feeding. For many years scientists thought that the males and females were two distinct species since they look so different from one another. The male is boldly patterned in black and white with a yellow belly and red throat patch. The female is more muted in brown and black and white stripes (but also has a yellow belly).

    The female Williamson’s sapsucker resting on a tree limb near the nest tree. She often went to this same branch after feeding the young and preened or spread her wings and tail feathers (called splooting).

    I made three trips to the aspen grove over the next several days and tried to photograph the comings and goings of the adults as they fed their very hungry young. The male had a pattern of landing on a tree trunk about 30 feet from the nest tree, looking around, and then flying over to the nest cavity. The female usually flew directly to the nest tree, calling as she flew in. I was hoping to get some photos of the birds flying in to the tree trunk with wings spread and feet outstretched but I discovered this was challenging. I generally use the mechanical shutter option in my camera which shoots at about 12 frames per second. That is generally plenty fast to capture moving subjects. But these birds came in so quickly I decided to switch to the electronic shutter which provides 20 frames pr second. That made all the difference in the world. As soon as I thought a bird was flying toward the nest tree I just pressed the shutter and held it. The up side was a series of photos showing different poses and wing beats as the woodpecker came in for a landing. The down side was it made for a crazy number of images to go through that were only slightly different from one another.

    Here are a few of my favorites as the birds flew in to feed their young (these images are heavily cropped).

    The female coming in with a load of insects for her young
    This was the usual pose right before landing – feet out
    The female coming in with wings wide open
    I love this shot that has both the bird and its shadow coming in for a landing

    The pair of sapsuckers kept a fast pace of feeding trips. I couldn’t tell what they were bringing by looking through the binoculars, but when I started looking at the images I was amazed – they were feeding their young blobs of ants. I have since read that this is common for this species.

    A beak full of ants going to the nestlings
    The female did bring in a few cicadas over the few days I watched

    When leaving, the female often dropped down to a short branch below the nest cavity and sat there for a few moments before flying off.

    She flies off with a flying insect hovering above

    I was surprised to see relatively few carries of fecal sacs from the nest. I have witnessed this many times with various species of cavity nesting birds when the adult goes into the nest after a feeding and flies out with a pre-packaged fecal sac that usually looks like a small white blob. They tend to fly some distance before dropping it. This probably helps remove scents that could help predators cue in on the nest. But I never saw the white blob when these sapsuckers came out of the nest. Instead, it looked like a large blob of wood chips and ants stuck together.

    The male removes a fecal sac from the nest

    On my last trip to the grove, I took Melissa’s spotting scope and a newly arrived adapter for our cell phones. This combination provides excellent resolution for filming at a distance. And video is much more forgiving in low light than stills with my camera so I sat for a time at the three-toed woodpecker nest and captured this footage of a feeding.

    The female brings in some insects to feed the young and then sits on the outside chirping, perhaps to the male. She then enters and flies out with a fecal sac.

    I had hoped to witness the young birds leave the nest (or at least poke their heads out to be fed as they got bigger) but we had more family visiting shortly after these images were taken and by the time I got back to the aspens, the birds were all gone. I look forward to checking out this and other aspen groves next summer to see what a new year brings.

    Posted by

    Mike Dunn

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