Jackson Hole Wildlife Eco-Tour Adventures

It is late April here in Jackson Hole, and that means that we are finally shaking ourselves from the firm grasp of winter.  There are bulbs coming up in flower beds around town, and a variety of new songbirds are frequenting the bird feeders at Eco Tour headquarters.

On recent trips, we’ve seen numerous grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, all variety of ungulates.  Several days ago, in the Lamar Valley, we were lucky enough to witness one of the local wolf packs chasing an elk heard nearly 300 strong. 

The weather remains unsettled, though frigid winter squalls have been replaced by thunderstorms rolling in over the Tetons.  Sizable lightning strikes have been seen around Grand Teton National Park, and while it may snow high in the mountains, the majority of the precipitation that falls on the valley floor is rain.

         Seasonal shifts are always an active time for wildlife; from bees to birds to bears.  As the sun returns, and the snow recedes, creatures of all sorts are on the move, searching for new food, searching for love, establishing their summertime routine.

         Pairs of osprey have returned to their nests around the valley, from points so far afield as the Caribbean and South America.  Ospreys are monogamous birds, like the trumpeter swan and golden eagle, and they oftentimes use the same nest each year—making small home improvements with the passing seasons.  They nest near bodies of water around the valley, and are partial to the Snake River, with its ample trout population.

         Meanwhile, six thousand feet upwards, golden eagles are performing their springtime acrobatics, riding updrafts and impressing their mates.  During a recent ski tour into the high peaks of the Tetons, the Eco Tour team was circled by multiple eagles.  They dropped in low and close—we were up above 11,000 feet on a narrow ridge—and we couldn’t help but feel as though the massive birds were sizing us up relative to their more standard prey; rabbits, rodents, other birds, and the occasional larger mammal.  There is no doubt the eagles rule those peaks.  With their nearly supernatural hearing and sight, their high level of intelligence, if something happens up there, they know about it. 

Back on the valley floor, the retreating snow line has opened up the highways used by hoofed creatures to travel during these transitional times.  This means that Pronghorn are beginning to make their long journey back to Jackson Hole from wintering grounds in the flat, high, sage brush plains to the south.  Theirs is the longest land mammal migration in the Lower 48—second in North America only to the Arctic caribou.

         The National Elk Refuge has cleared out, the elk having begun moving to higher elevations, and farther to the north.  The strong spring sun paves their way.  Mountain goats and Bighorn sheep have moved from their slightly more tame winter ranges back to the most jagged peaks and sheer cliffs in the Tetons and other ranges.  The Yellowstone bison herd has begun to calve, some wolf packs have denned up in preparation for the arrival of pups.

         The landscape is not so visibly far along.  Sure, the sage brush has started to green up, taking on its classic gray-purple glow, and the grass in town is not far behind.  Some trees have begun to bud, though full leaves will still be some time in the making.  Gazing upon the snow covered mountains, one wouldn’t now that spring is so fully upon us.  But looking close, you can see that all of the pieces of this intricate ecosystem—plants, animals, and otherwise—are readying themselves for the explosion of life and activity that comes with the summer months.  As is always the case with spring, there is a sense of hopefulness, enthusiasm, and want for what will soon arrive.

Spring is a special time in the Valley, as all residents shake out the winter cold and cobwebs.  Undeniably governed by the same forces as the natural world around us, we here at Eco Tours feel ourselves transitioning as well.  We’re readying for all that summer sun.  We did some serious spring cleaning.  We got ourselves a new Ford Excursion and a fancy new office.  Contact us today about our tours, valley happenings, or anything at all.

We’re booking tours now for the summer season.  Currently, the parks are empty, the crowds won’t arrive for weeks yet.  If you’re visiting the valley now, it’s a great time to feel the true remoteness and ruggedness of this place—without having to deal with mid-winter temps.  We hope to hear from you soon!

The wildlife abounds here in Grand Teton National Park.  Let our experienced guides show you the wildlife hotspots and inform you about this amazing ecosystem.  

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The Mountain Goat, Oreamnos americanus, is non-native to the Jackson Hole area; it was introduced to the Snake River Range in the mid 1970’s.    They can be seen during the winter months along highway 89 just north of Alpine Wy. in the Snake River Canyon.  They occasionally range 30+ miles north into the Teton Mountain Range.   There is the possible threat that during the winter months they will compete for forage with the very sensitive and non-migratory native Teton Bighorn Sheep herd.    

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The Teton sheep heard is divided into two distinct segments (north and south), studies are in progress to determine whether any mixing might occur.  The north segment occurs on the high elevation summits and ridges of the northern range across from Jackson Lake.  The southern segment occurs on the high peaks in the southern range.  Winter and summer sightings have been made on Rendezvous peak, Mt. Hunt, and on Prospectors Mtn.  Remember that the summits of Mt. Hunt and Prospectors Mtn. are closed to human use during the winter months to give the sheep a location where they won’t be disturbed by backcountry skiers. ....... …

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     Each spring, Ravens are some of the first birds in this area to show courtship display.  The male at times will perform aerial displays of soaring, diving, and tumbling.   Often the male and female will lock talons and tumble down towards the ground.  On sunny and warm days ravens can be seen preening each other.    Ravens are monogamous and will typically use the same nest site year after year.    They usually have one clutch that consists of 4-6 eggs laid.  The female incubates for 20 or so days while she is fed by the male.   The young ravens will develop in the nest for 40 days or so before they fledge.   During this time both the male and female tend the young.      …

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 We are booking for our summer season.  Our guides will show you the best of the best when it comes to the wildlife hotspots and areas away from the crowds.   We are offering tours into Yellowstone National Park as well into Grand Teton National Park.   Tour with us for an experience you will not forget.    

Ehrlich,  P., Dobkin, D., and Wheye,  D. 1988 The Birders Handbook. Simon & Schuster Inc. New York

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Wolves are back on the National Elk Refuge, bison are seen in large herds in Grand Teton National Park,  bighorn sheep are being spotted on some of the craggy cliffs in the area, as elk are still migrating down to the valley.    Enjoy a wildlife tour with EcoTour Adventures to explore Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole.   We provide a fun and educational experience for the whole family or for that honeymooning couple.    

 

 Welcome to winter!   The snow has begun to fall here in the Tetons making the skiers quite happy.   Through December and the first weeks of January things were quite dry and cold.   We saw cold snaps, where temperatures were dropping in to the -20’ies.  The wildlife was responding accordingly.   There are incredible physical and behavioral adaptations that animals posses that help them through Wyoming’s intense winter.   Wyoming’s deep snows can hurt or actually benefit some wildlife.    

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During the past two week over 95 inches of snow has fallen on the Teton Mountain Range.    This has brought our snow totals for this winter to over 273 inches.   We currently have a base of 79 inches.   We skiers are quite happy for this recent snowfall.   This is a welcome change from the high pressure that was found over the region during December and the first weeks of January.   High pressure brings inversions to the area where temperatures in the Jackson Hole Valley were dipping into the -20ies and mountain temperatures were climbing into the 20ies and 30ies.

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 Super cold temperatures and heavy snows really affect the resident wildlife.   It’s common to see some of the larger mammals bedded down to reduce their exposure to the wind and at the same time laying on top of their legs as to reduce the amount of their body exposed to the outside environment.   This is a great example of a behavioral adaptation.  An example of a physical adaptation would be the hollow hairs found on the coats of different mammals.   This hollow hair traps air providing additional insulation for the animal.    Hollow hairs also benefit the animal by providing additional buoyancy.    Elk, moose, and deer are excellent swimmers.

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  Our deep snow in the valley can be a mixed blessing.   Snow is a great insulator where it helps protect small mammals and even some birds from the deep cold, they burrow into the snow to find the warmer temperatures closer to the ground.    On the flip side, snow can really hinder the movement and foraging abilities of some of the larger mammals.  Animals like pronghorn antelope are migratory in nature and are North America’s second longest distance migratory animal, second to the caribou.   The pronghorn migrate up to 200 miles from Grand Teton National Park down south into the Red Desert.   It seems that every year there is a small segment of the heard that chooses not to migrate.   As the pronghorn have short legs (about 24 inches long) and extremely small hoofs, they are really inefficient at traveling and foraging through deep snow.    If the snow continues to fall this winter, it’s unlikely that the stragglers will live to see the spring.   We hope the best for them..

 We hope you can join us to experience this amazing area.   We specialize in small group tours to connect you to this amazing ecosystem.

       The bighorn sheep are starting to move towards their winter range.   We have seen some of the ewes  or females within the Jackson Hole valley.  It’s typical for sheep to have multiple seasonal ranges within their home range.  Males may have up to six seasonal ranges while females have up to four ranges…  Male’s ranges include the rutting range, a pre-rut range, a spring range, a salt lick range, a summer range, and a winter range.  Female’s ranges may include the spring range, the lambing range, the summer range, and the winter range.   If I had to make an assumption, the rams or males are on their pre rut range.  This range is off of the high country where there is less snow, as there is up to two feet of snow in the high country at this point.   The females are moving towards their winter range, which brings them into view here in Grand Teton National Park and Jackson Hole.   The older individuals lead the migration to the different ranges.   These different migrations happen quickly over the course of a few days and have been happening on the same paths for centuries.            

          As we near the holidays, the rams will start fighting for ewes in estrus.  To find out who is the dominant ram, the two competing individuals will run at each other and clash heads in combat.   The collision may be heard from a mile away and sound as a gun has fired..          

      Bighorn sheep migrated to North America during the early Pleistocene era, about two million years ago.    Our ancestral sheep reached North America about 1 million years ago where they evolved into nine sill existing sub species.   Beringia was the location where these sheep crossed from Asia to North America.    

           As the rut comes closer we will be taking tours to find the combating sheep…    We will keep you posted on the happenings..   Call for a park wildlife tour to remember.  We are permitted in Grand Teton National park and offer wildlife tours in the Jackson Hole Valley.    We are also offering  winter wildlife snowshoeing tours this winter season as well.

  Gildart, Bert. 1999. Mountain Monarchs Bighorn Sheep. Northword Press, Minnetonka, Minnesota

           Red Fox    Vulpes vulpes

  What an amazing place Jackson Hole is.  It’s not everywhere that you can drive through town and see 50 or so people on a sidewalk with cameras photographing foxes.    Right in the town of Jackson, “Wildlife Happens” as my good friend Reed states.    Jackson being in the center of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is a mecca for wildlife and hiking enthusiasts.    Professional photographers and novices alike line the fence watching the kits or (baby foxes) play in the field.  Even though the den is 15 yards from the sidewalk the young aren’t phased.   Normally foxes are shy of people but this is not the case here.   We were speculating why the mother is raising her kits so close to civilization, when there is 18 million acres of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to live in.    One theory that we came up with is the absence of predators..  In such an urban setting animals like coyotes, eagles, and ravens would be less likely to prey on the kits.   The vixen or female mother isn’t phased at all with all the commotion on the road.  These are truly urban animals.     Typically the dad or also called the dog fox will stay with the litter and help the vixen feed the kits.   This is not the case here, the dog fox has not been seen around the den site.   Foxes have been known to be polygamous, polyandrous, or monogamous.    These kits are about one month and we speculate that they will be concentrated around the den site for another few weeks until they start venturing out on their own.   We are expecting that the vixen will start bringing around living prey to teach the kits how to kill and hunt.  At this point we have seen her bring back birds, ground squirrels, mice, and a snake.           Fox, D. 2007. “Vulpes vulpes” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 20, 2008 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Vulpes_vulpes.html.Join us in Jackson Hole, Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park, for a wildlife park  guided tour to remember.