[Anhinga Watcher]

Hello all,

My family and I will be hitting the road to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Park in the third week of August. It'll be a long drive all the way from western Oregon to Wyoming, but oh well. At least we're traveling!

I'm definitely planning to do birding and wildlife watching as much as possible. I've heard that Yellowstone, although not one of the birding hotspots in U.S., provides habitats for a variety of different migrants. I haven't actually birded here before, although I've done some wildlife observing seven years ago. Has anyone done any birding here recently or before? If so, would mid-August be a good time? What specific locations within the park would you suggest?

How about Grand Teton? Although I've heard about the variety of birds found within the park, I don't know much about birding in that area. Any information would be greatly appreciated!

Tim

[Michael Frankis]

Hi Tim,

Never been there, but hope you have a great trip!

August isn't the best time of year for a lot of birds as they're moulting and tend to keep a low profile. Best places to look for interesting birds will be muddy lake margins for migrating shorebirds.

Also a fairly good time to look for some of the very high altitude birds like Rosy Finches. And look for Whitebark Pines & Limber Pines at timberline to see Clark's Nutcrackers starting the pine nut harvest.

Michael

[Black Rabbit]

I love Yellowstone. Although my bird watching hasn't been real great there it's always been interesting.
Keep your eyes out for Trumpeter Swans and Lesser Scaups. Their almost always there and I've seen them in a few places throughout the park. So ask a ranger for a good spot. If your into the mammals as well... and even if your not I think you should take a vistit to the valley area around Pebble Creek in the North eastern corner of the park. The two times I've gone in recent years I've seen both of the original reintroduced wolf packs. Dusk and Dawn are the best times to go. But don't be disappionted. I've talked to rangers who have been there years and have yet to see a wolf.
Good Luck!! And have fun!

[Katy Penland]

Hi, Tim,

I've only skied at Jackson Hole and Targhee in the Tetons, not birded anywhere in that area, but you might want to contact the local USFS ranger station there for birding info (your own closest ranger district could give you the phone numbers). Most ranger stations in/around National Parks have birding checklists. Don't know about the weather in eastern Idaho/western Wyoming right now, but fall migration is already well underway where I am in northeast AZ, so I hope you're not too late to catch a few migrants on your trip.

That is one gorgeous part of the US. I never get tired of looking at that rugged skyline of the Grand Tetons. Such an icon of the American Old West (remember "Shane"?). And if you find anyplace that serves homemade sourdough pancakes, you've gotta have 'em for breakfast! To die for! :-)

Hope you have a wonderful trip!

[Anhinga Watcher]

Thanks for all the information you guys have provided!! I greatly appreciate it! I'm leaving tomorrow morning at 4 or 5 am. Better get some sleep. I'll report about the trip after I get back.

I'm also into mammals as well, including bears, wolves, elks, moose, etc. Also, I could still remember those magnificent mountains, forests and geysers when I traveled there 7 years ago.

Tim