By Sarah E. Devlin
It was another successful Winter In Yellowstone tour!. Each year is a little different due to many factors, including weather and wildlife sightings but what seems to remain a constant is the enthusiasm among the women that I have had the great pleasure of sharing this experience with year after year. We arrived at the park on a Monday afternoon, so without a full day in front of us we decided to hit the Old Yellowstone Trail and see what we could find. We came across a herd of BigHorn Sheep close to the road that gave us some nice opportunities for portraits.
We spent a total of five days exploring the northern range and two days in the interior of the park on snow coaches. Of course Bison were plentiful and what’s a trip to Yellowstone in Winter without capturing a hoar frost on a bison photo.
Overall, I would say this was the year of the coyote, I think we spotted at least one every day and the photographic opportunities were plentiful!
Fox were also plentiful, especially in Cooke City where we made a few pit stops and visited a cafe for hot beverages, I always look forward to my personal favorite, Huckleberry Hot Chocolate!
The interior of the park provides the best opportunity for wolf sightings and we were fortunate to have a couple sightings of the Wapiti pack, a little far off for photos but what a thrill to see them. Sometimes you do have to put down the camera and just take in the incredible wildlife drama that is unfolding before you. At one point as we were watching the Wapiti pack in a valley, two Bison suddenly emerged from the forest directly in front of the wolves. It was amazing to observe the reactions from both wolves and Bison. The Bison paused for a moment, as if weighing their options, then suddenly took off running across the valley. The wolves, probably satiated from a recent Bison kill we had heard about, did not give chase but watching the Bison run through deep snow was a beautiful sight.
For avid bird photographers like myself, this trip did not disappoint. Aside from the usual avian varieties in Yellowstone, we were treated to a Pygmy Owl and a first for me in Yellowstone, a Great Gray Owl!
Our trip ended as it started, on the Old Yellowstone trail where thanks to the keen eye of one of our participants, we found a White-tailed Jack Rabbit. For bunny fans like me this was a great way to end our trip.
Winter in Yellowstone is magic! I am already excited to visit again next year with five ladies and see what the park has in store for us.
You can sign up for next year’s Winter In Yellowstone tour here