Opening Day
Harlequin Ducks at LeHardy Rapids, Yellowstone National Park
The term “Opening Day” as used by many residents of Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin in reference to Yellowstone, is a misnomer in several ways. The correct title would read something like “the day we open Yellowstone’s East Entrance in the spring so those people in the general area can access the Park and drive all the way to Mammoth or West Yellowstone”. But somehow, the latter just doesn’t have the same ring.
Despite the fact that parts of Yellowstone are open year-round and other parts open later than the first Friday in May, everyone I know that lives on this side of the ecosystem understands what is meant by opening day. And many of us tend to treat it like a holiday - taking time away from work and other obligations to allow us to line up at the entrance well before the official opening time of 8 AM to ensure we are one of the first visitors of this spring to travel up and over Sylvan Pass and into the heart of the land many consider sacred.
Female Harlequin Duck, left, male, right.
Unless we are lucky enough to spot a grizzly bear or some other charismatic megafauna along Yellowstone Lake as we descend from the pass and head toward Fishing Bridge, our first stop will usually be LeHardy Rapids for the timely opportunity to view the Harlequin Ducks that use the fast moving water as their breeding ground. The females will be around for much of the summer, tending their nests and raising their young but the males head back to the coastal areas of the west coast as soon as their job is done.
The bump on the beak of this white pelican is only visible during breeding season after which it is shed until the following year.
After leaving LeHardy Rapids, the usual route on opening day is north toward Canyon Village, stopping in Hayden Valley along the way to scan the meadows for mammals and search the river for birdlife.
This year we spotted a variety of winged visitors including western grebes, white pelicans and great blue herons.
A western grebe appears to walk on water as it performs the ritual dance meant to attract a partner.
Bison calves are commonly called “red dogs” because of their rusty color.
One of the goals of Opening Day is to find the first “red dog” of the season. This year we saw a couple off in the distance in Hayden Valley but none up close. A couple years ago we watched in wonder as the youngster in the image above went from being barely able to stand to running circles around his mother.
Along the Madison River we encountered a few small herds of adult bison but the entertainment was provided by the Uinta Ground Squirrels who were defending their territory from others in the area.
A male Uinta Ground Squirrel stands up to see and be seen!
Ground squirrels of all kinds are above ground for a few short months each year before retiring back into their burrows to sleep away the time until the following spring. While they are above ground, they are noisy and active, making up for all those days of inactivity.
A much bigger member of the ground squirrel family is the yellow-bellied marmot which is easily viewed in Yellowstone throughout the summer months before disappearing in mid-August. We found a few hanging out on the rocks alongside Yellowstone Lake as we reversed our steps to head back home at the end of the day, tired but happy to have witnessed another Opening Day!
Yellow-bellied marmot sunning by Yellowstone Lake.
To hear more about opening day in Yellowstone, be sure to listen to my podcast on the subject by clicking the button below, or by downloading the latest episode from Apple Podcasts or Spotify.