God's creation - Close to home

 

Mountain Bluebird returns to nest boxes on Division Creek Road

We counted over a dozen Bluebird pairs

 

Sunrise over Livingsston Peak

Clark's Nutcracker

Looking for Pine Nuts

Yum!  Found it!

Mountain Chickadee

Finds plenty to eat

Cassin's Finch

Female Cassin's Finch

Ospreys returned to Sacajawea Park

Female wastes no time to lay eggs.  Also collecting left out clothing to decorate the nest

Turkey Vulture on cold morning

Spreading wings to warm up in the sunlight

 

Takes flight to look for roadkill.

Ruffed Grouse on drumming log

Same log as last year, but got no photos then

This year, got the whole performance

Ruffed neck, drooping wings and spread tail

Perched Golden Eagle, Mission Creek Road

Golden Eagle fly over, harrassed by Ravens

Snow covered Absaroka Mountains

Willow Tree budding out

Female Red-winged Blackbirds arrived three weeks behind the males

First Cowbird of Spring

Eurasian Collared-Doves pairing up

White-crowned Sparrows have arrived

As soon as the oranges were out, the House Finches found them

Black-billed Magpies still devour all the suet

Full "Flower" Moon

Red Fox returns to denning area, Magpies harrassing

Pishing stops fox, checking out what's happening

Comes in for a closer look...

then scampers off.

Wow! The whole family of Ground Squirrels responds to pishing.

Quick hide, I'll guard the burrow.

One of the few neighborhood rabbits

Am. Robin securing worms after much needed rain.

However the higher elevations got more snow in May.

❤️ Love & Prayers 🙏🏽

We appreciated all the prayers for Ida's hip replacement surgery and recovery.

Ty & Ida Baumann

Day trips from Livingston

 

Dusky Grouse in the early morning at Tom Miner Basin

Displaying and booming to attract a female,  Looking Good!

Bighorn Sheep - first time we have seen them at Tom Miner

Sheep herd resting and chewing cud

Coyote stops running to check us out

Mountain Bluebird

Hundreds of Elk covered the hills

One brave cow Elk stands her ground

They will soon be assending to the mountains

First Osprey arrives for the Spring to claim nest

One day of snow returned to the area, Red-winged Blackbirds come to our feeder

A pleasant surprise, a Yellow-headed Blackbird

He stayed for a short visit, then continued his migration

Male House Finch sports Spring color

A trip up Brackett Creek Road produced our first Yellow-bellied Marmot

A Bald Eagle by the nest has a Squirrel for lunch

Red-tailed Hawk soars over Livingston

The Red-tailed Hawk has a branch to add to their nest

Bald Eagle near roadway

Common Merganser pair on Yellowstone River

Drake Merganser - note nuptial colored bill and feet

Female Merganser sports crest

Long-billed Curlews return to Willow Creek Ranch for nesting

Abundant Western Meadowlarks claim territories

Sharp-tailed Grouse love the short-grass prairie

Sharp-tailed Grouse pair

Willow Creek bird preserve area had a Ring-necked Pheasant

A rarity for the area

Look closely, a pair of Killdeer blend into the background

Doe Pronghorn Antelope tops the hill with the snow-capped Crazy Mountains 20 miles distant

Is it a five legged, 2 headed buck Pronghorn Antelope?

Not really!   

Buck Pronghorn feeding on Sagebrush

Sandhill Crane in wetland area

Sandhill has soil painted feathers

Wild Turkey, white shows it is a merriami Western sub-species

On a trip to Martinsdale Reservoir we counted 6 Common Loons

California Gull

Long-billed Curlews were calling in flight over territory

In Wilsall neighborhood, a cow Moose 

She stopped to reach buds and twigs in another yard.

Looking forward to more migration in God's beautiful creation.

❤️ Love & Prayers 🙏🏽

Ty & Ida Baumann