Yellowstone Reports

Strange Happenings in Yellowstone

An Unusual Week
by Dan Hartman

Jan. 26, 2016

Last week was an unusual one in Yellowstone. Bobcats along the Boiling River, another photographed with the curious napping fox in the outcropping near Roosevelt Junction. The possible sighting of a lynx near Warm Creek.

I personally missed all of these occurrances, even though I was out every morning. However, I did have my own strange week. Monday I spotted a pygmy owl near Pebble Creek, then found another on Thursday between Phantom Lake and the Black-tail Drive entrance. A marten crossed the road at the west end of Round Prairie. He climbed up a tree to give me a look before bounding away.

The moose were good photo subjects early in the week, then on Wednesday morning the bull appeared sporting only one antler. A red hole showed where the other once grew. As the Lamars had moved into the valley, the three moose decided it was time to head for high timber, plunging through the snow past where I stood.

It seems every day something special happened. I had a private session with a coyote running through deep snow. I photographed a bald eagle and magpie having a conversation. A young ram peering down from the cliffs south of Upper Barronette.

But the coolest thing that happened was on Sunday. You see we've had a cute little female marten at our cabin for the last month. On Saturday, a male marten appeared and soon made his presence felt. First our female disappeared. Then, the next day, the new marten grabbed a squirrel and darted in and out of our woodpile a few minutes before carrying if off into the forest.

Photos

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