WILDLIFE
YELLOWSTONE WILDLIFE: A guide to viewing STORY AND PHOTOS BY JOHN LAYSHOCK
anything at anytime, and in any part of Yellowstone. All you need is time and luck. Many eager locals and professionals are out there, and I highly recommend talking to them. Most are friendly and excited to share information with you, and they’re easy to find. Just look for expensive spotting equipment and cameras, local license plates, and vehicle stickers depicting wolves or bears. Here are some specific animals to look for, and where you’re likely to see them:
A gray wolf crosses up some tourists in Yellowstone.
June is an exciting and dynamic month in Yellowstone National Park, and this season is no exception. Wildlife viewers with a keen eye can witness numerous sightings including bear, wolf, raptors, bighorn sheep, otter, antelope and bison, among others. Bears were active in early spring this year. The light snowpack and subsequent warm weather has made good food readily available, and there have been multiple bear sightings throughout the park. While avid animal viewers – especially wolf watchers – are usually up in the morning before first light, wildlife activity really gets going around 3 p.m. and
viewing opportunities last until it’s too dark to see. Wildlife are producing offspring regularly. Raptors, including peregrine falcon and osprey, are hatching eggs. Newly born bison – called “red dogs” due to their red appearance before they turn brown in August – are everywhere. On past June trips I’ve guided, we’ve seen pronghorn antelope twins that were only hours old.
Spot falcons in nests high on the basalt cliffs and bighorn sheep in the canyon at Tower Falls, while osprey nest on the north canyon overlook; keep an eye out for harlequin ducks on rocks in the Lehardy Rapids between Yellowstone Lake and Hayden Valley, and moose and bear on the
My rule for sighting animals is to keep your eyes open: You can see Looking at me looking at you. A frolicking pair of otters in the park.
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