We saw all kinds of animals on our trip to Montana. We were
really hoping to see some bears, but the weather didn’t cooperate to let
us go hiking off into the woods! Here’s the list of what we saw on our
trip!
|
Animal |
Location (YNP = Yellowstone National Park) |
Notes |
| Bison | YNP | We saw so many bison! Not exactly the thundering herds of yester-year, but we did have a herd block traffic and have lots of up close experiences. Not as close as the safety videos, but we saw lots calves and adult bison. |
| Elk | YNP | We saw lots of elk, but the most amazing were two “four-point” bucks that were just grazing in a meadow near the road. Lots of cars stopped to admire these beautiful animals. One guy apparently forgot he was not in the city and felt the need to curse at us for blocking his way – which we weren’t – as he drove by us. |
| Marmot (Yellow-Bellied) |
YNP | Art made sure that we took a trip to Sheep Eater Cliff to see the marmots. The adorable creatures ran right up to us an begged for food. We saw one take food right from someone’s hand. The were really friendly and stayed quite close to us. At one point one let out a warning call – it was so loud we all jumped! |
| Least Chipmunk |
YNP | The other animal highligh of Sheep Eater Cliff was the Least Chipmunks. While I was looking at a marmot that had gone up the rocks, the tiniest chipmunk ran out and all around me. I thought it was going to climb up my legs! Its frenetic movements made it appear to be under a strobe light! |
| Red Squirrel |
YNP | We probably saw these other places than just the park, but we specifically identified them there. The are quite cute, and the white circle around their eyes makes them look a bit different than regular squirrels. |
| Golden-Manteled Ground Squirrel |
YNP | We probably saw these other places than just the park, but we specifically identified them there. These look a lot like chipmunks, just bigger and without the face markings. |
| Gray Jay |
YNP | We saw gray jays all over the park. They are much softer and fuzzier looking than blue jays. They also have a really pretty song. |
| Common Raven |
YNP, Bozeman, and everywhere in between | Ravens were everywhere! Our best encounters were the ravens diving around the Yellowstone Grand Canyon, and the ravens that were trying to steal our picnic in YNP. |
| Mountain Bluebird |
YNP | We first spotted these gorgeous birds while looking through binoculars at a herd of buffalo in the distance. One bright blue spot caught my eye! They are so brightly colored; it’s really amazing. |
| Magpie | YNP, Bozeman, and everywhere in between | We saw lots of beautiful magpies both in flight and on the ground. The magpies are a staple of Native American and European mythology. Here’s one Native American story. |
| Scottish Highland Cattle |
Ross Peak Ranch | Although cattle is something you would expect in Montana, this breed probably isn’t. Ross Peak Ranch is where Amy & Brett’s wedding was held, and in the fields behind the Spring Hill Pavilion are lots of Scottish Highland Cattle. The property’s owner told us all about them — did you know they are the prefered beef of the Queen of England? *More fabulous pictures* |
There are more birds that we saw that I haven’t listed.
[tags]montana, animals, bird watching, critters, bison, ravens[/tags]