Winter seemed to never end! Where, oh where was spring?! After a late spring snow, we went looking for it.
We checked into the visitor center of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in Medora, North Dakota as we began our quest to find new life, signs of spring, in the south unit of the park. Color, especially green, was part of what we were after.
There was no wildlife listed on the wildlife announcement board in the lobby. When we inquired about the lack of entries, the ranger indicated they had received no reports from park visitors of wild life yet for the day. Specifically, we asked about bison calves. Had anyone reported any? Nope. None sighted yet, or at least not reported, by anyone! So. Our number one goal? To locate a brand new baby bison, the first of Spring 2019.
Our hike of the day began at the east (north) trail head for Jones Creek Trail. As usual, we used the trailhead as a starting point, but we didn’t exactly stay on the trail. We prefer to hike across country, from point to point as we go. Before long, we found ‘green’ and we found ‘color’!
Thousands and thousands of Pasque Flowers (Prairie Crocus) across the grassy hillsides! Read about them here: Beautiful Flowers Herald Spring!
We hiked to high point, after high point. We’re so glad we did! After reaching a high peak, which we determined should be our turn-around point and our picnic spot, we saw this!
One of the first bison calves of spring, Theodore Roosevelt National Park. April 22, 2019
We remained at that last high spot on our hike for half an hour or so, eating our meager lunch and watching the mom and calf. She grazed leisurely, and eventually, with baby next to her, made her way west. Later we observed a herd of bison in that direction, and upon checking our photos realized there were at least two more new calves!
Our hike back to the trail head took us through a lively prairie dog town. The little critters were busy munching grass, just like the bison and horses we had observed. They were a bit more curious, though, ever popping up and down out of their dens.
We began to pack our vehicle at the trail head, and took time to relax and rehydrate. As we did, off in the distance we saw more wild life. And lots of it! Horses again! Out came our cameras once more. Then we carefully picked our spots for viewing, photographing, and recording. The two of us spread out, away from each other in such situations. We’ve learned that just because we think wild life is one place, it doesn’t mean there can’t be more in an adjacent area. That usually means the unexpected!
We viewed at least two bands of horses, or perhaps it was one band, spread wide apart. Whichever, we counted a minimum of seventeen horses. They moved in different directions, and we moved too, to keep our distance. We were rewarded with many photo opportunities!
As the sun lower in the sky, the shadows grew long and the coloration of everything took on a golden glow. The Golden Hour! We left the horses as they still grazed peacefully, and made our way out of the park. The wildlife we saw didn’t end! Our day was a total success, and one of the most prolific we’d experienced for viewing wild life in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
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