Natural Bridge, Cherry River, Pine Creek Adventures

 

Drive down Swingly Road brought a great surprise, Moose and her calf.

We first saw her lying down in creekside willows

Rock Wren singing from the rocks

Western Tanager

We arrived at Natural Bridge hoping for a rock bridge but it collapsed in 1988

Bolder Creek rushing through the rock canyon a hundred feet below

Violet-green Swallows nest in the canyon walls

Least Chipmunk

Bald Eagle

Eastern Kingbird

Western Medowlark singing

Old Man's Whiskers / Prairie Smoke

Cluster Crane's Bill / Wild Purple Sticky Geranium

Spring Goldenweed

Attention!  Neighborhood White-tailed Deer

Black Headed Grosbeak at our feeder

Female Black-headed Grosbeak

"Wild" Turkey on neighbor's roof

Western Wood-Pewee

Bullock's Oriole

Western Tanager

American Coot at Cherry River in Bozeman

Common Garter Snake crosses the trail

Common Yellowthroat

Female Common Yellowthroat

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Yellow-headed Blackbird female, beak filled with insects for young

Hear their interesting call!

Pine Creek Trail south of Livingston, very steep canyon

Swainson's Thrush's voice carries far in the canyon

Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler

Snowshoe Hare, summer pelage wet from the rain

Two young Yellow-bellied Marmots

Mom keeping an eye on the young

Keeping our eye on the local Osprey pair

They just keep adding sticks.

Every trip we take brings such beauty and variety of wildlife, plants and scenery.

❤️ Love & Prayers 🙏🏽

Ty & Ida Baumann

More wildlife adventures

Cinnamon Teal preening at Cherry River near Bozeman

Cinnamon Teal pair

Yellow-headed Blackbird a colony nesting in the cattails

Doing his squeaky gate call

Marsh Wren

Came in for a close up photo

Trip to Bench Road in Three Forks gave us a plesant surprise - Short-eared Owl

Found secord Short-eared Owl flying over the marsh

Small marsh pond produced a good number of waterfowl - Redhead

Ruddy Duck drake in nuptial colors

Common Yellowthroat singing

Another surprise - Lark Bunting, our first for Montana

Burrowing Owl - same nesting spot as last year

Checking everywhere, staying alert

Nearby Long-billed Curlews were nesting, three young chicks scurried into the grass

Adults kept warning us off hoping we would leave

Calling overhead, and after our short visit we left

Five foot long Gopher Snake

Non-venomous species

Lamar Valley at Yellowstone National Park

Concentrated on bird watching - (saw 59 bird species for the morning) Cinnamon Teal pair 

Blue-winged Teal

Brewer's Sparrow singing on Sagebrush

Cassin's Finch

Lincoln's Sparrow

Gray Catbird

North to Wilsall and the Reservoir, American Wigeon

Lesser Scaup pair and Cinnamon Teal

Cinnamon Teal are fun to see - certainly not rare as back east

Northern Shoveler

Two drake Shovelers escort female

Northern Pintail pair

Eared Grebe

Flock of Wilson's Phalaropes twirl while feeding

Pair of Black-necked Stilts

Stilts in flight

Pair of Sandhill Cranes

Bald Eagle by his usual nest site

Pronghorn Antelope

Pishing for birds is not always strickly for the brids, Red Squirrel came to see what's up?

Yellow Avalanche-Lilies at Bridger Bowl Ski Hill

Yellow Warbler

Chipping Sparrow

Early morning ride to Tom Miner Basin we encountered a preforming Dusky Grouse.

Our Grand-neice and husband came with us.

Who the courting was for, two female Dusky Grouse

Rare for Montana Rose-breasted Grosbeak singing on territory

Red-naped Sapsucker

Many Elk were out early

A boxing match between two young Elk bulls

One bull ran far away leaving the does and calves

This cow Elk kept circling this  Grizzly Bear with her three cubs.

Based on past experiences we know that she lost her calf to the bear family.

Grizzly Sow with three cubs the apex predators quickly consume the carcass

Mama bear sits and watches us watching her and cubs.

God's creation may seem cruel sometimes, but it keeps all in balance until He returns.

❤️ Love & Prayers 🙏🏽

Ty & Ida Baumann