I’m out at 4:40 in 37 degrees. I have one goal today: to see wolf puppies!

Some pronghorn cross the road at the Ranch.

I drive down the Slough campground road. It’s obvious that there are many more people in Park than just a week ago.

Frank is up on Dave’s Hill as usual. He kindly welcomes me back over the radio.

I join Rick M at the gravel lot and we have a nice catch up. There are already two wolves in view near the sage den: a gray and a black.

The black wolf is the alpha male but I’m not sure yet about the gray. Rick and I both think it’s collared, but it’s not 907. She appears a few moments later, coming out of the sage den.

She receives a feeding from her trusty mate and quickly goes back inside.

In the gully below the den we can see only the backs of two other wolves, so we pack up and join our friends on the Little Hill (Aka Laurie’s lot/Rock’s Ridge). I say hello to Dale & Fay, Mark & Carol, Maureen & Rick, Celia and Krisztina.

It’s so nice to be watching wolves again with good friends!

At this slightly higher elevation, I can ID the previously hidden wolves in the gully: they are 1479F (the only surviving pup from last year; now a very capable and independent yearling) and an uncollared black.

A few elk and bison graze the meadows around the den area, perhaps taking advantage of the wolves’ reluctance to prey on them so close to where their pups live.

One cow elk, however, proves unusually aggressive. She chases 1479F to the east. To me it looks like 1479 is actually toying with the elk as they dash up and down and all around.

A short standoff occurs in the Spring Meadow, but then the cow resumes the chase, this time pursuing the 1479 behind the eastern trees, which disturbs the alpha male from his favorite bedding spot.

When he gets up, 1479 seizes his sudden presence as an opportunity to turn the tables on the elk. Now, both wolves chase the cow into the Diagonal forest.

Later 1479 is seen being chased by three coyotes down the lion meadow. Again she does not seem perturbed but almost enjoying the activity. The coyotes soon give up and 1479 wanders about the flats.

A gray arrives at the den and sticks its head inside. A moment later, 907 emerges and right behind her are the pups!

Yay! Puppies!

The two black ones emerge first, then the little gray. They are all quite wobbly on their feet and fall over a few times.

The adult gray (1478F) is very attentive to them, offering encouragement.

After this all-too-short appearance, they go back underground. The attentive gray beds on the den porch, looking intently towards the flats.

She seems to be watching 1479F, who amuses herself stalking bison calves.

I see a family of geese on one loop of the creek, with 7 goslings in tow. The goose family passes behind a bison cow that seems to have a white plastic bag dangling from her rear end. Wait. What?

The cow moves somewhat oddly with her back legs unusually far apart. She lies down and gets up a few times. Oh, now I get it. She is about to give birth! Mark confirms that the “plastic bag” is the amniotic sac.

The next time she lies down, her rear happens to be facing us. Tiny hooves are protruding. She gets up and the hooves slide further out, then we see a tiny head.

And then swoosh, the calf comes fully out.

The cow turns and lowers her massive head to lick the tiny thing. Another cow bison, this one collared and with a new calf of her own, comes over and licks the newborn, too.

I guess these cows are related. Sisters? Mom? The collared cow look mature so maybe she’s grandma?

Whatever their connection is, it’s very sweet. The collared cow has a calf with her, likely only days old itself. This calf sniffs the newborn but seems to know to stay out of the way.

In 20 minutes the newborn is up on all four legs. 20 minutes! It’s still wobbly of course, but wow, that’s fast! It begins to nurse and I feel like we all hear symphonic pastoral music swelling.

We estimate it took maybe 30 minutes from when we first noticed the sack for the calf to be born.

Our bison drama is interrupted when someone spots a grizzly up above Horizontal Forest in a high drainage. Then we see another grizzly to the south among the cliffs of Specimen Ridge, where we often see sheep. This grizzly is a sow with three cubs of the year.

Around 10AM, the wind picks up and it looks like we are in for some rain. I head down to my car and take a drive west.

I head to Curve lot, where yesterday a cow bison carcass was discovered. It is thought that she may have died from birth complications (rather than predation), since the carcass is still intact.

There are lots of cars and people here, hoping to see a wolf or bear come on to the carcass, but nothing has arrived yet. Only a sad looking yearling bison is nearby. It’s likely the orphaned yearling of this cow. The poor thing looks quite bereft.

The rain lets up a bit and I watch a small herd of bison come by to give the cow a “funeral”.

I head back east for a mid-day break and see a single moose just east of Pebble Creek bridge.

At 5PM, it’s still drizzling, but I go back to the valley anyway. Most of the time, weather in Silver Gate is not a reliable predictor of weather in the Lamar valley.

Which proves true today, when the rain stops at Thunderer.

I find a bit of a jam at the Confluence. Looks like the same grizzly from last year is at it again.

When I get to Exclosure, the sun bursts out from behind a cloud. Yay!

I go on down to the Slough gravel lot. The setting sun makes viewing impossible for the first hour but around 7PM clouds arrive to block it out.

Thank you, clouds!

With the improvement in the lighting, I see a gray adult bedded in the den meadow and two blacks (one collared) bedded near the western trees.

I’m pretty sure I’m seeing 1478F, 1479F and the alpha male.

I also find a grizzly in the high drainage above the Horizontal forest.

A visitor near me points out a black bear just below the griz, running away!

1478F gets up and stretches. She goes over to the den. 907 comes out and walks over to the two bedded blacks, bedding near them.

Then it happens! The pups! They tumble out of the den and start to climb all over 1478, who seems to have bedded there for just this purpose.

She is very tolerant and seems to enjoy their attention. I think to myself that this is a nice change to see in her. A few weeks ago, this same wolf seemed agitated and anxious.

I help several children in the lot see their first wolf, and their first wolf puppies. It’s very satisfying.

Around 7:30 a few bison arrive from the east and begin to roam the den area. 1478 doesn’t care for their presence so she leads all three pups underground.

The bison displace the three bedded wolves, so 907 slowly leads the other two to the west over Aspen Pass. I’m sure she trusts 1478 with her babes.

It’s possible the wolves know about the bison carcass at Curve. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.

It looks like more rain is coming so I call it a night and head back east.

On the way I see a moose north of Ice Box Canyon and some mule deer near Warm Creek.

Today I saw: 5 grizzlies, one black bear, bison (and calves, including one being born), coyotes, sandhill cranes, mule deer, a bald eagle, elk, geese (and 7 goslings), 2 moose, pronghorn, 8 Junction wolves including the alpha male, 907F, 1478F, 1479F, a collared black and 3 pups (2 black one gray) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.