During my days in Yellowstone National Park I observed about 15 separate grizzly bears, most of them from a distance through binoculars. But also a few relatively close-up. I also saw about 15 different black bears, making it a remarkable three days for bear watching. In fact, some "veteran" visitors I talked to called it "bear bonanza", and the best season for years. It turned out I arrived at the optimal time of year to observe bears, as it was still lots of snow in the higher areas, whereas the northern and lower-altitude parts of the park were green. In May the bears tend to stay at lower elevation, and can more often be seen close to the roads compared to during summer and autumn. Last time I visited Yellowstone, in late July of 2001, I only saw one black bear and no grizzly's. Thus, it was an extraordinary stay.
The weather was another story, it was freezing cold, and for about half the time I spent there it was snowing. When I left it was more like a snowstorm. This of course made it difficult to get good photos of the wildlife, but all the bear sightings more than made up for the bad weather. A few photos of colorful hot springs have been uploaded on a separate page.
Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis)
Wolf (Canis lupus) in the snow, Hayden Valley
To the left you can see a picture of a wolf. It was snowing, so I did not get any good pictures of this predator. In total I saw 2 wolves, the other one only through a telescope with the help of a local. In addition to the bears and wolves, I also saw coyotes and many other mammals, bald eagles and other birds, of which some are shown on this page.
Black Bear (Ursus americanus) feeding on fresh vegetation
Grizzly in the sagebrush, Lamar Valley
Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) by the nest
Wet Coyote (Canis latrans)
Elk (Cervus canadensis)
Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana)
A Moose (Alces alces) in Grand Teton National Park
Bison (Bison bison) against the cloud-covered Teton mountains
Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)
Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus)
Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis)
Female bighorn sheep
Bison
Bison
Dusky (blue) Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus)
Dusky Grouse
Bison fighting
Bison calf
Yellowstone National Park
Hot springs
Midway Geysir Basin - still scenic
Midway Geysir Basin
Danger, bear country
Upper Geysir Basin. More hot spring pictures can be seen here
Nice colors!
More hot springs
Yellowstone River
Yellowstone River
Lamar Valley
Aftergrowth, some years since the last big fire
Coyote
Black Bear
Another Grizzly Bear
Grizzly Bear
Sun, and snow
Bison herded by the park rangers in dense snow
Sagebrush Black Bear
Bison in Grand Teton
Yellowstone River
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)