September Sightings and Summary

September Sightings Summary

By Kyle Kissock

Whether it’s on a Yellowstone trip, hike in Grand Teton, or your backyard, September is one of the premier months to observe wildlife here in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem!

The elk rut is underway in September, bears start to pack on the pounds, and cooler temperatures trigger many species of mammals to become more active as preparations for winter begin. In the bird-world, fall migration peaks for many species. Familiar spring and summer nesters, such as western tanagers and mountain bluebirds, often congregate in large flocks prior to heading south

The Nature Mapping community was plenty active in September too! This month, 35 Nature Mappers reported wildlife sightings into Casual Observations and 11 Nature Mappers contributed to Project Backyard.

Mule deer were reported on both sides of the Tetons in September, including residential areas within the Town of Jackson (see photo of the month). John Harkness observed two separate groups of up to 7 mule deer does, but noted none of the does had fawns in tow. As usual, moose were the most reported species last month as 12 Nature Mappers submitted moose observations. Sighting locations varied from Snow King Avenue to Taggart Lake to the town of Moose itself. We expect to have the “official” Moose Day 2023 Report to share with you soon! Andrew Carson, Anna Knaeble, Diane Thomas and Fred Johnson all observed elk and Anna Knaeble reported 12 pronghorn in Grand Teton National Park, an impressive number given last winter’s die-off.

September-October is often the time of year when bears start showing up in and around town. Black bears were nature mapped by John Harkness, Fred Johnson, Renee Seidler and David Howk at locations including near Aspen’s Market and on the north end of Emily Steven’s Levee. A pair of river otters were also observed swimming north along Emily Steven’s Levee mid-month.

Robins, cedar waxwings, yellow-rumped warblers, ruby-crowned kinglets and a broad-tailed hummingbird were all observed in September. Four Nature Mappers reported Sandhill Cranes, including a crane observation submitted from just north of Teton Village near the Granite Entrance Station of Grand Teton National Park.

Monthly Challenge:

Our monthly challenge for October is to submit a photo with a Nature Mapping observation. Photos do not have to be high quality to be helpful to data-vetters, as observations with even poor-quality images are of higher value than a report with no image.

Thank you for your contributions to the Nature Mapping Jackson Hole database and enjoy what’s left of the nice weather!