Yellowstone National Park

 

Yellowstone National Park is one of those iconic American parks, in fact it’s the oldest national park in America. We drive to the east entrance from Cody arriving before 8 in the morning. On the way to the entrance we spied several Black-tailed Magpies along the road through the gorgeous canyon. Unfortunately we saw a couple of road kill magpies too. A large black bear nearly became road kill when it missed being hit by an RV head of us by a toe before leaping back the way it came.

 

Once in the park driving west we saw a Red-tailed Hawk perched on snag on the side of the road. Several Big Horn sheep grazed lazily by the guardrail, giving us snort when we paused to observe them closer.  it became very evident that this section of park was recovering from wildfires of years past. The skeletal blacked and sun bleached fir trunks pierced the sky on either side of the road. The air had the haze from the large wildfires to the west in northern California.

 

But life springs eternal in Yellowstone and grasses and young fir flourished among the charred remains of the larger victims of the fires. It was in these grasses that we spied a mother grizzly bear with her large cub pawing at the roots of the plants growing around the dead fall. They deftly maneuvered the sticks and logs in search of breakfast. The bears were many yards away from us and the dozens of other observers on the overlook.

 

 

Along the north end of Yellowstone Lake we stopped to observe a raft of about a dozen Common Goldeneye and Ravens croaked from the trees nearby. Farther along near the river in a grassy verge a Northern Harrier scudded over the grassy wetland, its white rump patch clearly visible.

 

We took a turn north past the fishing village area and headed to the area called Mud Volcano where the ranger said we might find a few Trumpeter Swans. We did and just as promised we found two, or possibly a pair, in the shallow Yellowstone River. One rested on the grassy bank while the other swam and scraped the mud with is webbed feet before sticking it’s face underwater to get the treats it stirred up. Its white head feathers and part of its neck were stained brown from the muck. Canada Geese and female Mallard also joined the swans dabbling in the muck.

 

 

 

We traveled to Yellowstone Canyon and to the Artist’s Point observation area. The deep canyon and waterfall are spectacular. Perched on a tree way on the opposite canyon wall was an Osprey which we heard before finding.

 

Just south of the Mud Volcano we ventured into an open field bordered by deadfall and live firs to view the smoking landscape on the other side of the river. There a Red-tailed Hawk perched on a snag before swooping down into the grassy riverbank to grab some small prey. After a few minutes it emerged from the grass to rest on a log. 

 

 A Clark’s Nutcracker in the vicinity gave several angry raspy calls before flying to the other side of the river to perch on a pile of logs. Its call reminded us of that of a Belted Kingfisher.

 

We learned that in the vastness of Yellowstone finding birds is by luck. There is not one really great hot spot. The whole park is a hot spot of you are patient enough to look and listen. It’s a place we would like to explore far more, perhaps in another season and when the haze from distant wildfires obscure the landscape.