The coronal mass ejection-fueled aurora display had a major impact on our last Meetup. We could use a few more of those!
Our Southern Loop circumnavigation was plenty useful in providing intel for near future Meetups. As expected, we found the Upper East Side to have an abundance of snow and mud. Le Hardy Rapids was closed off on both ends (thus the publicity photo of 4 harlequin ducks taken in August, 2019, well after the males had flown back to the West Coast - this photo was taken in an undisclosed location on the north end of the park). The Lower West Side was also a bundle of closures, with both ends of the Fountain Flat Freight Road under a bear closure.
To remain up north for another week or two was an easy decision. The only quandary is precisely where to wander this coming weekend. There are so many possibilities, but some uncertainty regarding the Saturday and Sunday weather forecast has me committing to a central theme, i.e. a combination of hiking and wildlife photography, with the exact locations TBD. I had wanted to schedule Bison Peak, but I'm not risking our being high on the mountain when there is any rain or storm possibility in the forecast (even though it is 30% in the last several days predictions). With arrowleaf balsamroot season coming soon, we might make a quick trip up to the Buck Lake/Trout Lake area. The beauty of such a foray is that besides checking the progress of the flora, we can also look for any early spawners in the inlet stream to Trout Lake, as well as any evidence of the return of the otters.
Another, more exotic possibility is heading up the creek to where the harlequin duck photo was taken, just to see if mating pairs might be in residence at this time of year. (We could anticipate having to negotiate a few muddy areas.)
The Peregrine Hills are always an attractive place to visit on a short out and back wander this time of year. There are good odds that there will be cow/calf bison herds with newborn calves in the area. Photographing them from the relative safety of the hills is always worthy of consideration.
Further west, we have options on either side of Phantom Lake, one being the quest for critters between the road and the Howard Eaton trail, where we once observed a lone grizzly and a coyote playing on a snowbank together. The other possibility is walking Blacktail Plateau Drive for a mile or two, then backtracking. We have gotten amazing photo ops of black bears in that area in the spring in years past.
The object is to visit at least 2, possibly 3 of the listed possibilities over the course of the day, although if there is one of those serendipitous opportunities presented by an active wolf den, bears way visible from the road, or even bison calf birthing under way we will prioritize exploiting the photo opp.
Pray for good Memorial Day Weekend weather. We will be hoping to schedule at least 2 Meetups, one on Saturday and the other on Memorial Day.
Come prepared for the kaleidoscopic variety of possible activities and conditions, which includes any and all of the potential activity options and the consequent possibility of needing to be equipped with all manner of sun protection, rain protection, mobility assists (like poles and waterproof boots), insect repellant, and an extra layer of clothing. Binoculars, cameras, and spotting scopes/tripods (if you have them) go without saying.
See you Saturday!
Ballpark