Short Viewing with Concerning News

 July 10, 2024

We had to check out of our cabin in Gardiner today, so we left about 15 minutes later. Once again, we had clear skies but the temperature was in the upper 40s at Slough, and mid 60s in Gardiner. It was a beautiful sunrise with a pink cloud above the den site.

Speaking of the den site, we finally met unit 168, Kriztina, a true wolf watcher, and she explained to use that the hole we thought they'd dug just above the marsh is actually the sage den. From the lower vantage point, it looks like the area is at the bottom of the hill, but from above it's not, which matches the description of the sage den. The pups and other wolves have been disappearing into that area, which we now know means that they have been going into the den.

We also learned that the wolf watchers are concerned about the alpha male. They haven't seen him since a hunt on July 2, so it has been eight days. It is unusual for the alpha male not to return in such a while. He is also the primary hunter of the pack, and the subordinate wolves do not yet know how to hunt well. His loss could be even more devastating to the pack than 907F's.

We did see the gray pup come down the hill from the trees at 10:10 and go into the den. I also saw the black pup move about at the base of the trees but no more.

It was a busy morning despite the lack of wolf watching. Debbie joined us and was able to ask Jeremy questions about the plane that flew over. She knows Jeremy and talked to him for a while. He said that they like to fly over every week but most of the time it is every two weeks. It is not just the Junction Butte pack but all the packs in the park. The pilot, Mark, is a biologist but also takes another biologist with him. He saw both pups and the den site, and was looking for the adults over the ridge and up beyond Slough Campground.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fGhbsBbs_A

Meanwhile, Taylor gave a talk to a science school. It looked like high school students. She spoke well, but it was obvious to all three of us (me, John, Jason), that she didn't care much for the wolf watchers because they don't see it fair that she doesn't tell them about where the wolves are. She called the wolf watchers "bleeding hearts" and indicated that she was ready to move on. Kriztina confirmed the riff between the Wolf Research Project and the wolf watchers, saying that they won't reveal information to them anymore. They are worried that a photographer will get a hold of the information, and some have been doing things they shouldn't in the park with regard to wildlife. I can understand that, but it is a marked change from when Rick M. was head of the project. The wolf watchers have likely spent more years watching wolves than Taylor has spent on this earth; I would think they could be trusted.

Rick M. also came down to our lot and gave a talk to a group of elementary and middle school girls on a tour. Jeremy gave an interview to the Washington Post at some point during the day down there as well. It had something to do with the sound equipment the research project is using to study the wolf howl and how they communicate. He was looking for a tree to use to set up a demo. We saw him set his scope up for what looked like a three-year-old girl, and he showed her the golden eagle's nest nearby.

We spent the afternoon at our new cabin in Silver Gate. It's definitely not one we'll return to, but it's better than a tent. I think. We'll go out again this evening to see if we can see the adults return to the pups.