This is a pretty quick turnaround for me, but I wanted to get these photos processed and in the archive before several spring trips divert my attention. The Yellowstone Winter 2023 collection, of course, covers my recently-completed adventures back in the park. I had a few days to myself and then led two fun photo tours, which split time between the park interior and the northern range. If you missed the action, you can catch up on the trip reports I posted from the park.
This trip was highlighted by bobcat sightings on both tours. Really, we would’ve been fine if nothing else happened after those, but fortunately, we did have some other nice animal encounters. As always, you can jump straight to the gallery, or check out the preview below first…
Though I had seen a handful of bobcats over the years in Yellowstone, I’d never landed good photos. And I had never seen one in the park interior, despite numerous near-misses.
I finally broke my dozen year curse thanks to a cat that was feasting on the carcass of a mule deer (the deer had fallen some 200 feet off a tall cliff above). We were fortunate that the cat was still there at the start of my trip, over a week after it had first been spotted.
We had a few nice otter sightings this time. A couple of families were quite active in the park interior.
After spotting fresh tracks in Hayden Valley, I managed to spot this weasel from a distance. It eventually worked its way closer to us.
Probably the most commonly-seen of Yellowstone’s canids, coyotes were noticeable absent at times during this trip. And yet, we still found good opportunities here and there.
Once again, bison provided a number of photo ops in this lovely winter setting.
Though not as active as in recent years, there were martens hanging out near Canyon Junction this winter. As usual, these scavengers are accessing a dumpster for an easy meal (not the most exciting photo ops, but it is nice seeing this elusive species in action around the trees).
A few bighorn rams were active outside the park border.
The bobcat left the deer carcass before the start of my second photo tour, but we managed to find it farther up along the Firehole River!
Big thanks to colleagues Barrett and Twila for the tip on the potential presence of the cat in the area… and to client Ted for making the spot!
View the full Yellowstone Winter 2023 gallery (97 photos).
Interested in joining me on a future winter Yellowstone tour? As of now, the next tours will likely happen in January of 2025. Learn more about the tour and get on the waiting list.
