Yes I'm close to Nevada but I don't mean "One-armed Bandits". I decided that today I would explore a slot canyon for the first time and it was kind of cool. Willis Creek has its headwaters in Bryce Canyon and flows into Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The waters have carved out a series of slot canyons before the creek joins with Sheep Creek (which flows into the Paria River which eventually flows into the Colorado). This image is from the first of three of the creek's slot canyons we explored (I chose to keep my feet dry, Roxie's preferred route was in the water, naturally). Some areas were as little as 4 to 5 feet wide while the sculpted sandstone walls rose about 50-60 feet high.

The entrance to the canyon is via a well worn trail that passes by some interesting sandstone that has been shaped by the creek. Maybe it was because I was kind of excited about what lay ahead that I didn't notice it until we were making our way out but I heard a sound of rushing water just before making the climb out of the canyon that I just had to investigate. To my right was the same sandstone I'd noticed next to the trail as we entered and a small "slot canyon", 8 or 10 feet high and just a few feet wide. About 20 feet from where I stepped into this slot was a point where the creek curved 90 degrees. Just beyond that point was a waterfall (maybe 4 or 5 feet high) in a chamber neatly sculpted by eons of water flowing over the sandstone.

Tomorrow there will be more adventures discovering the geology of this incredible place . . .

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A downside to being where I am is that I since what, last Friday, been neglecting the birds and wildlife in favor of the scenery. But it is not hard to be distracted by it as it is quite dramatic. I had actually gone out yesterday morning looking for wildlife and ended up shooting more scenic stuff. This image was taken from near the end of the road west of Kanab that leads to the site of an old settlement, Pahreah (and also a now burned to the ground movie set called "Paria"). This area is known as the "Badlands" but the attraction for me was the geology and its color. Regarding the wildlife I think I need to readjust my thinking - stuff just isn't moving around much in the morning - usually the best time to shoot - because of the temp hovering around freezing (or below).

Late in the morning I learned that a road that had been closed since the downpours of a few weeks ago was now open and I decided to trek out to photograph an arch I had missed out on a week ago when I had gone to Bryce Canyon. Not terribly far, but still a pretty long trip made that much longer due to the fact that most access to the monument is via "roads" that really don't fir the definition well. In some sections 15 miles per hour might have been too fast. But I timed it right and arrived at the arch to catch the warm late afternoon light.

Grosvenor Arch (named for Gilbert Hovey Grosvenor, president of the National Geographic Society from 1903-1954) is unique in that it is a double arch. It was a long drive home on a bumpy and, at times, narrow dirt road but worth the effort.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was kind of a take it easy day; didn't really do much except an exploratory drive in some new territory and an afternoon hike out to The Toadstools - cool looking hoodoos - in Grand Staircase-Escalante. Actually, I only found the first one and could not seem to locate the trail to the others (that and the light was beginning to disappear). So were are left with a couple of different shots of the First Toadstool - at least for now.

On my visits to Zion I have not visited the main canyon because the only access was via a shuttle bus and I could not come to grips with doing it that way. I learned today that as of Wednesday the road will be open to all vehicles - so I plan to head back there. And since I have decided to hang around here a little longer, the plan is to do some asking around as the week progresses to find out some details regarding the exact location of those other toadstools. All because I have an idea for the first toadstool that involves the nearly full Moon that is coming up on Thursday. By leaving a little earlier armed with better directions I should be able to find the others . . . hopefully.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Something that has long intrigued me in the Southwest is the presence of petroglyphs and pictographs left by The Ancient Ones. In fact they were one of the first things I asked about when I stopped at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Visitor Center. So, yesterday I began the day with a short hike into Catstair Canyon west of Kanab and shoot some images of the Rock Art to be found there. This first one is of a man and is a petroglyph - it was etched or chipped into the rock.

This image of a man with outstretched limbs is a pictograph - the difference being it was painted to the surface of the rock. This type of Rock Art is much easier to pick out when scanning the wall to see what all is there; many of the petroglyphs are definitely a little tougher to find. Sometimes I look at things and have a hard time deciding if they are just water stains or just patterns in the grain of the sandstone. Of course it doesn't help that over the years some loonies have chosen to vandalize the area and leave graffiti around the place (though it is said that some of the graffiti was left by "cowboys" in the 1800's).

This one I can only guess is a pictograph since the petroglyphs were all lighter in color than the stone's surface. My best guess is that it is a deer but could also be an elk - though in this day an age they are found 30-40 miles away. According to the information I received from the BLM the oldest art on this wall is thought to be at least 6,000 years old.

As we were making our way from the canyon back to the truck I stopped to make an image of the small cactus (3 - 31/2 inches tall). Since I plan to be in areas where cactus is pretty common stuff I guess I will have to start checking around for a field guide to Southwestern plants - one more reference for the old bookshelf (which is starting to get overfilled in this trailer). The other thing I have decided to do is keep notes about how big different plants are since it seems I keep running into similar plants that are different sizes. (Sheesh, birds and mammals now seem easy compared to bugs and plants.)

A late morning search for some birds came up empty, while later I tried to wait out a Desert Cottontail (it won). Plans for the afternoon were scuttled when I got in a long chat with a neighbor about places to visit in the area. When that conversation finally ended I was back and forth about whether or not to go find a place to shoot the sunset since it looked like it might be too cloudy for the sky to light up much (and it was long past the time I would have needed to leave to get to the place I had originally planned to go). Finally I decided to head out and, if I found a suitable setting, I would hope for a good light show. I learned a month or two ago to just go for it and if it happens, it happens - that was after missing a couple of great sunrises or sunsets. I chose this lone Utah Juniper with a small mesa in the background for the location, the setting Sun did the rest.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 03:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I set out Friday morning with three things I wanted to get accomplished. Although I had not originally planned to look for Desert Bighorn Sheep at Zion National Park until the afternoon, I made a sudden decision to turn in that direction about a mile before the intersection - and a good decision it was. A neighbor at the RV park had tipped me off regarding the area I should be looking and, while it took a couple of trips back and forth, they did finally venture out to where I could see them.(luckily not too far from a place I could park). In this image 4 rams (of varying ages) came together briefly, engaged in a little playful head-butting, then wandered off to browse independently.

Once the sheep wandered off I set out on the next phase of my quest - Utah Prairie Dogs near Cedar City. Teresa at Utah Division of Wildlife Resources assisted me in my quest with directions to a colony south of the city. With temperatures getting colder the "dogs" are not very active these days and it required a lot of patience just to get anything at all - 3 images over something like 2-1/2 hours. The lesson to take away from this experience is to seek them out in late Spring or early Summer when they are hungry and have young . . .

Next on the agenda was to head in the direction of the Bristlecone Pine Trail near Cedar Breaks National Monument in Dixie National Forest to seek out some Bristlecone Pines (naturally). It is said that the oldest trees in this particular stand are about 1600 years old, mere youngsters compared to those in the White Mountains of California, some of which exceed 4000 years. Still, to see something living that was a seedling during the Dark Ages is almost impossible to imagine. The major disappointment for me was I didn't expect them to be growing as straight and true as these seemed to be growing. The only one that was twisted and gnarly (as I expected from pics I have seen) was ruined in terms of an interesting photo because the Forest Service decided it would be nice to put a viewing platform next to it. Oh well, it was still a good day.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The answer for last week's quiz (#18) was Juniper Titmouse.

For this week we've got another little bitty bird photographed in a pine adjacent to the lodge at Grand Canyon's North Rim.

Good luck!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, if yesterday was "golden" then today was "silver". On the third attempt I finally cornered a Kaibab Squirrel. The ride out to the North Rim (Grand Canyon) was worth it. Thanks goes to one of the park rangers who tipped me off that she had been seeing them quite regularly in the campground now that it was all but empty for the season. From what I have read in researching them it is said that they are shy and that is about spott on because they would often blast up the side of a huge Ponderosa Pine at the slightest noise. They made me work for it but sometimes that is half of the fun.

This particular one was probably about as tame as they come and allowed me to get fairly close. Had all kinds of energy to spare, too. I had a pretty good laugh a couple of times when this one would come running and attack a pine cone then wrestle with it, rolling on its back and kicking at the cone. The down side was this all took place in heavy shadow and there just wasn't enough light to get the shutter speed necessary to capture the goings on. Naturally my pleading with the squirrel to come out into the sunlight fell upon deaf tassel-ears.

Just glad that I have a few shots of this one behind me and can look now to the Utah Prairie Dogs tomorrow.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I and the Bird, the Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is winging its way to you this week courtesy of Dan at Migrations. Fly on over and enjoy the best in bird blogging . . .

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once the rain and clouds moved out this afternoon I headed out to Kaibab National Forest in search of squirrels but once again without success. The one positive aspect of the trip was to catch sight of this bird as it was flying near the highway. It kindly made a pass directly overhead from where I parked the truck and gave me my first shot at a Golden Eagle. Got a ways to go before there are as many in the catalog as there are Bald Eagle but it's a start. Nice thing about this image is that it provides a good diagnostic look at the underwing pattern one might expect to find on a first year Golden.

(I am extremely pleased to finally get this one but when I first noticed the large bird off in the distance I was secretly hoping for condor . . . )

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 01:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you've been following along I have expressed some mild frustration in a couple of entries about restrictions for pets at locations I have been visiting recently. Dogs in the Cottonwood Canyons (near Salt Lake City) - prohibited. At Arches, Canyonlands, Zion, and Bryce National Parks - no dogs on the (usually short) trails to the overlooks. At Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Colorado dogs are okay on the overlooks. Though restricted in some areas of Yellowstone, Roxie even got to visit Old Faithful when we were there in July. At Grand Canyon (I just learned this morning) the overlook trails are okay for dogs, however they are not permitted in the backcountry (consistent with other parks and reasonable). And no dogs are allowed on the backcountry trails in Grand Staircase-Escalante, though, as I noted yesterday, cows are still allowed to spoil the landscape. Though I may be incorrect, my best guess is that these regulations must somehow be local in nature since it has been my experience thus far that they are limited to parks/monuments in this state.

What prompted this rant happened just a few minutes ago when I was walking Roxie near the RV park here in Kanab. Next door is the local fire station and, as it is situated on a "Y", there happens to be a lot of city owned "greenspace". Next to the sidewalk I noticed a sign declaring that animals are not allowed on said greenspace and that violations could result in a fine of up to $750.00

Maybe I am missing something here, but Utah, you seem to have some weird hangups about canine pets. I haven't a clue as to the reasons for your phobias, but you really, really need to get over them.

Punish those who don't clean up after them or can't control them if need be, but leave those of use who are responsible owners (along with my wallet, keys, and AMEX card, I don't leave home without "poop bags") the hell alone.

Addendum:

A few "dogs and National Parks" notes:

Acadia: 100 miles of trails which are open to leashed pets
Big Bend: not on trails, can go "wherever your car can go"
Glacier: not on trails, otherwise restrained with max. 6 foot leash
Olympic: okay on 3 of the beaches if leashed, not on trails
Rocky Mountain: not on trails, otherwise restrained with max. 6 foot leash
Sequoia-Kings Canyon: not on trails, otherwise restrained with max. 6 foot leash
Theodore Roosevelt: not on trails, restrained with max. 6 foot leash, "don't mix well with Bison"
Yosemite: allowed if leashed on paved trails (which would include, based upon my most recent visit, some of the waterfalls and viewpoints including Glacier Point)

These are just a few examples from a bit of quick web research and, though somewhat generalized, sufficiently illustrate my point. The NPS understandably has restrictions regarding keeping dogs out of the backcountry and I don't have a problem with that whatsoever and, in fact, wholeheartedly agree with them. Not being permitted to walk 100 or 200 feet from a parking area to a canyon overlook on an asphalt or cement walkway is another thing entirely and, to be blunt, phenomenally absurd. And based upon what I have seen it still appears as though the "canine problem" is pretty much limited to Utah.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 01:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So here I am in the southern extremes of Utah, just a few miles north of the Arizona border, and there is a lot to see. My first morning (Saturday) was spent roaming around a good chunk of Kaibab National Forest (in AZ bordering Grand Canyon N.P.) in search of Kaibab Squirrels without much success (one fleeting glimpse of one dashing off into the Ponderosa Pines with a pine cone along for the ride). The afternoon was an opportunity to explore the west side of Vermilion Cliffs National Monument north of the Grand Canyon. The Cliffs are famous in one respect as the hacking location for California Condors being reintroduced here (and the group that, to date, has had the best breeding success in the various release areas). This rock formation was not far from the Arizona/Utah border as I made my way north along a very long (and at times very rough) gravel road. I saw no condors along the way though I had been hopeful.

Have also spent a little time in Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument; this is a mesa off Johnson Canyon Road. The road runs north from U.S. 89 until it enters the monument and, along the way, one encounters a few buildings that were used as the town on the old T.V. western Gunsmoke. This section of the monument is quite as other portions that I will be exploring further as I hang around this area for a while. The thing that disturbs me is I visit these “protected” locations administered by the B.L.M. and I see cattle allowed to roam. Apparently any grazing rights in existence at the time the area was given monument status (one of the things Mr. Clinton was vilified for) remain in effect. (SIDE NOTE: However, no one is allowed to take a dog on a trail into the “wilderness” while at the same time being warned at the trailhead that one just might encounter cattle sharing the trail. Right. No dogs allowed even though my "wilderness experience" will involve sidestepping piles of cow sh*t on my way to view a beautiful slot canyon. Makes sense, eh?)

Sunday was something of a screw up on my part as I managed to get my Utah National Parks mixed up. I went looking to find, among other things, some Utah Prairie Dogs but my inquiries kept drawing nothing more than confused looks. I finally made my way to the Visitor Center on the west side of the park and, as luck would have it, the park employee formerly worked at the place I needed to be looking for them. They are at Bryce Canyon and I was at Zion. Oh well, the scenery was beautiful anyway with some fall color hanging on as you can see. The prairie dogs would have to wait until Monday.

My first stop at Bryce was the visitor center and the first thing I heard was that they UPD’s (as they referred to them) were already in hibernation. When I asked about other possible locations in the state the employee at the desk (Joe, who was very helpful) checked with his boss. She (Christy?) came out to speak with me and said that she had actually seen some the previous day but they were now only coming out for brief periods late in the day. So I spent the morning looking at and photographing) hoodoos. Bryce is just another example of what a spectacular state Utah is.

As it turned out the only wildlife I would shoot on the day were some Mule Deer I saw immediately after leaving the Visitor Center and this very accommodating Common Raven. It was perched on a sign at the Ponderosa Point overlook and I’m guessing it was looking for handouts. Not surprising since I came upon some people feeding ravens at Zion just the day before. Though I have yet to follow through I am often tempted to report people and, now, even more so after reading this (not for the faint of heart).

Oh, yeah – I did get to see 2 of the UPD’s briefly but couldn’t get any shots. I know of another location that is not far from a couple of other places I intend to look for some birdlife and, being at a lower elevation, my prospects may be a little better.

One last image for this entry is a shot I took at Zion shortly after noon. I saw it while sizing up a canyon to see when (or if) the Sun would be more favorably positioned to light up the (potentially) glowing Cottonwoods along a creek (it wouldn’t). This one shrub at the edge of the cliff was backlit by the Sun and the wind was blowing something (pollen or ice crystals or ???) off that appeared to be falling almost like snow. I also noticed long strings (spider webs?) floating in the air. Just thought it was kind of different.

Today has been cloudy (now raining a little) and tomorrow, at least in the morning, kinda looks that way too. If the weather breaks them I plan to go looking for the squirrels again along with some of the birds I should be able to find in the forest.

We’ll let you know how it goes . . .

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As promised here's our bird for this week's quiz that was shot at Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. After last week's pain in the rear gull, a California Gull (Utah's State Bird), this one should be a bit less of a challenge.

Have fun!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have been visiting with my niece and (some) her family in Richfield, UT. I must admit the drive west from Green River on Wednesday was pretty spectacular as I passed through an area I had been unaware of known as the San Rafael Swell. The first image was taken from a rest/viewing area just as you encounter the eastern edge of the swell and it is known as San Rafael Reef. Layers of sandstone have been uplifted and tilt rather steeply and, at first glance, present what appears to be and almost impenetrable barrier. You can see near center left of the photo where Interstate 70 makes its way through a cut in the rock. You can get a feel for the scale from the eastbound tractor/trailer that is just exiting the cut (just below center and slightly to the right).

Continuing west I shot this image at the Eagle Canyon view area. The white stuff you see on the rock at lower right is exactly what you think it is - snow. It is gettin to be that time of year here though it still seems weird that "desert" can get snow. It has everthing to to with elevation.

In addition to getting a chance to spend some quality time with family, the other highlight was my talk yesterday at the elementary school where my niece teaches. The talk was about Bald Eagles and it was a little tricky preparing for a couple of reasons. The first was that I had but 20 minutes; the second was the fact that my audience was grades K-2. So I had to keep it pretty simple; I think we did okay. As much as anything just the chance to see the photos was enough - there were a lot of oohs and ahhs. I opened with a little overview of the things I do and one of the biggest reactions of the whole presentation was a closeup shot of a dragonfly. I had a great time anyway and, though only my second talk with grade school age kids, I really do enjoy it.

On the road for another short hop today - see you in Kanab, UT!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Though the day started out like it was going to be rotten (just like the forecast), it actually turned out to be pretty good for most of the day. We started out with a visit to Arches National Park where it was cloudy when we visited the only actual arches you could see by driving to them (most require at least a short hike and you-know-who is absolutely forbidden from being on the trails at both Arches and Canyonlands). The Sun did finally come out and I siezed the opportunity to shoot 2 or 3 of the 'fins" in the Courtyard Towers area; this one is called "Tower of Babel".

Once the Sun got a little high and bright for shooting much we headed into Moab to grab a little lunch and headed from there back to Canyonlands National Park because I had found a spot with a few birds when we visited yesterday afternoon. The location was a picnic area toward the south end of the Islands in the Sky unit of Canyonlands and the birds (and others) probably hang out there and scrounge food scraps left behind by the human visitors. This Western Scrub-jay was flitting around with a couple of buddies - a new species ticked off the list for me. I also got another new one but plan on keeping it in my hip pocket for the Firday Quiz this week.

This must be chipmunk week, getting the Least the other day at Black Canyon of the Gunnison then this Hopi Chipmunk today - and I hadn't even moved from the location where I had been shooting the scrub-jays. Not far from where they were shot I caught some movement by a small lizard and made some images of it as well (a Common Side-blotched Lizard).

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I got to Moab I was, shall we say surprised, that there was not a single spot available in any local campground. Seems that it was a 4-day weekend for Utah students (which I was aware of in the back of my mind but didn't think it would affect me), a huge mountain bike race ("The 24 Hours of Moab"), and that Moab is a mecca for off-roaders. So after a bit of scrambling I decided that Grand Junction, Colorado wasn't a bad choice (and fairly close) and headed that direction. I took the opportunity to take a drive on Friday over to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This image is from water level at the East Portal looking west into the entrance to the main canyon. (For birders looking for American Dippers to add to your life list I saw 6 on the far (north) side of the river in about the first 1/2 hour I was there - one even sang and danced for me,)

The only wildlife that was cooperative enough for me to photograph was this Least Chipmunk and even it was a bit of a chore. They are hyperactive to say the least. In addition to the aforementioned dippers, birding wasn't too bad; species I saw included Western Scrub-jay, Common Raven, Chickadees (not sure on exact species), Canyon Wren, Steller's Jay, Black-billed Magpie,American Robin, Blue Grouse, Bald Eagle, American Kestrel, and a possible Peregrine Falcon.

I do not know why it is but I have this thing about photographing these trees (Pinyon?) in this state (dead). I always seem to be looking at them and it is probably because of their interesting twisted and gnarled appearance which, though not quite as drastic, is not unlike some of the ancient Bristlecone Pines.

Today I am going to be going back to Utah and try (again) for a few days in the Canyonlands and Arches (yes, I have a site reserved and paid for). Weather is touch and go; what is odd is that I saw mention in one of the forecasts about "monsoonal rains". I lived in Colorado (southeast of here) and "monsoon season" was in July and August. Things are kind of goofy weather-wise . . .

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I know what you're thinking - "Oh no, not another gull!" Well, I was thinking the same thing but I gave away the grebes and this is the only other species I shot this week. I could have a thrown chipmunk out there just to break up the monotony (I waited long enough for the darned thing to hold still) but the gull is just gonna have to do . . .

Have a go at it anyway and, before I forget, if you answered "Northern Harrier" for last week's quiz you were correct.

Looking forward to your answers!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I and the Bird, the Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers is being hosted this week by Tortoise Trail. The theme is "Hootenany" and players from around the world have joined in the merriment.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was my last day in this area and it is now time to move on. It has been a mixed bag weatherwise, starting out real crummy then getting progressively better. My second trip up to Logan Canyon was certainly better than the first since this time it did not get completely socked in on my way up the mountain. In a way it was kind of scary getting out of the truck to make images because everybody else that I saw was decked out in blaze orange (it is deer season). This first shot is of a cascade on the Logan River although in this area it is much more of a stream as the water makes its way past bolders covered with lichens, moss, and other vegetation.

Next to the water's edge is where I found this Aspen leaf resting atop one of the aforementioned rocks covered with vegetation. And yes, the white fringe around the leaf's edge is ice crystals. At the time it was about -2°C (28°F) and there was patchy snow on the ground at this elevation and snow on the trees with just a more elevation gain. Many of the Aspens at this altitude were almost complete devoid of leaves. Winter is coming.

My primary mission in this area was to try and catch up with the Tundra Swans that stop off at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. Something like 75% of the North American population (30,000+ birds) stops at the refuge during fall migration but due to a warm fall in the northlands they have yet to arrive. In 4 trips out there today was the first time I actually had weather good enough to even point the camera at any birds and had a small group of Western Grebes feeding near the wildlife drive that chose to cooperate; while there are well over 100K ducks on the refuge right now they are understandably a little bit skittish with all the gunfire going on around them.

(Here's an ID tip, something I learned today about grebes in basic/non-breeding plumage: It is difficult to tell Western Grebes from Clark's Grebes with bill color being the determining factor. Western's bills more of a olive-yellow and dark on the upper and lower portions of the mandibles while the Clark's are just plain yellow.)

Back in Florida I was often amused by first year Royal Terns who seem to beg for food months after they should probably be taking car of themselves. The entire time I was shooting the grebes I watched and listened to the annoying bird on the right. Its begging was incessant but the parent would give it something from time to time so I guess it was okay. It was, however, the only one within earshot of my position that was carrying on this way out of some 30 birds.

Tomorrow morning I will be heading down to the southeastern part of the state to visit the area around Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. Next Thursday I will be giving a talk about Bald Eagles at an elementary school in Richfield, Utah (which should be an adventure) and, after that, may give the swans a second shot since some cold weather is now working through Canada.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Though my morning plans were scuttled by a bunch of low clouds that settled in over the mountains, it turned out to be a nice afternoon to visit Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake. I took this shot just so I'd have it because this has to be one of the rarest sights in the world of birds - a grebe out of the water. This Eared Grebe was standing next to the shore doing a little preening. Like loons, grebes have legs that are positioned far back on their bodies - though it enhances there ability to swim, it makes it difficult for them to move around on land.

One of the things I learned today was that virtually the entire population of Eared Grebes can be found in two places this time of year: Mono Lake in California and here at the Great Salt Lake. In both locations the waters teem with Brine Shrimp (and little else save for algae and brine flies) and the grebes are here to fatten up on them. I discovered these interesting facts about them after I got home:

At its fall staging areas, the Eared Grebe more than doubles its weight. The pectoral (chest) muscles shrink to the point of flightlessness, the digestive organs grow significantly, and great fat deposits accumulate. Then before departure for migration, the digestive organs shrink back to about one-fourth their peak size and the heart and pectoral muscles grow quickly. (from All About Birds/Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology)

In addition to thousands of Eared Grebes, there are huge numbers of American Avocets around the area also - I saw a huge roost not far from the causeway that I estimated to be at least 5000 birds.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just to make things even more difficult, I have timed my visit to this part of Utah to coincide with the opening weekend of DUCK HUNTING SEASON. On the plus side there are places I can visit where there are no hunters. On the downside (for both me and the hunters), due to a warm fall in Canada there aren't many ducks here yet and the folks at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge say that, to date, no Tundra Swans have arrived, either.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

and saw my shadow.

And just as I had doubts about the existence of the Teton Range earlier in the week, I have finally seen the Great Salt Lake and can confirm that it still exists, too (and is probably a little deeper given the amount of rainfall the last couple of days).

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 04:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week's answer: Wilson's Warbler.

For this week I had to dig into my archives (again) for the photo but, had it not been a day of record rainfall (Brigham City, UT is "home" for the next several days and doubled the previous rainfall record today) I almost certainly would have made some images of this raptor given the number of them that are around.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After spending a couple of pretty much unproductive days at Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta trying to keep from blowing away (this trailer really rocks and rolls in 45 mph gusts - not unlike being in a never ending quake) I made my way south to Grand Teton National Park. Since arriving I have encountered a few Moose - In fact I can safely say I have seen as many here as I did in the entire 8+ weeks I spent in Canada and Alaska. Of the 3 bulls I have seen so far this was the only one that came out in the open enough for a clear shot and was sporting quite a large radio collar. Somebody wants to know where this guy is going . . .

Not far away from the bull was a female and her calf who had been spending much of the time all but obscured in a stand of aspens. That all changed when the bull decided to get amorous and the female wasn't at all interested in such matters and ran away (directly toward a group of suddenly horrified onlookers). This shot is when the calf came out in the open looking for mom and the whole time it was making a sound that I wish I could come up the words to describe. What was funny was that after the mother and calf crossed the highway and the bull lost sight of them, he was making the same sort of pitiful sound. Poor guy; unlucky in love.

The mountains for which the park is famous have, for the most part, been shrouded in clouds since I arrived. The only time they've been free of clouds was Tuesday evening and that is when I shot this twilight silhouette. Too bad because the fall colors are at or near peak right now and there are a lot of interesting possibilities.

It is not going to get any better and I am going to move on into Utah today. First stop is near the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge north of Salt Lake City where I hope to encounter lots of Tundra Swans and other waterfowl.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A little later this morning I will be heading back into the “Lower 48” for the first time in just over 2 months and what better way to celebrate than with a few “notes from the road”.

One thing I noticed around Edmonton and Calgary were there no bypasses, per se, around the cities. The major east-west thoroughfares (Trans-Canada 1 in Calgary and TC-16 in Edmonton) went right through town and weren’t even “freeways”. Led to a little gridlock at times to say the least.

Just down the road from the campground I stayed in outside Edmonton was a facility that must have had a lot of chickens. Not sure if it was for egg production or otherwise. What they did have was a sign (homemade) announcing the availability of chicken manure in bulk. I suppose it would be used for fertilizer and wonder what the minimum "bulk" quantity would be.

While driving around Edmonton a couple of things caught my eye. First, other than a few exceptions like “The Real Canadian Superstore” or “Canadian Tire” most of the “big box” stores are U.S. based. The second thing is along the same lines and that is fast food. Other than “Tim Horton’s” (donuts, though Canadian in origin it had been a part of Wendy’s Int’l for several years until being spun-off a few months ago) and a few pizza chains, all the fast food outlets are courtesy of the U.S. It seems as if A & W is quite popular here, more so than in the states I would say; often they are the only such outlet in smaller towns. Subway would be right there with them, though.

Big surprise (not really): Sporting goods stores (and often sporting goods departments in big discount outlets like "Superstore") stock hockey gear up here.

Signs Along the Way Department:

In Edson (Alberta) I saw a coffee house/bakery/internet café named “Been There, Dunk That”.