Yellowstone Celebration (Part 2)

Spring in Yellowstone, glorified by Canada geese and their goslings floating on one of the meandering meadow creeks. These babies will stay very close to an adult and a safe spot. They're reared on grasslands and meadows. Eggs are laid in March and April, hatching in April and May, so these goslings are very young. On average each nest has  3 or 4 hatchlings. 

Spring in Yellowstone, glorified by Canada geese and their goslings floating on one of the meandering meadow creeks. These babies will stay very close to an adult and a safe spot. They're reared on grasslands and meadows. Eggs are laid in March and April, hatching in April and May, so these goslings are very young. On average each nest has  3 or 4 hatchlings. 

Spring in Yellowstone, glorified by Canada geese and their goslings floating on one of the meandering meadow creeks. These babies will stay very close to an adult and a safe spot. They're reared on grasslands and meadows. Eggs are laid in March and April, hatching in April and May, so these goslings are very young. On average each nest has  3 or 4 hatchlings. 

Calves begin turning brown and develop the distinctive bison hump after a few months. Male bison don't participate in the upbringing of the calves.  Bison have few natural predators because of their size, but wolves, mountain lions and bears do attack the very young or very old bison.  Less than 50% of bison calves survive to 1 year old.  Nature is a brutal world.  A bison calf can break a leg, drown in a river, or be eaten by a wolf.

Home, home on the range. Bison are herbivores, feeding on grasses year round.  Unlike domestic cattle that can eat all the grasses down where they stand and just leave dirt, bison keep moving as they graze before all is eaten.  They generally rest and digest during the day, grazing in the mornings and evenings, and of course they drink water.  Bison appear slow especially from their size. You may be surprised to hear they're actually fast runners. They can run up to 35 mph, as fast as a horse.  And they're very agile, even able to jump fences. You always want to remember to keep a safe distance; use a zoom camera lens.

Bison calf swimming in the water. It took some encouragement from mama to convince this month old (or younger) calf to get in.  He was reluctant to get in the shallow water, deep enough that he had to swim, but mama was determined to move over to a little island in the middle of the stream, so off he went rather than be left behind.

Here the mama's approach the island, and you can see a little calf swimming next to one, perhaps asking for a little help.

Welcome to the island everyone.

And perhaps a congratulatory kiss.

Rare sight of a red fox. He's looking pretty big too, which may be due to his fluffy fur being puffed out. He was more interested in something before him in the distance than in posing for my camera behind him. Seen in the Hayden Valley, the typical habitat is edges of sagebrush/grassland and within forests. The average life span varies from 3-7 years, and up to 11 years in Yellowstone.  Foxes bark, seldom howls.  They eat voles, mice, rabbits, birds, amphibians and other small animals.

A quick blur of a look to the side before he trotted off.

An osprey on her nest. Usually they live near lakes, such as Yellowstone Lake, and in river valleys such as Hayden, Madison, Firehole, and Lamar Valleys all in Yellowstone.  They're also found in river canyons such as Gardiner Canyon and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River - where this osprey nested.

Here the osprey has walked out on the limb overlook.  Yellowstone is home to over 70 species of birds including trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, loons, peregrine falcons, osprey, bald eagles, and so on . . .

A nest with a view, the osprey nest is out in the middle of the grand canyon of Yellowstone.

We saw so many bison stretched all across the Lamar Valley in particular, in multiple meadows.  At one point the bison herd was crossing from hill to meadow and 2 bison butted heads and locked horns a little, but nothing serious between them this time of year.  One evening, looking up above the herd we saw a Northern Harrier Hawk swooping in all directions and floating regally on air.  This raptor can stand still in flight, inspiring the name of the Harrier plane.

Beauty in motion

At home by Slough Creek