Heart in the Clouds

 This morning we woke to sunshine for the first time in days! With all the humidity we have had, Heart Mountain looked like it was wearing a skirt.

In the closer photo you can see the new snow that has fallen in the last 48 hours. The meteorologists are predicting warmer weather later this week so maybe the spring snowmelt will finally begin.

A few days ago I mentioned that we try to stay away from the solitary female elk this time of year as they get ready to calf. Ironically it seems that every year there is at least one mama who comes to us when the big day arrives. Maybe they sense they will be safer from lions, bobcats and coyotes closer to our house. This mama has been pacing our back field for two days and left for higher ground with her newborn calf this morning!

Fisherman

On a grey morning a few days ago I saw this fellow fishing in Bennett Creek. Ospreys are fascinating birds; built exceedingly well for their purpose.
- They are the only raptors that dive head and feet first into the water after their prey.
- They have unique talon features, allowing them to not only grip slippery fish but also to turn them so they can fly aerodynamically with their meal in hand.
- Their eyes are huge, letting them see fish swimming beneath the surface of the water below.

There was an article in last week's Jackson Hole Guide talking about the effort to tag three osprey in Grand Teton Park with radio transmitters last summer. Of the trio the youngest went to Texas for the winter and is still there. The second bird wintered in Mexico and is already back in the Park. The third defied all common sense, current knowledge and logic and went to Cuba for the winter. He has now returned to his summer home on the Snake River!

Look at those eyes!

Weekend Hike

 Yesterday's plan was to do a short hike and then get something done. Somehow, between breakfast and walking out the door, the plan changed to a longer trek somewhere in the vicinity of North Bennett Creek. Eight hours, fourteen miles and 2200 feet later, we returned home - tired, sore and hungry!

Elk are not the only hoofed mammals heading to higher elevations this time of year. This male pronghorn was up at about 6000', enjoying the new grass and the relative isolation.

Once we reached our turning point we had a great view across the valley and all the way to Heart Mountain. On the right side of the photo you can see the rocky ridge that runs up to the plateau at the top of Flatiron. It is a good view of the hike we took a couple weeks ago. What looks like a road at the bottom is really the remnants of the fire break they cut in four or five years ago when a forest fire went through the area.

Just as on Flatiron, we saw quite a bit of Kelseya on the upper part of this hike. These plants seem much older than the ones to the south. They are also further behind in their development as they receive less sun.

On the return portion of the hike I came across the first Prairie Smoke I have seen this year. This plant is in its flowering stage. The species does not get much attention until the fruit is visible - beautiful wispy strands that dance in the wind - looking like little puffs of smoke blowing across the prairie!

Pick your Poison

In my mind, weeds are those invasive plants that are introduced to an area and then try and take over. Everything else is a wildflower. But just because it has a nicer label doesn't mean it can't still be dangerous to stock and wildlife. These four plants grow in abundance on our property and are just a small sampling of the plants that could do serious harm if consumed. Lucky for us - and them - both llamas and wild animals seem to have a second sense for what not to eat and, as long as they have adequate feed available, they will stay away from those things that might hurt them.

The first plant is dock - Rumex Crispus - a very pretty flower that blooms early in the spring and then disappears. It only grows on our place in the sandiest of soils.

Death Camus - Zygadenus spp. - is a lovely flower with a deceptively delicate bloom. The most dangerous part of the plant is below ground. I have never seen a crop like this year - they have taken over most of our front pasture. The biggest danger with this plant to humans is that if you are not careful it can be mistaken for wild onion or wild garlic, both of which are just starting to bloom as well.  

Silvery lupine- Lupinus Argenteus - is a common sight in much of the west. The seeds are especially toxic.

Loco weed - Oxytropis spp. - can be a real problem for horses in particular. Llamas don't seem to care for it but I have heard stories of horses becoming addicted to it and refusing to eat anything else. It causes locoism in the animals which attacks the motor and nervous systems.

Noisemaker

 I was reminded this morning that there is actually a baby bird with a voice more obnoxious than a magpie! Clark's Nutcrackers are regular visitors to our place, although they spend most of their summers higher in the mountains. They have their chicks very early, probably so they can be ready to head up as soon as the snow melts.

These birds are instrumental in propagating the white bark pine as they stash seeds which turn into trees if not collected.

Can't you tell that his beak is ideal for breaking into pine cones and extracting seeds?

The tree below is a fir - not food for the Nutcracker - but you can tell by its new growth that this is going to be a year of great cone production - at least at this elevation!

A Slight Reprieve

We decided to take advantage of a short break in the inclement weather yesterday by hiking to the high point in our back pasture. I was able to see Heart Mountain for the first time in days as the cloud cover lifted.

We are very careful when hiking this time of year to stay as far away from the mama elk as possible. It is tough to do as we have many that use our property as a maternity ward. In the winter months they gather in numbers of up to several hundred. This time of year the females tend to be solitary as they search out remote, quiet areas to give birth. This one is keeping a close eye on us even though we are across a deep ravine from her spot. We saw about a dozen lone females in the distance on our three hour hike.

 We also spotted another LBB, or little brown bird. I had to look this one up when we got home. It turns out he is a summer visitor that usually winters in South America called a Swainson's Thrush. I don't know who Swainson was but he has several birds named after him!

Building an Ark

 The photo above shows what it looked like yesterday on our place. For several days we have been hearing how all previous records for rainfall in the area have been shattered. And it is not over yet! Just for the record, we do not normally have a waterfall in our back yard!

 Our only real rain gauge is the llama bowls. Usually we are happy if we see 1/4" in the bottom. After all, our average annual rainfall is about 6" - that includes snow melt. Yesterday we emptied the bowls twice, each time of approximately 3/4" of water. Then this morning we discovered what you see in the photo; an additional 2 1/2" or more!

I feel bad for the llamas and the baby birds and the baby cottontail and everything else that can't really get out of the rain. They are predicting a short break today followed by several more days of moisture.

Quatro (above) seems to be taking it all in stride. I think we may rename Dusty (below) and start calling her Muddy instead!

And one more makes three...

A few days ago I talked about the chipping sparrow and the lark sparrow. Last night a third member of the family stopped by - the white-crowned sparrow. He is not as colorful as the other two but has some beautiful markings nonetheless.

He sang a song as he sat on the fence post, unimpressed by the fact that both Frank the cat and I were within a few feet of his perch!

Stately Birds

The meadowlark is the official bird of six states, including Wyoming. It is not surprising when you realize it has both good looks and a great sound in its favor! Add that to the fact that it is a symbol of warmer weather - at least in this state - and how could it not be given such an honor?

I may be one of the few people who enjoys looking at the back of a meadowlark as much as the front. I think the complexity of the black and white patterning is beautiful. And the surprise of discovering the bright yellow front when he raises his head to sing is just a wonderful bonus to an already incredible viewing.

This is the classic meadowlark pose for photos. What a work of art!

Isn't it surprising how much he blends in to the branches, even with the beacon on his chest?





Yesterday I had the amazing experience of seeing a pair of red-naped sapsuckers down by the irrigation ditch. That was a first sighting for me and maybe the only one in my life of that particular species. Unfortunately the only photo I got was totally out of focus - it had just enough detail for Ken to confirm I saw what I thought I did!

Its a Boy...

or a girl...or a boy and a girl and another boy!! I count three heads begging mama raven for food. No wonder they were so testy yesterday - they had newborns to protect.
I can't overstate how blessed I feel at having the opportunity to witness this amazing event. Naturalists will tell you that seeing baby ravens in a nest in the wild is almost unheard of. The only other time I was so lucky was twenty years ago in Yellowstone Park. And this pair chose our front yard!

Epic Battle

 Today's post was going to be about meadowlarks but the morning battle between eagle and raven was so intense that I just had to share a few of the photos!

It started off with the typical back and forth. Goldie was on one of his usual perches and the raven was signalling his disapproval.

 

 Then the eagle dove for a rabbit - missed - and ended up a little closer to the raven's nest. This seemed to be too much for papa raven who began bombarding the eagle without mercy.

Before long papa was joined by mama raven who took her turns dive bombing the big guy. She didn't stay long before returning to the nest.

For a while it looked like papa raven may have made a mistake as the eagle became less and less tolerant of the harassment and more aggressive about fighting back.

In the end it seemed they may have called a truce for one more day!

Let the Show Begin!

One of the many joys of living in a mountainous environment is that you get to see spring wildflowers all year long. All you need to do is move up in altitude to see varieties that bloomed at lower elevations earlier in the year.

The land behind us at 5000' is currently covered with forget-me-not. With the abnormal moisture of the last few weeks all the plants are present in an abundance I have not witnessed in previous years.

Another of my favorite wildflowers, the shooting star, is found just a little higher than the forget-me-not. It is almost impossible to hike without stepping on plants, they are so numerous this year.

The pasque flowers have been and gone at lower elevations but they are still thriving at 6000' and above.

Raven as Thief

Goldie showed up early this morning searching for breakfast. He suddenly dove from his perch and disappeared out of sight behind a small rise. I assume he was successful in catching his prey - probably a cottontail - because almost immediately the raven and several magpies landed close by and began darting in and out with small pieces of meat. After a while the eagle had enough of the competition and flew away with his meal in hand.

In the meantime the raven flew up to Vertebrae Rock, fed his waiting mate and then sat in a tree just outside the door, cawing about his success. 

Isn't that beak amazing?

Several days ago I was outside with the camera enjoying the amazing lighting. I heard a commotion and looked around just in time to see the raven steal something big from a couple magpies on the ground. Once the raven landed on Vertebrae I could see that his bounty was most likely the wing of a rock dove that had been knocked off earlier by a prairie falcon. The raven fed his mate while the magpie seemed to watch in frustration!

Kelseya

A rare occurrence on my blog - a photo of me! This picture of me taking a picture of kelseya was taken by Yvette Whitaker on the hike to the top of Flatiron a few days ago. It does a great job of showing the stunted trees on top as well as giving a sense of how high we climbed by the slice of bottom land in the top of the shot.

 Kelseya is one of my favorite wildflowers. An unlikely member of the rose family, it is rarely seen as it limits itself to high, rocky, wind-swept slopes of the North American west.

There are hundreds of plants on top of Flatiron. They are just starting to bloom and should be absolutely magnificent in a few weeks time.

At first glance the plant resembles a moss, insinuating itself into each nook and cranny of the rock face. It is only upon close examination that you discover it is actually more like a bonsai in that each plant has a short woody stem that looks like a trunk when exposed.

I hope you can see the amazing detail of the flowers and their leaves in this close-up of a tiny section of one plant. I will be climbing Flatiron again in a few weeks just so I can get a look at all the plants in bloom at once!