The great otter drought of 2024-25 finally came to an end.

In early January I was driving through Lamar Valley when I noticed some people pointing cameras towards the Lamar River.  Off in the distance I caught a glimpse of small dark shapes slicing through the icy water – three otters, the first I’d seen in Yellowstone in almost a year.  I stopped at the nearest pullout and practically jogged through the knee-deep snow for a closer look.

 

 

Nobody seems to have a good explanation for why otter sightings around Lamar Valley dropped so dramatically in 2024.  Maybe the flooding in 2022 altered their behavior?  Maybe most of our sightings had been a single family group that either relocated or ran into problems?  Maybe the recent efforts to eliminate nonnative fish in Soda Butte Creek had some kind of impact?  It’s unclear.  Regardless, I was overjoyed to see otters romping around the valley again.

 

 

The big wildlife excitement up until that point was an explosion of pygmy owl sightings that began in December.  Last winter it felt like a rare privilege to spot one.  So far this winter it almost feels like a surprise when you don’t spot one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Otherwise this winter has been chugging along about as expected.  I’ve been working on my ability to find (non-pygmy) owls, Marie has been doing a lot of cross-country skiing, and my back continues to be unhappy with how often I have to shovel the snow in our driveway before I can head into the park each morning.