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850 Wildlife Youngsters
Class of 2013
2013-08-30

Young bison running after the herd in the Tetons

Bison Calf in the Tetons

A highlight of every trip we make is the wildlife. Whether we go to a local park or a distance preserve, we love to watch wildlife and especially the babies.

On our summer trip of 2013 we made lengthy visits to Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Teton National Park. In both parks we encountered wildlife. From the nest of robins (at eye level) in Gros Ventre Campground (Tetons) to a bunny along a trail in Rocky Mountain we spent as much time as possible viewing wildlife and their youngsters - without disturbing them.

A few of the Youngsters - Class of 2013 ...

Youngster marmot sitting on a boulder below an adult.

We saw a marmot youngster with an adult on a boulder near Lake Taggert in the Tetons. They posed for their picture. Later in our stay in the Tetons, we re-hiked the trail and the marmots were sitting on the same boulder, but another youngster had joined them. Marmots are not uncommon in the mountains, but we rarely see the youngsters. We always assumed June and July was too late to see the babies.

two small fawns near our campsite

Two fawns and their mom visited our campsite near Rocky Mountain National Park. The youngsters were very cautious but still came very close to our camp.

elk doe and her baby along Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road crosses the alpine tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park. On a morning drive across the Continental Divide we saw a herd of elk. A mother elk wanted to cross the road, but was having trouble getting her youngster to follow.

young moose eating from a brush

While camped at Timber Creek Campground we saw moose and elk every day. A wetland sits below the campsites with lush green grasses. What more could a moose ask for? The National Park Campground is not very attractive after the pine beetle killed all of the pines, but if you want to see wildlife, Timber Creek Campground is a 5 star facility.

While returning from an overnight trip in Garnet Canyon of the Tetons, we came across a grouse who was just below the trail. After watching her for a short while we began to hear soft coos above the trail. Turning to look, we spotted her youngsters in the grasses. The mom climbed above the trail to protect her youngsters from us. We moved along.

a fawn mule deer hiding from me

While hiking alone, I spooked a doe and her fawn on a seldom used trail in Rocky Mountain National Park. The fawn hunkered down, but the mom ran away. The trail I was hiking switchbacked down a steep slope and I saw the mom a couple of more times. Each time she saw me, she ran further away from her baby. Hopefully, they re-united soon.

After staying a few nights in a Grand Teton Campground, we noticed a robin who was constantly flying into the brushy branches of a cottonwood tree. We investigated and found that she had a nest in the branches. The mom and her mate seemingly spent all of their time feeding the baby robins. It was quite entertaining. We also found another robin's nest nearby.

On a solo hike I saw something cross the trail a good distance in front of me. Investigating, I found a very small bunny in the ground cover near the trail. The bunny sat motionless. I searched for the mom but did not see her anywhere. If the mom could hide as well as the bunny, I probably just overlooked her.

Happy Youngsters Class of 2013 along the trails

 

for even more wildlife - Wildlife from the Summer of 2013

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