Tribute to Yellowstone Wolf Watchers
Welcome to Jellystone National Park
If you’ve never been in nature with a scope, you may not understand the draw. It’s so far away! How can you really see anything? Allow me to illustrate how truly connected you can feel from afar behind the lens of a Swarovski telescope. To watch an animal in its natural habitat, from afar, without obstructing the behaviors can be a breathtaking experience! If you’ve used the phrase ‘to be a fly on the wall’ you know what it feels to want to observe behavior that isn’t modified by your presence. Instead of a fly let’s be the rare pygmy owl and instead of a wall let's pick Montana’s big sky over Yellowstone rather than an interior wall. That’s what it’s like to view wildlife through a scope hundreds of yards away. The combination of the other four senses makes the viewing come to life in a way that is quite humbling. It is truly a privilege to be amongst such grandeur in God’s country, witnessing uninterrupted behaviors of majestic animals such as the Black and Grey wolf. Wolf Watchers Morning Meeting Imagine arriving at Exposure, each morning by 7 a.m., before the sun rises, to be greeted by fellow wolf watchers already set up on the mountain with focused lenses. As you hike up the hill, you see some are shivering from the cold, adjusting the tripod legs, or warming up with hot coffee and camaraderie. With a rented scope in hand, I look to my dad, Wolf Man Pat, for guidance. He sets me up and gives me the lowdown on focusing, panning and photographing through the lens. In three days time, I picked up on a lot of the Wolf Advocate jargon. See, if you can log a ‘three dog day,’ you’re a happy camper! Cue biology classification lesson... Canine Phylogenetic Tree If you were fortunate to see all three wolves, coyotes and foxes you have the bragging rights to a ‘3 dog day!’ It is up for debate, whether or not the local habituated fox counts. Now some park goers are lucky to see a fox cross in front of their vehicle, others may spot a coyote ‘mousing’ for a snack but to see a wolf takes patience, focus, and the wolf tracker CB radio helps! “Unit 213. We 2 have bedded wolves at Exposure. Two blacks. One grey. Possible fourth in the drainage right below the Calcedonia fan. Copy that.” Everyone on the radio is united under the same passion for observing animals without disturbing their natural habitat, hoping to catch a glimpse of unique behavior that leads to a better understanding of the life of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. The jargon is used to describe location, behaviors, physical descriptions of the animal and trends of movement. As noted, above, bedded wolves are ones lying down, often snuggled up with one another. These can be incredibly difficult to spot because the greys are well camouflaged among the grasses and sage. An interesting discussion ensured when scoping the wolves that became quite comical adding levity to the morning! Groups of wolves, or clusters, clumps, dog piles, duos, and the like were some of the proposed technical terms being milled over by the Exclosure scoping advocates. “I see a clump of wolves over there. At least one grey.” Another observer declares a few wolves cuddled up would be considered more of a ‘cluster’ while others argued it’s more of a ‘dog pile'. WolfMan Dad said it all depends on what day of the week it is! Needless to say, we beat that joke to a bloody pulp. It didn’t hurt that the corny dad jokes were more than welcome in this group of welcoming wolf watchers. 3 The Crew A typical tourist in the park may look at the line of scopes up on the mountain and assume they are all professional photographers or researchers. I’ll be honest, it can appear very intimidating to approach those with gigantic scopes, cameras and gear. The majority of these men and women squinting through those lenses were once just park enthusiasts who got hooked! Their passion was sparked by speaking to those who had been tracking or even having an observer offer up a view of the wolves through their high end telescope. My dad says he’s been thanked, hugged and witnessed watery eyes after letting someone look at the wolves through his lens. The wolf watchers I met come from all over the world, some take field notes, some share stories, and others just soak in all the information and learn from the veterans. WHile it’s a diverse group of wolf advocates, they share a passion for tracking the majestic Canis Lupus (as seen painted on dad’s wolfmobile, courtesy of his talented artist wife Alicia Jennings, Signs by Alicia). I was honored to be a part of this clump of people who admire, love and have such passion for the park and all who inhabit the land. Clump of Wolf Watchers around the WolfMobile 4 I can’t decide if it was more fun to be hunkered down in the same spot milling over pup and adult wolf stories or hearing about a sighting and caravanning over to where the action was! Sometimes you’d run into (quite literally if we’re talking about bison) another animal encounter on the way there. All these spots, stops and stays are part of the whole experience. One day Dad and I tried to get home a little earlier than normal and were lucky enough to view bison wallowing and a bison chasing a black bear (see youtube links below). I learned so much without much effort. I have always believed this as a teacher being a huge proponent of differentiation. If you are interested you will learn. Period. I found myself asking questions along the biology field that I have never done before this trip. I learned Black wolves are more resistant to canine diseases such as distemper. I actually read a scholarly article on the matter Canine Distemper in Yellowstone Grizzly bears and Wolves. I learned that the wolf pups are fearless and can be risk takers without adults (just like human toddlers!). My dad told me they found one of the dens that went in 16 feet with various rooms for the pack! Without wolves, the ecosystem of Yellowstone suffered immensely from the predator prey relationship to the landform changes and much more. Scoping Like a Boss 5 Fun Facts Don’t badger someone about not getting to see a badger. Dad’s wolfmobile is famous and elicits celebrity style attention in the park If you see it you may find yourself struggling for words to accurately describe it so someone else can see it! Carry your scope like a hobo… bulk of it slightly loose against your back, tripod legs up! ‘Mousing’ describes the pouncing actions when hunting a vole or small rodent. It’s very endearing to watch a wolf jump around for a snack. The call of an elk or moose is called a bugle. I know this because a huge bull elk serenaded me through my window of the car one early morning! It sounds much like a brassy instrument. Wallowing is the term to describe a bison rolling around, kicking up dust and shaking their big furry heads (see video). The playfulness is so much fun to watch! Grizzly bears can run up to 40 mph. Don’t chase them. They are not teddybears. This is for everyone but me: Bison are cuter in person. IF you don’t understand my affection for them go see them for yourself! Wear your seatbelt. A young man driving through the park without one flipped his truck and suffered serious injuries. Buckle up everywhere even in Yellowstone where everything is so serene you couldn’t imagine an accident of this magnitude. DISCLAIMER: This is based on my experience being in the park, teaching young children and having my own. Don’t bring toddlers. There isn’t much for them to do. Besides bison and some elk, they won’t be able to see many animals, even in the scope. They struggle using the lens. Also most of the sightings are right off the road leaving no room for error with runaway tantrums. A 3 year old suffered second degree burns by falling into a thermal feature. I just don’t see how it would be any fun. There are minimal safe hiking and picnic areas. It’s not what you imagined if you grew up watching Yogi Bear. Yogi Bear and Flintstones 6 Dad N Daughter Duo Wolf Tracking Adventures Video Links Mama Bison and Baby Wallowing Bison Chasing Black Bear Wolf Pups and Yearlings Howling Wolf Wolf Pup F
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