Window on the Wildlife World

We sat in the hot tub at the rec center in Jackson, watching early morning snow swirl outside the window and thought, this is definitely the way to camp. A short distance outside Jackson, Gros Ventre campground may be among the country’s best, with spectacular mountain views and so much wildlife that expedition vans visit regularly, bringing visitors who hope for a glimpse of the animals we view each day from our front window.
We’re surrounded by the bounties of nature, yet close to town, with its wonderful rec center cum indoor Olympic pool, Thai restaurants and brew pub.
This spring has provided us with the best wildlife sightings in four years, and often we don’t even have to get dressed or open our door to see it. Our campsite is on the wildlife thoroughfare and the scene changes hourly. Uinta ground squirrels chirp and scamper through the sage, hoofed herds meander through each morning and evening, and birds sing with gusto at first light.
We watched a ground squirrel strip bark from a piece of our firewood and haul it off to line an underground den, while a robin struggled mightily to break a twig from the sage for her own nest. The campground is peppered with badger holes, the strong diggers flinging melon-sized rocks as they burrow for prey.
Long-legged elk crossed the road just in front of our car last night, freezing in the classic deer-in-the-headlights stance. Seeing a herd of mountain goats on Miller Butte was a rare treat, since the only other time we’ve seen them is on the alpine peaks of Glacier Park.
Bison appear in the distance and within minutes are just yards outside the front window. It seems to be a regular commute: eastward in evening, west in the morning. An enormous coffee-colored bull spent 10 minutes scratching his head on a fence post, leaving hunks of spring-molting winter fleece in his wake.
Trees along bison routes are rubbed clean of bark at shoulder height, as bison passing through rub their cheeks like cats with a scratching post.
At night the bison returned, one meandering past the still-smoking grill where Terry barbecued our Wagyu burgers just a half-hour earlier. In the morning they wandered through from the opposite direction, keeping Terry company as he cooked bacon outdoors. Obviously, they don’t fear the scent of meat. In reality, they fear little and we love them for their fearlessness and attitude. I’M A BUFFALO I DO WHAT I WANT reads a favorite bumper sticker. The first of the calves have appeared, kicking up their heels out near Mormon Row.
One night it was a herd of nine white tail deer, the bucks spotting us through the glass and urging the herd along. Watching darkness steal over the mountains another night, Terry was startled to see a moose outside the window, close enough to touch. Although it was too dark for a photo, I took a grainy one anyway, just to show how close she was. I’ve taken to including the windshield wipers or dash in these front window pictures, just for perspective. It’s a cushy way to watch wildlife, especially when glacial winds are coming off those snowy peaks.
In the morning the deer – common most places, but seldom seen here – meandered through again, one doe investigating our campfire ring and picnic table, and the bison appeared later. There’s a moose on the loose at every turn; hiding in the sage, strolling along the road, moseying through the campground. These are welcome sightings, since their scarcity last year caused concern among biologists that newly-arrived wolf packs were taking a toll.
The silence at night is profound, broken only twice in two weeks by coyote howls. This is truly America’s Serengeti.
Despite occasional snow flurries and colder temperatures, the sun has coaxed new wildflowers into bloom each day and added vigor to the basil and arugula seedlings I’m growing on Happy’s dash as my science experiment.
Yesterday Terry cooked breakfast outside and this morning I’m baking biscuits as the snow flies past the windows in big wet flakes, covering the picnic table and wildflowers I took pictures of yesterday. Word has it, the bears are out in Yellowstone and if snow hasn't closed the road, we head there tomorrow.
Here's the link for pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/happytwo.mcwilliams/2TetonSpring2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCKKgz8DsjOv2JQ&feat=directlink
Click on first one to initiate slide show.