Friends, Bears, and Birds A day in Grand Teton National Park

Our friends Dan and Barb arrived here for a two month stay. They were excited to be here and hoped to see, and take pictures, of grizzly bears. The next day we took off early, well not to early, and picked them up. Renita and I had talked it over and decided the best bet was to head to Pilgrim Creek and the Colter Bay area. Its an area where we frequently see bears. We did tell them that while we often see them, it not an everyday thing.

Driving to our first spot there were not any bears present, but a coyote did not mind us as it hunted for ground squirrels. It crossed the road in front of us and we watched as it stopped and then ran after one, finally catching it and swallowing it whole. No bears appeared so we drove to our next two spots but again no bears. Turning around we headed south and did spot elk at Willow Flats. The elk move into the willows to calve, and one can sometimes spot a grizzly bear, or black bear, hunting the newborn elk calves.

It was a few weeks early as the elk usually calf in late May or early June. They hide their newborns in the thick willow stands where the scentless calf lay motionless as the bears try to spot them. If the calf moves or tries to run, it is easy prey for the hungry bears. We next drove to small lake below the dam. No sign of bears but there were quite a few birds. Barb and Dan have become avid birders and we both took pictures of hooded mergansers, tree swallows, mallards, and a Clarks Nutcracker. The Clarks Nutcracker was a new bird for their life list. It posed in a nearby tree top and then flew to another perch, (I captured a picture of it in flight). The bird looks similar to another jay, a gray jay but does not have the grey’s black eye swipe.

Crossing the dam, we headed to the Potholes and again no bears! From there our next stop was at the Oxbow Parking lot. Several days before, we had watched 399 and her cubs digging for grubs. Since then, 399 met a boar and drove the cubs off, so they are on their own! It is a dangerous time for the sub adults and if people feed them, they will be euthanized. Many suspect that none of the famous bear cubs will survive this first year. Remember a fed bear is a dead bear. After eating lunch at the Oxbow, we next headed up to Towgotee Pass. Last year a grizzly and her cubs had become problems and hazed from the roadside, (If you do go there do not park alongside the road as you may be ticketed, with a two hundred and fifty dollar fine. Barb spotted a fox!

There are pull off parking lots where you can safely stop. Just be sure to stay away from the bears and follow the directions of the ambassador bear teams. Be super nice to these people as they are trying to save the bears lives, and yours. It is a busy highway with many speeding cars, trucks, and semis!

Our final stop for the day was along the Moose-Wilson Road where We never did see any bears, but we did see lots of birds. It was good to see how Barb and Dan turned the day into a birding day as they saw and photographed many new life birds.

One was a Cedar Waxwing and in the parking lot an aggressive mountain blue bird perched on cars. It also attacked its own image in several of the car’s mirrors. Clear skies