We got up and out so we could be at the gate leading into Hayden Valley when it opened at 8:00 this morning. It was really fun running into friends we haven’t seen since last year but bear wise it was a bust. Blaze and her 2 new coy were seen very briefly between Fishing Bridge and La Hardy Rapids but not by us.
We did have fun filming a bunch of eared grebes from Fishing Bridge. There must have been around 100 of them above and below the bridge on the Yellowstone River. Every year they show up in several different bodies of water in Yellowstone and every year I think they are going to nest here but they never seem to stay. I’m not sure why. I do know I love to watch them with their cute red eyes and that fan of gold feathers extending out from the eye.
Do you notice the difference between the grebe in the second photo and the third one? The second one is all fluffed up but the third one has his feathers all “pulled in” so he looks thinner. They pull their feathers in just before they dive to increase their density to make it easier to dive.
While we were watching the grebes a muskrat came along with a mouthful of tasty looking vegetation.
While we were shooting the grebes we looked back at our truck and noticed 2 ravens trying to find something to eat in the truck bed. I’m afraid they were disappointed.
It has been really warm for this time of year in Yellowstone but this morning we found a leaky faucet near Fishing Bridge where it had frozen overnight. Kind of artistic for a water faucet.
This last photo is from yesterday when a group of big horn sheep rams crossed the road in Little America.
You two had a great day-you were in Yellowstone! All I did was clean house and do laundry. I would much rather be watching grebes, ravens, big horns, muskrats, and seeing leaky faucets in Yellowstone! Great photos, Judy!
Thank you for reminding me of cleaning house versus Yellowstone Kitty. We do have to do laundry and clean house but that is one of the things I like about living in our 5th wheel. House cleaning is way faster than at home. An argument for a small house if you ask me.
You guys had a more productive day than I did! Nice and it did look like you were having fun.
We did have fun Deby! One thing that mad me mad though. I was busy filming grebes when Andrew walked up and said “Did you get that osprey catching a fish?” As you know that has been a long term quest I have failed miserably at. While I was busy with the grebes an osprey caught a fish right in front of me and I never saw it! Then 2 friends from the Netherlands came up and told us about a lake they had just been to in Florida that has 300 nesting osprey right now.