Urban Hawks

August 5, 2009December 24, 2020Extralimital

Yellowstone Bison

Yellowstone Bison were easy to find in the Hayden and Lamar Valleys. I had two close encounters with the Bison.

While driving back to the hotel after dark, a Bison walked out into the road, forcing me to swerve into the oncoming lane of the two lane road. Everyone was safe, but it was a close call. It was one of those events that you end up responding to using pure reflex, and end up going over and over again in your head as you fall asleep.

The other encounter was a fun one. While crossing the Yellowstone River bridge into Lamar Valley, a few Bison were blocking the road, so I stopped. While waiting, the few Bison became a herd, who then all crossed the bridge. The bridge shook from all the weight and the Bison herd surrounded my car. It was fantastic to be so up close to the herd from the safety of a car.

August 5, 2009December 25, 2020Extralimital, Other Animals

Yellowstone Yellowbelly Marmot

Some cute Yellowbelly Marmots from Yellowstone. These animals live in colonies and are about 24 inches long.

August 5, 2009December 23, 2020Extralimital

Yellowstone and Grand Teton River Otters

We saw River Otters twice on our trip, at Trout Lake in Yellowstone, and at Oxbow Bend in the Grand Teton National Park. They are some of the cutest and most playful animals I’ve ever seen.

August 4, 2009December 18, 2020Riverside Park Red-tailed Hawks

Hot and Muggy at Riverside

It was hot and humid at Riverside on Tuesday evening. The parents were hanging out north of the Boat Basin cafe and along the parkway. The fledgling was difficult to find, but showed up in and around the playground area later in the evening.

August 4, 2009December 24, 2020Eagles, Falcons, Hawks and Osprey, Extralimital

Osprey Nest in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

One of the great surprises of my trip to Yellowstone was to find an Osprey Nest in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone at over 7,000 feet of elevation. I’m so used to seeing Osprey on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean in the Northeast and in Florida, I never thought they would be so high in Yellowstone fishing and breeding in a canyon.

August 3, 2009December 24, 2020Riverside Park Red-tailed Hawks

Soaring High On Riverside Drive

The Riverside Drive fledgling is really doing well at flying high. On Monday evening, the fledgling flew to a building at 75th and Riverside Drive. It got harassed by an American Kestrel and flew to another building roof. Later, it flew back to its normal hunting grounds and caught a rat, which it eat on a tree limb above the playground. (The video includes pictures of the rat being eaten.)