The Western USA is in a terrible drought and not just the Colorado River System

We needed to make the drive to Jackson as we had a prescription to pick up. Crossing the Snake River at Alpine the river wasn’t its usual pristine self but instead was a reddish brown color from mud. We had heard that there had been a mudslide up the Hoback River and as we neared the tributary with the Hoback we could see where the Hoback River poured into the Snake. The Hoback looked like it was half mud and it didn’t take long for it to mix and discolor the clear water of the Snake. We also noted that the Snake River banks were full. That’s because the Bureau of Reclamation was dumping most of the water from Jackson Lake into the river. The reason for this is the drought. Almost all of the water, in Jackson Lake was claimed long ago by agricultural users in Idaho. In fact, the plan is to remove the water from the lake, about 95%, so that by this fall Jackson Lake will only contain about five percent of it’s water. Water rights out west are complicated but the claim to the water was first made by the farmers in Idaho and the law states that the first one to claim the water has the right to the water in perpetuity. Yup, forever!

THE LAKE WHEN FULL HAS ABOUT 833,00 ACRE FEET WHEN FULL! That will leave about 50,000 acre feet in the Lake, (an acre foot is enough water to cover one acre of land with one foot of water). Some of the downstream water will hopefully keep the Palisade’s Reservoir with enough water to power its generators. If not our electricity rate will jump much higher! We are currently paying about ten cents per KW, (it was 4 cents) because our power is from cheap hydro power. This will force us to buy much more expensive power from the grid. As bad as it seems imagine what is happening to the states along the Colorado River that makes our problems pale in comparision. If Lake Mead and Lake Powell reaches dead pool,(estimated as early as December of this year), Las Vegas, Phoenix, Much of Arizona, the Imperial Valley, and much of California will lose their water and electricity from Lake Hoover and Lake Mead, (This includes the Mexico portion of the Colorado, which Mexico is also entitled to by law). The Imperial Valley will also lose the water needed to grow winter produce. That’s where 95% of the winter produce comes from….Pray for rain and snow. Cloudy skies, Mark and Renita According to Jaclson Hole news and Guide, right now the Bureau of Reclaimation is releasing about 5000 cubic feet per second so the river is higher than normal. This Fall the plan is to release only abot 250 cubic feet per second and currently the flow is being reduced to 280 cubic fete per second.

Two Ocean Lake Birding and Bear Closings

Before I get into our birding day at Grand Teton National Park, I need to stress that a fed bear is a dead bear. Once the bears get used to people’s food, they become problem bears and are captured and euthanized. A bear can easily rip open a car and eat any food, (this happened to our friends whose car was destroyed because the bear smelled the M and M’ s they had in their ash tray). Its not unusual as bears have an incredible sense of smell! A black bear in Grand Teton National Park was caprutred and euthanized last week, (five more black bears have been fed by people and are being monitored). We heard that there were bears at Two Ocean Lake and the road was open, Driving the short but rutted drive we arrived at the parking lot and were greeted by lots of cars and few parking spots.

Planning to hike the trail I discovered that I had forgotten the bear spray and so we decided to bird just the beginning of the trail. We only walked a short way before we spotted a huge flock of swimming Common Mergansers. They were accompanied by two American White Pelicans and as they neared us they dived and fed on a school of baitfish.

They had been herding the baitfish to the shallow end of the lake and all dived at once. If you have never seen this behavior, it’s common.

We also spotted a Song Sparrow,several Ospreys, and Renita got a great shot of a tanager flying overhead.

Finally, being chased by mosquitoes, be sure to bring bug spray, we headed to our next spot, the Hermitage Trail. The trail begins at Colter Bay and after parking we were greeted with a bear warning and closure signs. A grizzly with three cubs is in the area and no one wants to bother a mother with cubs, (it's different when a bear uses people to keep any boar away).

A hiker approached and stopped for a visit. We mentioned to him that the bear spray he carried was in a bad spot, attached to the back of his pack. We had been chastised several years before for doing the same thing and warned that we would never have time to reach it when we needed it. Keep it in front! Deciding not to hike the trail we headed to our usual lunch spot, a small pond near the Moose Entry! On the way we watched as a helicopter was being used to move supplies to an area of a trail being repaired.

As soon as we left the car, we spotted two Sandhill Cranes with their chicks. The parents, which are usually shy, were feeding directly below us and feeding the young,

Every so often the chicks would practice flapping their wings, getting ready for they day they would take to the air.

It has been a short but fun day. No bears but lots of birds! Clear skies

Hollywood and a two-bear day! 5/29/2026

Once we saw our first grizzly bear of the year, we were anxious to return to Gand Teton National Park. Leaving early, we stopped at our usual fast-food place, bought breakfast, and then drove to Moran Junction. Once inside the Park, we headed towards Leeks Marina but no bear jams or bears. Next, we drove toward Moose but didn’t see any wildlife. Returning, we drove by Signal Mountain and encountered a traffic jam, It was the resident elk nicknamed Hollywood, so named because he spends the summer feeding and posing for pictures alongside Teton Park Road. He uses the tourists to keep bears and wolves away while he feeds and grows his impressive antlers!

Even though he is somewhat benign in June he still poses a danger and everyone should stay at least twenty-five yards away. Toward August he will feel the approach of mating season, the rut, and become aggressive! As it was nearing lunch we went to one of our favorite picnic spots. I forgot our bear spray, so trail hiking was out for the day. I don’t keep it in the car as I am concerned that it might get too hot and explode. If that ever happens, I will face Renita’s wrath. That’s something I do not want to endure (again).

After lunch we headed back to Colter Bay and there were cars parked alongside the road, it was a bear jam! Parking safely, you must be outside the painted white line. We walked down the hill but as we neared the crowd of people, they started to leave! The bear had sauntered into the woods. Waiting for a bit, people suddenly began to take pictures and so we headed further downhill. It was the grizzly bear Miracle who moved into an open space and was digging for tubers and worms. Watching, she eventually moved up and towards an area where seasonal workers lived. The show was over, so we headed back to the car. Later we learned that she had been captured and relocated to a place away from the workers and roads. Hopefully she won’t return as that usually ends in a bad outcome for the bear, (a fed bear is a dead bear, never feed the wildlife)!

Renita wanted to go shopping in Jackson and after a brief discussion we headed to the Moran exit. Just before we reached it we encountered another bear jam!

This time we were some of the first to arrive and we found a great parking spot. Getting our cameras out we walked down the road and there was a feeding bear! At first, I thought it was a grizzly but after spotting the triangle shaped ears and lack of a hump, we both agreed it was a cinnamon black bear. It wasn’t bothered by the people and simply kept grubbing.

We both realized we were too close to the bear and backtracked to the car. A park ranger arrived and using his loudspeaker cautioned everyone to get away from the bear. In other words, get in your car! We always keep others between us and any wildlife. After all at my age, I would be the slowest person in the crowd. Sitting in the car the bear moved into a clearing and Renita was able to get some pictures by sticking her camera out the window. That’s ok to do that as long as you don’t extend any part of your body outside, (imagine a fast-moving bear). This includes putting your body above the sunroof, which is never a good idea, (we once took a picture of a person doing just that as three grizzlies walked around their car. I took a picture and posted it on the blog only to discover that I had the license plate in the picture. It turned out to be a law enforcement person from Utah, the picture got lots of comments).

It was a great end to the day, two bears and Hollywood. It was a relief to see that he made it through last fall and winter’s hunting seasons, (humans, bears, and wolves). Clear skies Renita’s shopping was successful

Miracle, A lucky Grizzly Bear and the Jenny Lake ferry

Arriving back home, we had a list of things to do. On the top of the list was to get the rock shop ready, weed the yard, rake leaves, and the list went on. We procrastinated and after a few days headed back to Grand Teton National Park.

We still hadn’t seen any grizzly bears and of course that’s our number one thing to do. Entering at Moran Junction we drove to a road where we have previously seen bears and glassed the area, but nada. The next stop was to check out the dam, sometimes the bears like that stretch of the Snake River for an easy crossing but again no luck. Our next stop entailed a place where we sometimes find Grizzly Bear Tracks and Renita identified two small and old grizzly cub tracks, (she is our tracker while I am scanning the nearby brush for any bear. Leaving we next drove to Pilgrim Creek, where 399 used to show up with her cubs. Other bears also use the area but again no bears were present, No wolves ran out of the forest chasing elk, which we have see twice in that area. We sat for a bit and ate lunch but again no bears, elk, or any other wildlife. Next on our list, was to head to the North Park entrance but we never got there as we ran into a bear jam! The bear turned out to be the grizzly bear nicknamed Miracle because it’s a miracle, she is still alive.

Last year she showed up with two siblings, and her sow 1063. That sow is a grizzly bear nicknamed Bonita. Shortly after that a male grizzly boar found the cubs and killed two of them. Luckily Miracle survived and was later reunited with her mom, but they were later again separated.

No one knew if she survived the winter until this Spring when she returned to the area. This year Her mother also came out with three new coys, (cubs of the year). Hopefully she learned from last year and will be able to keep the cubs safe from any boar grizzly. We both took picture after picture, there were lots of watchers, photographers, but she didn’t seem to be bothered by all the people. She worked back and forth moving grass and rocks and eating her fill of grubs.

The cars all slowed down and she ignored them until a semi-truck filled with cattle drove by. The diesel engine scarred her and she ran over the nearest hill until it passed. Several other loud trucks also passed by and again the bear fled but retuned each time. Finally, she ran into the woods and disappeared. We heard she usually returns but after a while we decided to drive to Leigh Lake and see if we could spot a black bear. It’s early in the season and there were parking spots. After Memorial Day weekend you will be lucky to find one, unless you get there early.

If you ever go there, you can ride the ferrry across the lake and take a hike up to Inspiration Point. If you are fit you can hike around the lake to the Landing where the Inspiration Trail begins.

We still had other places to look but nothing stood out, except for a soaring bald eagle. Tired we decided to call it a day, Besides, we spotted and photographed our first grizzly bear of the year! Clear skies

A Day filled with Moose

We had heard that the grizzly bear Miracle, (not an official name), had appeared and so we headed back to Grand Teton National Park. We weren’t sure of the right spot to sit and wait but as an Ecotour bus showed up and waited, we figured we were probably in the area. After having lunch, we waited for several more hours with no luck. We needed to return home as we were driving to Montana for Mother’s Day. It is always a great day when we are in a National Park and this day turned out to be exceptional one as we saw and photographed four moose in three different spots, (often it is difficult to see any moose as they are hiding from bears and wolves).

The first Moose was a bull that was feeding of willows near Willow Flats, (Imagine that). It was a Mature Bull, and you can see in the photos that its antlers were beginning to grow. The willow trees produce a chemical from which aspirin was discovered, so besides being a food source, the trees also act as a pharmacy especially for cow moose that have given birth to their new calves, (not sure if you should call them foals).

We also had spotted a smaller moose in the same general area, and a little further down the road a very pregnant moose was sitting on a snowbank, along with a two-year-old calf.

Our day’s total was five moose, which is really great! It was a moosey day! In case you are wondering the park service recommends you stay at least twenty five yards from Moose, Elk, and Buffalo. This is the minimum distance for safety and two often we see people getting to close. Later that day we saw people trying to get close for pictures of a bull elk growing a nice set of antlers. Thwy pushed the bull into the willows and lucky for them did not enter the thick growth.

Clear skies

A bear encounter day in Grand Teton Park, Always carry bear spray

We decided to go back to the park in hopes of seeing a bear. Our friend Vickie has taken great pictures of several Grizzly! Earlier, we encountered a Cinnamon Black Bear while birding. It was on trail that usually has posted signs, during berry season. They state that one should carry Bear Spray/However the Wildlife management team had removed the sign and so we decided to take a short walk, looking for birds. On the way out we heard crashing brush and a Cinnamon Black Bear, probably a four-year-old, ran out into the clearing and stopped to look at us. It was about thirty yards away! The bear had new ear tags and a radio collar, so we knew it was probably a bear that had recently caused trouble. As we were only thirty yards away, we knew not to run, never run as you become prey. Instead, I raised my camera and started to take pictures and the bear decided to leave us alone, not the first time this has worked. None of my three pictures turned out, I had just taken pictures of a bird and had my camera on manual focus. Returning to Jackson we drove to REI, and bought their largest canister of Bear Spray, (to go with the one our friends Dan and Barb had given us. Now we have four canisters. For anyone hiking, eveb a short hike, in Grand Teton National Park, ALWAYS CARRY BEAR SPRAY! We will. We were lucky. Ps Last weeks Grizzly Bear attack in Yellowstone National Park, was on a trail that had been closed and had just been reopened. It appears that the grizzly might have been protecting a kill. They will often cover a kill/carcass with brush, and lay on it. That’s one of our fears when hiking, surprising a bear on its kill or encountering a cub.

Spending an afternoon with Bison, Elk Ranch Flats, Grand Teton National Park

At one time there were an estimated 60 to 80 million, American Bison, in North America. The destruction of the great herds was caused by many hunters, but the massive kill happened when the hide market hunters found they could make lots of money by killing the bison for their hides. The hides were turned into belts used to run industrial machines in Europe.

The hides of cow bison were easier to make into belts due to the lack of scars and so it was estimated that in the first few years thirty million cow bison were slaughtered, (if you want to exterminate a species, kill the females). Later a technique was developed to make bull bison hides into machinery belts and by 1900 only about 500 to 1000 bison were left.

Today there are around 500,000 in the herd due to individuals that saved them from extinction. One Ranch Lady in Oklahoma instructed her ranch hands to round up all the red dogs they could find, (a red dog is a first-year calf and who were left behind by the hunters as their hides were useless). Yellowstone Park also had a small, protected herd and other herds were also gathered in other places.

If you travel to Grand Teton National Park a small herd grazes at Elk Ranch Flats. The herd moves back and forth across the highway blocking traffic. These bison were introduced in the park as Jackson Hole, (historically), did not have any bison. As the bears were playing hide and seek, from us anyway, wee decided to spend an afternoon watching the herd. Parking we spotted a red dog with its mother. As she grazed and moved, it kept up with her. The red dog kept close to her, and she nursed it often. At times the red dog calf would lay down in brush.

When the cow and calf crossed the road. It was protected by other bison cows and after crossing the cows surrounded it as it nursed. When there are more red dog calves the cows will have them gather them into a safe area and will form a protective ring.

When threatened the bison form in a circle, form a circle, threatening any predators with a ring of horns.

Meanwhile the bull bison were grazing, rolling in the dust to give them a break from insects, and butting heads, practicing for the rut. Some were scratching themselves on some sections of broken fence posts, (fences don’t really keep bison out they mainly keep dumb tourists from attempting to pet them, (don’t pet the fluffy cows). Clear skies Ps if you ever watch bison bulls one thing to watch out for. If the bull raises its tail, and stares at you. It is getting ready to charge. Do not approach and stay at least 25 yards away.

Grand Teton National Park April 2026

Last year was an exceptional year for photographing bears. We arrived on April 9th and on our first day in the park spotted bear 610 and her three two-year-old sub adults. They were feeding on a carcass of an elk near the Moran Entrance station. Two days late we drove up to Flag Ranch and Bruno, the dominant male Grizzly bear, was walking alongside the road. As he passed our car, we could see his eye looking at us, but he really didn’t care as he was heading south to Grand Teton National Park. This year we were staying in Jackson, and so it was only a short drive back to Moran. Entering the park, we stopped at all the places we saw grizzly bears, but they were not wanting their photos taken. Day one turned into day two through day nine and we never spotted any bears, (we did see grizzly bear tracks in snow near Coulter Bay. Luckily, there were other things to see. The elk were migrating early, due to the warm weather, so we changed our target from bears to birds. It was a good choice as we added two new birds for our life list.

The first was a very common bird, a song sparrow. It sang and perched in a short tree giving us a great opportunity for a picture. The next was a Red Breasted Nuthatch, identified by merlin’s sound recording, (a bird heard is a bird counted. We spotted numerous Bald Eagles, Ospreys, and took our best picture ever of a male and female Barrows Goldeneye.

They were exhibiting courtship behavior and were oblivious to our presence, (we were walking on the trail at Schwabacher Landing).

On another day we took a picture of a Belted Kingfisher.

As usual Kingfishers are hard to photograph, and this one flew every time I tried to get him in focus. He made the mistake of landing on top of a pine tree about one hundred yards away. I had our 600 mm zoom lens on and I took his picture.

We also saw American White Pelicans, Cormorants, and Great Blue Herons.

I did get a pretty good shot of a Mountain Blue Bird! We also saw a Red-Tailed Hawk in flight, and a Northern Harrier.

One of the birds, common but rarely seen, was a Great Horned Owl,(I have misplaced the picture). We hoped it was a Great Grey but you can clearly see the feathery ears, diagnostic of a Great Horned Owl.

We had to leave the Park to get maintenance done on our car. Now that it has been taken care of we are going to visit a museum in Idaho Falls and then return to Grand Teton National Park. This time it will be for ten more days of bear watching. The migrating elk cows have moved onto their calving places, so the bears can’t be too far behind. Till they calve, the bears will turn into cows and munch on grass and clover. They have over two hundred items on their diet. If you ever see a bear do not feed it! A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear. Once they get a taste of human food they will be captured and relocated. A second offense will result in the bear being euthanized.

Finally, we had to pass through a herd of Buffalo as they crossed the highway. Thats never a pleasant event. Clear skies Ps our friends Gordon and Babs were in New Mexico and a Black bear smelled the M and M’s in their BMW. It then broke into the car and destroyed it.

Part 1 Continued, A bear and a coyote at Grand Teton National Park

From the moose encounter we next headed to a place where our friends had seen a black bear. As we neared the location, we saw a large number of people taking pictures and watching something below by a pond. Parking we grabbed our cameras and looking down could see a black bear munching berries. It would bite on a branch and then pull the branch through its teeth stripping the berries into its mouth. The bear was unconcerned about all the people and moved about the branches. As it neared the top of the small tree it slipped and fell but caught itself and climbed back up.

Nearing the top its head and shoulders were visible, which is a rarity when they are eating in thick brush. Finally filling up for the moment, it climbed down to take a long drink from a small stream below us. After slaking its thirst, it moved toward the people but stopped and decided it would be better off to go back to the first tree and make sure it had gleaned all of the berries. Its typical bear behavior, eat till its stomach is full, then take a long drink from a nearby pond, before returning to fill up.

The bears are all in hyperphagia and will eat for up to twenty two hours each day. Several years back we watched a bear go for a swim before returning to eating berries). This is the time the females eat enough to be sure that the fetuses will grow inside them and emerge as cubs next year. The sows, if not fat enough, will reabsorb the fetuses and will not produce cubs, (by the way the sows will mate with multiple boars and may have multiple fathers in their litter of cubs.

After taking lots of pictures we decided to go looking for a grizzly bear, Driving to Leeks Marina without spotting any grizzlies we saw a member of the wildlife Management team parking at a place where we have seen grizzlies. Pulling in we waited but no grizzly appeared and so we drove to Pilgrim Creek. Nothing was happening and returning to where we had spent time waiting, we saw people rushing to watch a grizzly bear, bear 1063, as it was heading into the woods. Getting back in the car we drove to Pilgrim Creek where the bear might be headed.

The only excitement at Pilgrim Creek was a lone coyote that paraded in front of us. It was wearing a collar which is never a good sign for its survival. Coyotes and Fox are only collared when they start to eat human food, they have been fed! If they continue to eat people food, they will be euthanized. If you feed wildlife, remember a fed critter is a dead critter, be it bears, coyotes, fox, etc. You might as well shoot it, you are not doing any kindness. The last sight of the day was that of a rescue helicopter with two first responders hanging below it on a long rope. If you blow up the picture you can see them dangling far below the copter.

What a ride!It had been a great day watching four moose, a bear, and a coyote. Time to head home. Clear skies