I had the wonderful opportunity to help my friend Soo drive her daughter to college in Colorado.  We spent 4 days driving out, three days getting DeMeaus settled at school, then 4 days driving home.  On the trip out we spent 2 days in Yellowstone and 2 days in the Grand Teton area.  The return trip took us across Colorado, Utah, and Idaho.  I took just shy of 10,000 pictures on the trip. It was a wonderful trip from beginning to end.

We arrived at Yellowstone around 5 pm.  We settled in at the hotel, then went into the park an hour before sunset.  Within 5 minutes of entering the park, we saw a herd of Big Horn Sheep. Female Bighorned Sheep The following day, we entered the park an hour before sunrise and were in the Lamar Valley as it was getting light.  We saw a black bear, but the light was too low to get a good picture.  Our best sighting of the day were Bison as the sun was rising.   Bison taking a dust bath Male Bison Male Bison with birds We also got a great view if a Coyote catching and eating a ground squirrel. Coyote with ground squirrel We got one brief view of Sandhill Cranes, but for much of the trip, we could hear them calling, but got no close views. Sandhill Crane The second day was mostly driving. We needed to make it to Jackson, WY by late afternoon.  We meandered south slowly. Our best sighting of the day was an American Dipper. We spent almost an hour with this little guy.  He was very cooperative posing for us. American Dipper The next day was magical.  From the beginning to end we had wonderful wildlife sightings. We started before sunrise watching a family of elk crossing a river, Bald Eagles, Osprey and Common Mergansers everywhere.  However, my favorite sighting of the morning was the White Pelicans.  They flew in just as the sun was rising, and it created some beautiful lighting effects. White Pelican The other fun species there was a Spotted Sandpiper. He was working the bank for quite a while, but my biggest frustration was that he was always between me and the sun. Spotted Sandpiper We stopped that the Visitor's Center on our way back to the hotel to get information on the best place to see moose.  They suggested a local river, and boy were they right!  We got to see three Bull Moose and several females.   Bull Moose I learned that it is the willow that the moose are after. They prefer marshy settings, but they will forage in rocky rivers (their footing is unsteady on rocky river bottoms) if there is willow.

The next few days was our time to get DeMeaus settled at the Colorado School of Mines.  That was a fun trip in itself.  After three days in Colorado, Soo and I started our trip home. We drove across the state of Colorado and had one really good Big Horn Sheep viewing.  Big Horn Sheep calf That evening, we got the the Grand Junction area, and toured The Colorado National Monument.  Colorado National Monument

I saw another life bird just as the sun was setting: a Pinyon Jay. Pinyon Jay The following day was another one of those magical days.  We again got on the road before sunrise. We drove into Utah and followed the Colorado River.  It cuts through this wonderful canyon. There were lots of trees near the river, so we saw lots of birds, with two more life birds: a Blue Gray Gnatcatcher and a Blue Grosbeak. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue Grosbeak We got up to the Salt Lake area by late afternoon, so we checked into the hotel, and spent the remaining daylight hours at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.  This place is beyond description.  So many birds, and they are right by the road.  The sun was obscured by smoke almost an hour before sunset, but we were able to scope out where we wanted to visit the next day. We did, however, get some really good pictures of a Clark's Grebe, another life bird. Clark's Grebe We got up very early the next morning and spent many hours touring the Refuge again.  This time we knew exactly where to go to get the best morning light. We had great views of White-faced Ibis, Avocet, Black-necked Stilt and Solitary Sandpipers (another life bird). We also got a very good view of a Burrowing Owl before the sun rose. We spent a while viewing the Western and Clark's Grebe area, but the sun angle was not optimal. To end our visit to the Refuge, we saw a pond with many Wilson's Phalaropes. They were doing their spinning method of fishing. It was now late afternoon, so we had to hightail it to Idaho. On the way, we stopped at the Brockman's Hummingbird Feeding station south of Twin Falls.  Photography was challenging there, as the feeders were all in the shade, but it is a fun place to visit.

Our final day of photography was spent in Idaho. We spent the morning at the Silver Creek Preserve north of Twin Falls.  Even before we were out of the parking lot, I saw a Cowbird chick being fed by a tiny female Lazuli Bunting.  Poor mama! There were lots of birds feeding on the numerous berry plants. I saw another life bird, the Yellow Breasted Chat. Just before leaving the preserve, the caretakers told Soo and I about a campground nearby that had lots of Common Nighthawks.  Neither of us had ever seen one, so off we went.  The campground was very close by, and the trees were full of Nighthawks. It was amazing.  We got some great closeups, as well as flight shots. Very very cool! The trip was exhausting, but something I will treasure for many years to come.  I need to get back out there to explore some of these areas further!!!