Follow the Pack Update, November 24, 2010
Follow the Pack spent five nights camping in the home ranges of the Hawk’s Nest and Rim packs of Mexican gray wolves in mid-November. We saw very little wildlife other than coyotes, wild turkeys, a pair of bald eagles, and some waterfowl, and found only a single dried-up wolf scat and no fresh wolf tracks. We did enjoy beautiful sunsets almost every night, however.
The weather is turning cold in the wolf recovery area. The temperature dropped below freezing every night. Little snow fell, but heavy frost made the tall grass sparkle in the morning sun.
During the day, we hiked the dusty, forest roads looking for tracks and scat. Just after this photo was taken, we surprised a coyote crossing the road in front of us. As soon as he saw us, he dashed away into the woods.
As the day drew to a close, we sat around the fire, listening for the howls of wolves and the sounds of other animals.
As night fell, we watched the stars of the winter sky make their appearance, including the Pleiades, or Seven Sisters; the Hyades, a little group of stars that looks like a v-shaped flock of geese flying south; Orion, the mighty hunter; and Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, which some cultures identify as the Wolf Star. Next time we watch the brilliant Wolf Star from the recovery area, we hope we’ll hear the music of Mexican wolves from the dark hills nearby.
