Bald Ridge

I truly believe that Bald Ridge is one of the most beautiful places on earth. And how amazing that there is a public trail that anyone can access this time of year! The area is closed for about half the year for wildlife protection but that only adds to the ultimate magic of the place. When Ken and I hiked the trail on a rainy Memorial Day we saw pronghorn, white tail deer, mule deer, elk and a coyote, not to mention dozens of species of birds. We also saw very fresh mountain lion tracks and wolf tracks. The place is certainly alive with wildlife. 

 The Bald Ridge Trail starts at Hogan and Luce Reservoir. The swallows were incredible with multiple varieties that seemed quite happy to hang out together. Here we have a cliff swallow and a violet-green sitting side by side on a length of barbed wire.

 It would be hard to create a still life as beautiful as this natural arrangement of blanket flower growing in the red Chugwater layer next to a piece of juniper driftwood!

The Chugwater layer of earth is what defines the area and makes it so amazing - especially this time of year when we have the complementary green of spring growth. From this spot we could see Heart Mountain with its recent covering of snow in the background.

Of course the hiking was not exactly easy. Not only was it cold and raining, we ended up with 10 pound boots from the incredibly muddy trail!

Retraction

 A few days ago I included this fellow pictured to the left in a post with the comment that it was rare for a curlew to sit so still for a photo. Well, maybe it was because he is not a curlew! I had a few doubts at the time but it wasn't until I had a definite sighting of a pair of long-billed curlews yesterday that I realized I should have looked more closely. I was fooled by the downward curving beak when I should have been looking at the size of the bird and its habitat instead.

I believe the mis-labeled bird is a whimbrel - uncommon but widespread and much more of a shore bird than the prairie loving curlews.

 I am thrilled with theses shots I got yesterday at Bald Ridge between falling rain drops. Not only did I capture a few nice photos of the birds in flight, the first one even had his mouth open! Of course he was screaming at me at the time and it is probably just as well I don't understand curlew!

Here is the pair of birds blending into the sagebrush on the ground.

 They are quite a bit bigger than the whimbrel and their beaks are longer, too.

 I also thought I would include a few shots of another of my favorite area visitors: the green-tailed towhee.  They are not as flashy as the other members of their family - at least until you look closely. Then you notice the great "hairdo"and the attitude that seems to say "bring it on!"

Stewart Falls

 What is it about waterfalls that captures us so? They are like rainbows in the emotions they seem to evoke in people. No matter how cynical you are, it is hard not to smile at the sight of rainbows and waterfalls!

All of today's images are from Stewart Falls near Sundance, Utah. When Ken and I went down for the wedding we found ourselves doing the easy 2 hour hike to the falls and back three different times.
The first photo, above, was taken about 6am on our last morning there. I wanted to capture the warm morning light and Ken was kind enough to accompany me at that early hour. Strangely enough, I think I prefer the closer views of the falls. Even though the landscape is beautiful in the first photo, the mountains are so big that they tend to overwhelm the impact of the two-tiered, 200' plus cascade of water.

Global Weirding

 We had very little winter this year with warm weather and a relative lack of snow throughout. We had 80 degree temperatures in March and 90's in April and May. And now, as June fast approaches, we have 4" of new snow and temperatures in the low 30's!

It won't last, of course. And we certainly need the moisture. But it has to be hard on the baby birds and bunnies, not to mention the tourists in Yellowstone!

 Both the chives (top) and the columbines were sporting white hats this morning.

 The snow was wet and heavy, perfect for making snowmen or sticking on fence rails.

 Vertebrae Rock, above, is where the ravens have their nest. Mama spent much of the day huddled in with her babies.

Avian Variety

 One of the most amazing things about birds is the incredible variety of sizes, shapes, habitats, colors, diets, etc.

Today I am showing just a few of the shots I took on our trip home from Utah.

Sandhill Cranes are beautiful birds with a wonderful sound. These two were strolling along a wetland in Idaho, enjoying a peaceful day.

 Curlews are not usually so easy to capture with the camera but this guy seemed quite happy to have his photo taken. He is looking a little disheveled. I think he may have just taken a bath.

Female red-winged blackbirds are usually ignored in favor of their more colorful mates such as the one below. There is something about this female to the left however, that caught my eye. I love her pose and I really like the shades in the background water.

Follow-up

 Today's photos are follow-ups from previous posts. I mentioned on Monday that this is shaping up to be a big year for snakes.

This morning I opened the door to the feed shed and found this rattler curled up dead center in the middle of the floor. Luckily for me I saw him before I stepped inside.

I called Ken and he used the snake grabber to catch onto the unhappy snake so it could be relocated to an area on the other side of a cliff from the corrals.

In the first photo it is hard to see the snake's head because he is moving it from side to side. The second shot shows how detailed and beautiful the pattern is but it is not a sight you would want to see if you weren't expecting it! If you click on the photo you can see it in larger size.

 We transferred the rattler to a large kitty litter container and Ken carried him about a quarter mile away before letting him go.

 The second set of shots are from the raven nest yesterday. I am thrilled to see that all three babies are still alive and well. And hungry! In the shot above you can just see the third bird's beak behind his sibling on the right. In the photo below, the one baby is stretching high in an effort to get his meal before the other two.

I am sure mama raven thinks they are beautiful.

Summer Visitors

 One of the things I love about living where I do is the lack of pesky bugs this time of year. It means a lot not having to fight off mosquitoes and black flies every time I go out the door!

That doesn't mean we don't have our own brand of "pests" though. On a hike this morning we came across signs of two of our more difficult residents.

The first photo shows a nice, fresh grizzly bear print.   It obviously belongs to a mama griz as there was also a clear set of second tracks - much smaller than these - along side in several places. She probably has a one year old cub that is tagging along. Lucky for us we just saw the tracks, not the owners!

In the second photo you see a well camouflaged rattle snake. It is shaping up to be a big year for snakes on our property. So far we have seen 4 bulls and two rattlers. This guy stayed pretty calm and then slithered off into the rocks when I got a little too close.

A Bird with Horns?!

 The state bird of Wyoming is the Western Meadowlark which is not in fact a lark but is a member of the Icterid Family of birds. We see meadowlarks in the summer months but we see horned larks, true members of the Lark Family, much more often. In the winter months - in other words, not during breeding season - the horned larks travel in flocks and often sweep across the ground in front of a traveling vehicle. They are not easy to capture on camera.

This time of year the birds tend to be solitary as they search for a mate. This fine specimen was willing to sit on a rock as I took numerous photos of him.

It is very easy to see how they got their name!

 What an amazing and wonderful headdress!

Jackson Wolf

One of the joys of driving home through Yellowstone is that the wildlife viewing opportunities are not limited to the Park. We saw coyotes, bison and sandhill cranes as we drove north out of Jackson. Then, just a little ways before Moran Junction, we saw some unusual movement in a field just off the road. 

Ken pulled over and I grabbed the camera. Sure enough, a closer look confirmed what we thought - a lone wolf was dining with some ravens at a kill site not far away.  

 Shortly after we pulled over the wolf strolled off to a site a little further away where a bald eagle was keeping watch.

Its not a great shot but here you see both the wolf and the eagle as they switch locations.

When the wolf stopped where the eagle had been he did what dogs do - he marked the site. Maybe there was another kill at that location. In the photo above he looks like he is talking to the nearby raven but, in fact, he is scratching at the dirt after marking the spot.

Yellow Heads

 On our way home from the wedding in Utah we decided to take the western route. It is not the most direct way home but it is probably the most scenic and, now that Yellowstone Park is open for the summer, it is only a few miles longer than the route up and over South Pass.

We spent the night in Jackson Hole. When we got to town, Ken pulled up in front of the information center and let me out while he went to check into the hotel. He knew my first thought would be of capturing some yellow-headed blackbirds with my camera.

I was not disappointed! Not only were the colorful birds on hand, they were putting on a wonderful display of motion and sound.

 To the right, a male yellow-headed blackbird raises his head to sing his distinctive, if not beautiful, song!

Wow! What can I say?

Babies!

We have been traveling for almost a week to attend a niece's wedding in Utah. We arrived home yesterday afternoon to a familiar squawking noise. I grabbed the camera and rounded the corner to find three very new raven babies in the nest! Two of the pink heads are easily seen pointing straight in the air as they yell for mama to bring dinner. The third beak is barely visible in front of the one on the left.

Last year this couple started out with three youngsters as well but only one survived to fledge. We will see what happens this year.

Climbing White Mountain

 Even though this was final exam week for me, I managed to finish my major project last Thursday so Ken and I decided to climb White Mountain with a friend on Friday.

I have a lot of photos in this post but they are a small fraction of those I took and I hope to post more at a later date.

In the first shot, above, Ken is standing on a ledge about halfway up on our journey. It almost looks like I photoshopped him in but I promise I didn't!

It was a gray, cloudy day but even so, the views of Sunlight Basin were spectacular.

To the right is a shot of one of the many lichen covered trees along the way.

 This twisted stump looked like a work of art. I wish I could put it in my living room!

 The first section of the hike/climb involves some tricky side sloping on loose scree.

A close-up view of the notch in the rock wall.

 The view of the Basin from near the top.

To the right is another amazing twisted tree in the midst of a bed of moss.

And one last view from above!