It’s much warmer this morning: 7 (above zero!).

I wind up the OGR in the very early light, wondering if the Rescues will be visible at all after they were pushed off their carcass yesterday afternoon.

So, it’s a happy surprise when I see cars at the Blacktail Ponds lot. Luckily there is still room for me.

I hear howling as I step out and carry my scope over to join Melba. The Rescue Pack is in view on the north s ide, scattered all over: some at the far edge of the pond, others on the low eastern slopes of Everts; still others climbing up on the west side.

It’s hard to know where to look but I focus on three blacks moving up into the trees on the eastern slope. Below them I see a gray and four blacks sitting on their haunches in the snow.

The howling stops and starts again and again. Melba told me later the howling lasted almost 45 minutes!

I can hear some voices replying from the south side of the road a bit to the east.

What a way to start the day!

The wolves slowly start to migrate east as they go upslope. I can now see some moving past the highest trees trending east.

We lose them and find them again about 6 times.

I decide to relocate to the straightaway pullout east of the loo lot. From here we can see the Rescues again, although further away. They are now moving steadily northeastward. From this angle, they are above the exclosure fencing.

They stall out a while in good view; some on their haunches, others bedded. I notice several happy greetings and a bit of submission/dominance behaviors. I wish I knew this pack well enough to say who was who.

My high count is now 13 (two grays, nine blacks and one black-going-gray). So, I am missing one of the blacks I saw yesterday. That wolf is likely still on the south side, perhaps back at the carcass.

Someone at S Curves reports three blacks in view near yesterday’s carcass. I go there and find them pretty quickly. My count is now up to 16!

I suspect they are pups, and that all the earlier howling was geared towards getting them to re-join the pack.

Someone mentions that wolves are also being seen to the east. Lots of people go that way but I stay a while, allowing me to enjoy seeing some play erupt amongst the youngsters in the group.

Two blacks and a gray play a game of chase, then tackle, sending snow flying.

Soon after this, the rest get up and set off in a nicely formed line, travelling northeast.

They romp easily through deep snow, kicking up a light spray as they go. They reach a small island of trees and begin to mill about. After a while they start to settle into day beds, so I pack up and head east.

When I reach Slough, I get an update that the wolf sighting is not here but at Confluence, so I continue to Lamar. It’s not Junction but Mollie’s.

I find Jeff and many others at Hitching Post with the whole pack of nine in view.

They are bedded on a snowy slope below the top of the right shoulder of Norris. There are signs of a fresh carcass (out of sight) below them: birds flitting about and several tracks leading down.

I also see two impatient coyotes a level below the wolves, itching for their turn. The wolves are bedded in a somewhat uneven line along a ridge broken by several trees.

I am watching mostly napping wolves but every once in a while we enjoy a bit of activity, as they change positions or engage each other in a bit of friendly nuzzling.

There are six grays (alpha 1339M, 1483M, 1485M plus three uncollared) and three blacks (1090F, 1411F and one uncollared)

Interestingly in this pack, all the grays are male and all the blacks are females.

I see a sweet greeting between 1339M and 1090F and also between him and 1411F. Although she is not the alpha, 1411F takes an opportunity to lightly discipline the uncollared black.

Several of them get up and go downhill for another snack. They are gone about 20 minutes before they return to their bedding spots and settle down again.

I am able to talk with the wolf project a bit about the hikers/photographers who spooked the Rescues yesterday. And I get some interesting info in return.

Around noon I leave Hitching Post to head slowly back west. I stop at Picnic to see the same herd of sheep to the north and weave my way through two bison jams in Little America.

When I get back to the S Curves, I find the Rescues visible again in pretty much the same spot, just beyond the island of trees. I don’t find the blacks in the carcass area though. Maybe they crossed while I was watching Mollie’s.

I take a short break in Gardiner to do my stretches, then return to S Curves around 3.

The wolves are still in view but the lighting is quite different now. And the temperature has risen to an incredibly welcome 28! It almost feels like spring!

As the day wanes, I keep expecting the Rescues to start moving. A few get up to scratch or walk a few steps but they all quickly plop back down.

I call it a day around 4:30. As I drive back to Gardiner, I reflect that I’ve been very lucky seeing wolves so far this trip.

My last sighting of the day is a small herd of healthy looking elk just west of the High Bridge. They are currently stopped quite close to the road, looking like they want to cross to the north.

As there are no cars behind me, I just stop my car and across they go.

Today I saw: bison, coyotes, elk, bighorn sheep, 25 wolves from two packs; 16 Rescues (14 black and 2 gray; incl 1273M, 1393M, 1409F) and 9 Mollies (6 gray and 3 black including 1090F, 1339M, 1411F, 1483M, 1485M) and the spirits of Allison, Richard, Jeff and Chloe.