5/13/15

We went on a drive to the Tetons Tuesday. Because of road closures due to construction, we had to go the long way around, through the Hayden Valley. This is the time of year that the Harlequin ducks congregate at the La Hardy rapids, just below the Yellowstone Lake, on the Yellowstone River. The males are only there for about two weeks during mating season, so it can be difficult to see them at all. The males have very interesting color patterns on their bodies.

 

Here is a photo with three pairs of ducks.

 

We had hoped to maybe find a moose or two in the Tetons, but we didn't find any animals at all. We saw a few elk and a bunch of bison during the drive through Yellowstone though.

We also stopped to see the Sulphur Cauldrons in the Hayden Valley. We've been by them many times, but haven't stopped there until now.

 

In the Gibbon Valley, on the way home, we did see a mother grizzly and her cub. We think it's the same one that was in the campground at the end of the season last year.