July and August are traditionally the most difficult times of the main season to see wildlife. Animals are hunkering down during the day to avoid the heat and have generally moved to the high country where the food supply is still ample. But this year we have been treated to some spectacular sights throughout the summer!
I decided to go into the park for sunset as I had heard that some of my favorite grizzly bears had been out and about and swimming in Yellowstone Lake. As I drove through Sedge Bay I saw a large cluster of cars, including a ranger, but they were slowly dispersing. I found out later I had just missed the Lake Butte Sow, also known as Raspberry, and her cub. They had been for a stroll and a swim, but crossed the road and disappeared into the deadfall just before I passed through.
Continuing along the East Entrance Road, I pulled off at an overlook that looked promising although there were only a few cars. After watching for a few minutes, I saw the 10 Mile Subadult, also known as Jam. This 4.5 year old grizzly sow has been quite the ham this summer, with this being the 5th time I had seen her within easy view of the road. This time she had just been for a swim and her fur was still wet and slightly frizzy. She caused a fairly large bear jam as she made her way through the meadows and slowly got closer to the road as the sun began to set. Rangers soon arrived on scene to control the crowd and make sure Jam had the space she needed to cross the road. I headed out around this time, as I prefer to be out of the park before it gets completely dark.
As I headed back home, I stopped at a pullout to use the restroom and noticed a young yellow-bellied marmot scurrying away. I watched him run off and meet up with his siblings on a rock. They proceeded to wrestle for a while, then stopped suddenly and looked towards the lake. I couldn’t find anything that spooked them, but the sunset over the lake was gorgeous. I’d like to think they were taking in the view.
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