Roads End Naturalist

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

Author: Mike Dunn

  • A Very Special Day

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    In a recent post I mentioned witnessing an extraordinary event in the park the week before the interior roads closed for the season. This is the story of my lucky encounter with a grizzly and some wolves on an elk carcass in Hayden Valley. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Grizzlies

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    All roads to the interior of Yellowstone closed November 1 and will be open only to over-snow vehicles (snowmobiles and snow coaches) until they reopen to regular vehicles sometime in April or May depending on the particular section of road. Spending several days down there exploring and looking for wildlife paid off, especially for seeing… Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • She Picked a Dam Good Site

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    Melissa found a great spot for a dispersed campsite along a creek with extensive beaver activity. We enjoyed it so much we ended up spending three days here. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Another Road Trip

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    We just returned from a 10-day truck camping trip to points south. We drove over a hundred miles of dirt roads and stayed in some absolutely beautiful spots. Along the way we enjoyed amazing scenery and some incredible wildlife. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Benefit of Being Close

    While sitting at home one day we received a text about wolves being seen nearby. We were able to drive a short distance to see five members of the Rescue Creek pack as they explored the wilds near our home. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Living Lake

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    On our recent 11-day paddling adventure along the southern shores of Yellowstone Lake, we observed numerous types of wildlife from bald eagles to darting dragonflies. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Fast Water, Slo-mo Birds

    I spent some time at LeHardy Rapids along the Yellowstone River this week filming birds in the raging waters. Each species manages to utilize this extreme habitat to find what it needs to survive. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • The Wallow

    The wallow is an important feature of the rut showing a bull’s prowess and fitness. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Pika Perfect

    I spent some quality time this week in the Beartooths observing American pika, perhaps the cutest mammal in this region. I spent 6 hours in the area with bonus sightings of mountain goats and much more. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn

  • Raising Raptors Update

    We have been back to check on most of the raptor nests a couple of times since our last post. Things are changing rapidly. Read more…

    Written by

    Mike Dunn