Tag: wildlife

Sunset at Upper Geyser Basin

On By Mike and Christy5 Comments

Geyser_basin_sunset

It is hard to believe but when we started this walk in the early evening it was snowing like crazy so we decided to leave the good camera inside for a change and just to out and enjoy the snowy weather. Low and behold near the end of the walk it cleared a bit and we were reward with a wonderful show. As the sun went over the hill west of upper geyser basin it light up the clouds in the eastern sky which then reflected into the geyser pools. Glad we still had our phones in our pockets. Upper Geyser Basin, Yellowstone National Park.

 

For the next couple of weeks we will be posting some of our favorite posts from the past as we take a small respite from the digital world.

Shy

On By Mike and Christy5 Comments

shy

A porcupine peaking out from behind a lodgepole pine near Willow Creek Pass in Colorado. We seldom see theses guys while out and about so this was a treat.

Have a great weekend.

For the next couple of weeks we will be posting some of our favorite posts from the past as we take a small respite from the digital world.

 

One winter morning

On By Mike and Christy3 Comments

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We tend to see more foxes prowling the snowfields of winter than we see each summer. Perhaps it’s the fact our daily schedules are compressed into a similar time period with the days being so short. It’s definitely easier to be out and about at dusk and dawn when the sun does not rise much before 7:30am. and sets at 5:00pm. That’s one good thing abut winter.

Black-billed Magpie

On By Mike and Christy10 Comments

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Noisy yes, but oh so beautiful, especially in flight, a Black-billed Magpie sits quietly on a snowy afternoon. The magpies in our area are very skittish and difficult to sneak up on for a photograph. We see them all the time but even a quick look in their direction has them flying away.

“Historically associated with bison herds, it now lands on the back of cattle to clean ticks and insects from them. Large predators such as wolves are commonly followed by black-billed magpies, who scavenge from their kills. The species also walks on the ground, where it obtains such food items as beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and small rodents.”

Intelligent and pretty good looking and a fine way to brighten a cold snowy day.

 

 

Seeking Solutions: E-Butterfly

On By Mike and Christy8 Comments

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Yes it’s winter and for most of us in the Northern Hemisphere butterflies are few and far between this time of year. However summer will arrive soon enough and the skies will  once again graced with these butterflies large and small.

Butterflies are vital pollinators and their populations strongly affected by climate change. Research funding to study how climate change amongst other things effects butterflies is in short supply so researchers have created an online platform called E-Butterfly which allow individuals to log their butterfly sightings and photos into a database much like the platform E-Bird used by many in the birding community.

A recent interview with entomologist Kathleen Prudic the co-director of E-Butterfly was published in the Conversation. The data entered into E-Butterfly is used for numerous research projects including butterfly conservation and much like the data used on E-Bird can be used to visualize the migration of several butterfly species. E-Butterfly also contains informative articles any butterfly enthusiast would find interesting to read. It is a great way for us all to get involved in conservation and another addition to the ever expanding role of citizen science in conservation research.

Browsing the site is a fine way to spend a minute or two on a dreary winter day.

And for more information on Citizen Science visit Citizen Science. org

U-Turns Allowed

On By Mike and Christy24 Comments

U-Turns Allowed

Just as we turned a corner while skiing on the Blacktail plateau we came across this guy having breakfast. We watched him for a minute but when he stomped his front hoof and gave us a grunt knew it was time for Quick U turn. We did not get to ski to our planned destination but it was a good day nonetheless.