Yellowstone in Spring

We begin our tour following the Snake River to Jackson Hole. From here we can explore the Grand Teton National Park. Birds will include Mountain Chickadee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Bluebird and Broad-tailed Hummingbird and at nearby Flat Creek we’ll see Trumpeter Swan, Cinnamon Teal and smart Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

The historic Mormon Row barns set amongst Antelope Flats, we’ll probably see our first Bison, Pronghorn and irresistible Least Chipmunks and Uinta Ground Squirrels. The National Elk Refuge holds Sandhill Crane, Rock Wren, Horned Lark and perhaps our first Coyote.

We’ll stop at famous Oxbow Bend, looking for River Otters, Moose, Osprey and soaring Bald Eagles and we’ll return for an evening along the river looking for Beavers.

We’ll visit the famous Hayden Valley, the wide open spaces are dotted with herds of Bison and American Elk and we’ve often seen Gray Wolf and Grizzly Bear. Flying raptors include Northern Harrier and Red-tailed and Swainson’s Hawk and along the nearby Yellowstone River are splendid Harlequin Ducks and American Dippers.

We’ll also spend an early morning and evening at Pelican Creek and Fishing Bridge in search of River Otter, Beaver and Belted Kingfisher.​

From our base at Cooke City we’ll have early morning excursions to the famous Lamar Valley if we want to see Gray Wolves. We’ll look for specialities such as Mountain Goat, Bighorn Sheep, Golden Eagle and Black Rosy Finch.

 We move west through the Blacktail Plateau rimmed by the Gallatin Mountains to Mammoth in the northwest of Yellowstone. Elk graze the watered lawns near our hotel and the friendly ground squirrels will be on the lookout for the local Prairie Falcons.

Nearby are the beautiful volcanic travertine terraces and an early morning visit is perfect for photos and birds such as Townsend’s Solitaire, Hammond’s Flycatcher and Western Tanager.

Between Norris and Old Faithful basins are an incredible 70% of the world’s geysers and we’ve two days to explore fully the bewildering collection of bubbling mud pools, erupting steam jets and multi-coloured pools.