Friday, August 29, 2008

My favorite animal this summer...

 


American badgers are cranky, cantankerous and confrontational.
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Bunny

 


In addition to PDs, cottontails rabbits also get into our traps.
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Prairie Rattlesnake

 


The main reason why we tread very carefully every day.
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Toad-let

 


Another reason to watch where you step and sit.
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Swarming toads

 
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Burrowing owls

 


Another case in point
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Nests on the ground...

 


…watch your step!
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Little Birdies

 


Many birds in the Conata Basin nest on the ground…
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American Avocet

 


A shore bird with a distinctive upturned beak.
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Golden eagle in flight

 


A golden eagle has a wingspan of 6 ½ – 7 ½ feet!
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Pronghorn

 


Abundant both in Conata and Meeteetse, pronghorn always duck under – but never jump over – fences.
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Bighorn sheep at Mt. Washburn

 


Skipped up the summit just in time to spot these two bighorn sheep.
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Black Bear

 


A hike cut short when this very brown black bear made an appearance with two cubs in tow.
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Wild E. Coyote

 


More often heard than seen...
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Yellow-Bellied Marmot

 


Oh, he's a little guy, kind of funny looking. Oh, just in a general kind of way.
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Elk, Elk, Everywhere

 
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The welcome party at Yellowstone

 
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Mammoth Hot Springs

 


Terraces to tread around lightly...
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Yellowstone River

 


Rivers to cross…
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Mt Washburn

 


Mountains to climb…
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A Trio of Parks

 


Yellowstone beckoned next, followed by Grand Teton and Bighorn National Forest. Spectacular country all around.
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Riverside

 


Fields of wildflowers line the Greybull River.
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Ashen Trail

 


The hiking trail was a thick layer of ash.
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Charred spires lined the landscape

 
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Charred Spines

 


A forest fire in the summer of 2006 wiped out much of the forest cover in this area.
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