I find a smattering of snow on the car today, but the moon is shining.

Rick and I start the day on the Little Hill, with wolves in view right off the bat. They include 907, the alpha male, and all three pups.

907 is nosing around below the den when she suddenly rushes to the left, flushing a raven. It must have annoyed her somehow. She returns and beds near her mate.

From the west, a dark uncollared gray arrives, trotting briskly, carrying an antler. He drops it about 20 feet from the den and proceeds to the den hole, sniffing.

He then returns to his gift and just as he picks it up again, the two black pups rush out of the den towards him. He presents his gift as they wobble-rush up the hill to him. The pups have no idea what to do with the antler but they love him.

The dark gray plays with the pups for a while. The gray pup came out after the black ones but stays with mom and dad.

After a bit, dark-gray leads the two puppies down to where the alphas are bedded and is greeted by the gray pup. I notice the gray is dark on his back and lighter on the sides. We’ve seen him do a “lean-forwards” confirming he is a male.

I tell Rick that I’m pretty sure this is the same wolf who seemed so attached to 1479 this past fall when she was still little. I have not seen him with the other Junctions for a while. He seems to have a great affinity for wolves younger than he.

The pups are so much fun to watch, cavorting with each other, climbing over 907 and both two males. This morning, each pup takes a short walkabout on its own. The gray pup looks smaller than the two blacks, but no less robust and active.

It’s a chilly morning and we are glad when the sun finally arrives to warm us.

Around 9AM, 907 takes a walk to the spring meadow for a drink. When the pups finish playing with dark-gray, she nurses them.

Joe K, at Straightaway, radios a grizzly in view to the south from there. I listen to his directions and find this bear from my spot on the Little Hill. There are also a pair of grizzlies traveling south on Specimen.

I head back east around 10:15. I stop at Coyote when I see Bill and Gary. I check in with them and we share our sightings. They are watching their current favorite, the sow with one coy high on ski slope. As usual, the darling little thing runs here and there, sliding on snow, rushing back to mom.

I notice some welcome patches of arrowleaf-balsamroot today growing in Lamar Canyon. All of Lamar Valley is greening up quite nicely, and the thousands of dandelions make a green and yellow quilt.

Gary finds another grizzly family - a sow with 2 coys - on Southern Divide Ridge and I enjoy watching them a while.

The day has become absolutely gorgeous at a perfect 52 degrees.

On my way back to Silver Gate today I get a glimpse of a young bull moose south of Soda Butte Picnic.

After a break, I head back into the valley.

As I near Baronette, in an area where I commonly see mule deer, I see a white tail. Both species live in the area, but mulies are more prevalent.

I stop to join a small group of scopers at Round Prairie, thinking they are seeing yet another grizzly, but they have found a mountain goat.

At 21’s crossing I notice a coyote stalking something in the marsh. But there are cars behind me, so don’t stop.

At Slough, I set up at Bob’s lot. It takes a while but finally I see wolves; 907, the alpha male, dark gray male, 1478F and 1479F. They are all lounging near the den and on the lip of the gully. Soon, the three pups appear, provoking the adults to engage in charming playful behavior.

907 is bedded well west of the den. The pups to take their longest journey yet (that I’ve seen) as they cross the hill to join her.

There are a lot of first-time visitors in the lot tonight, and I end up sharing my scope so much that I lose track of the wolves. When next I look in my own scope, they are all gone!

But then I see friends Betty and Terry – the couple I met them last year with Becky and Chloe. It’s great to see them again and we chat a bit. True to form, Terry finds a grizzly sow with 2 coys up on Divide Ridge, very possibly the same bears I saw from Lamar this morning.

Around 8:30 I head back east.

As I drive into Lamar for the millionth time, I find myself loving it just as much I did when I first beheld it. And tonight, with bison herds all over, the view is simply timeless.

One herd of cows and calves has just emerged from the swollen Lamar River. It’s a sight I’ll never tire of.

In Soda Butte Valley, the Norris bear is north of the road again with her two coys. Mom is grubbing in a mud spot while the cubs wrestle non- stop for 15 minutes!

I join Gary a few feet north of the road to enjoy these bears. A UPS truck stops and the excited driver hops out to take a look through Gary’s scope.

The bull moose is south of Trout Lake today, and a local fox is patrolling the road near Thunderer.

My last sighting of the day is four mulies in the owl meadow.

Today I saw: 11 grizzly bears (including 5 cubs), bison (and calves), a coyote, elk, 2 mule deer, a white-tailed deer, a fox, a mountain goat, 2 moose, pronghorn, 8 Junction wolves (including AM, 907, brown-gray, 1478, 1479 and all three pups) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.