Yellowstone - Day 2

Today was dominated by bison. We estimate that we saw around 400 head of bison so far. One of the herds we saw had several calves.

We also saw a few elk. It kind of surprises me that we have not seen more elk as I believe they are the most populace species in the park. I think we have seen 7 so far is it.

We did manage to see a bald eagle nest and eagle. Couldn't get any pictures of it though because we found them in a special Eagle zone where stopping is strictly prohibited.

Also saw one coyote today.

Weather is still playing with us. It tends to rain in the morning and then clears. Each time we get out of the car, it starts again. Despite the weather, it is still a beautiful place.

We noticed yesterday that several areas are being closed due to wildlife activity. So, hikiing in the woods may not be the safest at this point. With the higher elevations still covered in snow, the wildlife has moved to lower elevations. Most of the species have also had calves/cubs within the last few weeks. Therefore, confrontations could become more likely if we were to come upon them in the woods.

We happened through one area today that had just been re-opened. It had been closed because of signigicant bear activity. We saw no bears while there. However, a person we met here told us that they saw a grizzly mother and cub not far from it yesterday. Park Rangers wouldnt let them out of their vehicles to view it though as it was heading towards them. When we saw ours, we were able to get in fairly close to it...say about 50 feet from it. So, in reality, much too close given how fast they can move.