July 9, 2024
Once again, we arrived at 5:30 with clear skies, though it was not as cold. I spotted the gray pup at 5:45 and then 1479F near the den hole. The black pup came out and there was lots of play among the three of them.
Jason arrived at his usual 6:00, and Debbie joined us, too, and we were all able to see the bison come through the area they were bedded at 6:15. At 6:25, 1479F headed left again, and we lost her once again behind the rocks.
At 6:30, a second bison came through, which brought 907F out to the hole den above the marsh.
At 6:47, the black wolf I head been catching glimpses of all morning finally got up and moved a bit and laid down out of sight. She was on the marsh ledge. At the time, I didn't see a collar but wasn't sure who it was, but later determined it was 1385F, whose dark collar doesn't show.
At 7:15, 1885F took both pups to the marsh. Jason and Debbie followed 907F who went along Flower Hill and disappeared in the rocks. I watched 1385F take the pups up Flower Hill and then right toward the trees where they all disappeared.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrSUyXz9_vQ
At 11:15, another bison came through. The pups went into their hole, and 1385F disappeared behind the hill between the west and east group of trees. We did not see them again. We did meet unit 21, Bill, who works for the park service at Joshua Tree. He was on furlough and had just returned to the park today. We filled him in on the latest activities of the wolves. He hung back and watched us interact with tourists and seemed to appreciate our efforts. He was a former religious studies and later biology teacher as well.
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