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!

Super Moon

As most people know, Saturday night brought the "super moon". I got up a little before 4:30am and drove across Elk Basin to the top of Polecat Bench to get some shots. I have a few I like, including these two. There are things I will do differently next time - July, 2013 will be my next chance - but I feel like it was worth missing a few hours of sleep!

May Flowers

You know it is May when the evening primrose begins to bloom. If you want to capture one in a photograph you have to get there before the morning sun does. Like vampires, they seem to wilt in the brightness, disappearing into the background and becoming almost invisible on the landscape.

One of the amazing things about these plants is that they choose the most unlikely spots to take root and bloom.