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Yellowstone in Winter

“Ermines and Everything, the Best Day Ever!”

Up before daylight and heading to Yellowstone after a long day of travel, we were all a little bleary-eyed, but soon we sprang to life!!! The first bison of the day was sighted shortly after Roosevelt’s welcome to the park (the famed arch at Yellowstone’s north entrance). The herd was closer and larger than we could have imagined, we could even hear them chewing (safely, from the car)! This was a great start to accomplishing our goal of an octo-ungulate day. As we continued our journey, we were able to rack up six more hooved-mammals (elk, mule deer, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, Rocky Mountain goat, and moose) leaving us missing the ever-elusive white-tailed deer.

bison in road

While viewing the moose, much to our surprise and delight, a subnivean creature popped into view. Mayhem ensued as we scrambled to see the even more elusive ermine. It was hopping over and traversing through the snow drifts at lightning speed, finally crossing the road in front of us. Excitement continued as we tried to capture the perfect picture to share. This was a favorite of the 19 species we spotted today for many people in the group.

white winter weasel with black tail tip in snow

We wrapped up our day with a snowshoe hike to a lovely view of the Yellowstone River. This was a challenging first for many of us in the group and we are proud to say, we all made it to the top and back down. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds for us.

Dustin, Julie, and Tonya

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8 COMMENTS
  • Ursula

    1 year ago

    Your opening day in Yellowstone sounds absolutely incredible with all of the animal sightings and snowshoeing and it must have been so exciting to see the elusive ermine within hours of entering the park. I love how the photograph captures the black tip of the ermine’s tail blanketed against the snow. Can’t wait to follow along in your adventures this week!

    Just curious how the drive along the newly-paved Old Gardiner Road was into the park and if there were animals spotted along that stretch connecting to Mammoth Hot Springs.

    • Megan Davis

      1 year ago

      AUTHOR

      The new road is very steep and very curvy… but well-constructed and safe. It is amazing that they were able to get that road improved enough for visitors in the timeframe that they did. We did see some animals along that stretch. It’s been a really good place for ungulates including bison, elk, and pronghorn. And we also had a quick coyote sighting as well – but it was in a spot that was too curvy and steep to stop safely!

  • Leah Buckley

    1 year ago

    What a terrific start to your adventure in Yellowstone. I have fond memories of my trip with the museum 10 years ago! I look forward to following along on your trip!

  • Mike

    1 year ago

    Great start to the trip! An ermine sighting is always magical.

  • Kelly Allen

    1 year ago

    An ermine????!!!!! That’s amazing!!!!! Wooooo hoooo! What was he/she doing?

    • Megan Davis

      1 year ago

      AUTHOR

      Andy spotted the ermine running across the snow… then it crossed the road near us and continued to run on the snow on our side of the road. Didn’t see that it was hunting anything… but it was so amazing to watch!

  • Reid Booker

    1 year ago

    Never even heard of an ermine but I love it already

  • Wendy Hall

    1 year ago

    Our kindergarten class is back after the holiday weekend and it was awesome to start our day with the bison picture!! We are learning about the Lakota Sioux Native Americans and last week we focused on their dependence on the buffalo. So my students we very excited to see this photo!!

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