A year without owls, that is how I will remember 2025. The last time I saw a screech owl in our box was December 30, 2024, and now it is almost spring 2026. The entrance to the nest box is chewed around the circumference, evidence of the squirrel who invaded in early January and raised her litter there.
The Yellowstone west entrance is melting down. On the first Saturday in May, patches of snow are everywhere. Bison cross the road in front of the car, heads turned toward us, eyes wary, always moving forward to the other side. One of the first bison calves born this spring clings to its mother and moves awkwardly, still not used to its legs.
The Yellowstone west entrance is melting down. On the first Saturday in May, patches of snow are everywhere. Bison cross the road in front of the car, heads turned toward us, eyes wary, always moving forward to the other side. One of the first bison calves born this spring clings to its mother and moves awkwardly, still not used to its legs.
I always wonder how each trip will be, and this first day had an auspicious beginning. We stopped at Nature Trail to glass the Blacktail and spotted a black wolf traveling across the flats. We’ve had so much trouble seeing wolves on the Blacktail the past few visits, the distance too far out.
This spring in Yellowstone is grey and wet and quiet. Swan Lake is still almost completely covered by a layer of ice. The flats are lush and green while Electric Peak is capped with snow.
The black bear is in the wooded area at the base of the ridge. Her cinnamon colored cub of the year bounces on and around her, bursting with energy. He swats at her and she swats back. They roll and tumble over grass and twigs. The cub climbs on a long grey log lying in the deadwood, broken branches jutting out every which way. He bites the branches and rolls off the log, only to climb up again and run along its length. He falls off and runs to his mother, jumping up on hind legs and trying to climb on top of her.
A squirrel invaded our owl box in early January. When we didn’t see the owl for a few days at the end of December, we wondered if he had left the box for a few days, as is normal screech owl behavior. And then a squirrel popped its little head out of the box opening.
The owl pokes his head out of the box each evening around 5, sometimes earlier. He arrived later this year, on November 17, assuming it’s the same screech owl.
As Yellowstone slowly drifts towards autumn, the last days of summer are just beginning to show signs of transformation. Young aspens hint at fiery yellow. Willows blend red, orange and gold. The cottonwoods along Lamar River still hold their green leaves as the grass in the valley fades to brown. Each day more changes appear. By the end of the week snow will dust the mountain tops, and hillsides will become a collage of color.
Our tour began in Galway where we were picked up by our host, Cait, and driven to Moycullen and Curra Farm where we spent the first three nights of our trip. The stone farmhouse is nestled along the shore of Lough Corrib, the largest lake in the Republic of Ireland and bordered by forest and pastures.
