Other Bird

Yellow-headed Blackbird, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of a male yellow-headed blackbird singing for a mate.
Singing for a Mate

When I drove out to the Lamar Valley each day this past May I would usually check out the road to the Slough Creek campground.  It’s a good drive for finding bison, pronghorns and coyotes in the spring.  It’s also a prime area for wolves and grizzlies.  I would often see this male yellow-headed blackbird as I drove past a small marshy area along the road.

Yellow-heads are a little smaller than their red-winged cousins and not as common.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen one before in Yellowstone.  I know I’ve never photographed one there before.

Grizzly Bear

Popular Grizzly Cub Killed by Car, Grand Teton National Park

Photo of a one year old grizzly cub.
Brownie’s Last Days

I photographed this 1 and 1/2 year old cub on three or more occasions in early June of this year.  Locals had named it “Brownie.”  Each time the cub was between 100 and 200 yards from the road near Pilgrim Creek.  Unfortunately, it’s almost certain that this is the same cub that was killed by a car on June 21st.  For two articles about the accident, click here.

This is one of 399’s cubs.  She is famous for her habit of staying near roads and people, at least when she has cubs.  She is also famous for producing triplets, which is rare.  I wrote about 399 and this cub previously and said that getting comfortable around roads and humans was not a good thing for cubs to learn.  You can read that story here.

One thing I want to point out about this photo is that it’s pretty easy to tell that this is a 1 and 1/2 year old cub.  Notice how long and narrow the face is.  It’s not much different in shape than the face of a German Shepard dog.  By the time a grizzly cub is one year older the face has changed a lot.   For a photo of a 2 and 1/2 year old cub whose face is noticeably wider, click here.  See the third photo.  The cub is on the right.  (Mom is still teaching junior the pecking order at dinner.   A couple of days later this cub got the boot from mom and a boar that came calling.)  For a photo of what the head of a really large grizzly looks like click here.   Notice how small the eyes appear in relation to the head.  Eyes grow little, if any, from birth.

Eagle

Happy Birthday America!

Photo of a bald eagle as it prepares to land.
Gear Down!

Happy 236th Birthday and counting. I remember the 200th celebration pretty well.  I wonder what America and this earth will be like in 2076?

A good argument can be made that July 2 should be the day we celebrate because that’s the day the Continental Congress actually voted to declared its independence from Great Britain.  We celebrate it today because this is the day the Congress approved the wording of the document which would be known as the Declaration of Independence.  Don’t assume it was signed that day.  Who signed when is in controversy.

If you’re interested in a summary of events surrounding the Declaration of Independence click here.

Eagle

Bald Eagle Anniversary

Photo of a bald eagle flying into the sun.
Sweet Success!

Each year on or about this day I post a photo of a bald eagle to recognize and celebrate the fact that five years ago today the Fish & Wildlife Service announced that the bald eagle in the lower 48 States had recovered enough to be removed from the list of threatened and endangered species.  We almost lost it due to DDT and other persistent pesticides.   Thanks to Rachel Carson, the Endangered Species Act and other factors, the story of the bald eagle in the lower 48 was a story of success.  The same can be said for other species like the osprey, which was also hurt by DDT.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way.

Song Bird

Mountain Bluebird, Yellowstone National Park

Photo of a mountain bluebird on a sage plant.
Mountain Bluebird on Sage

Here is one of the many bluebirds I saw in Yellowstone recently.  I’ve added him and a few others to my website today.  You can see the them by clicking here and then using the right arrow on your keyboard.  You may need to click on the web page before you can use your right arrow to move to the next image.