Nature's Garden Naturally: Birds of the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Parks

As promised, here is the second installment of birds we saw during our vacation at the beginning of the summer. There will be one more. After leaving the Bear Lake National Wildlife Refuge we headed North to Wyoming for four days in the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park.

There are many designated scenic byways in Idaho. We took the Oregon Trail Bear Lake Scenic Byway to the Pioneer Scenic Byway and followed the Snake River on Route 26. Osprey were probably the most common bird that we saw throughout our vacation. Their nests were always easy to spot.


Osprey nest on top of utility pole

We saw lots of wildlife in the parks and even though we focused our attention more on mammals, we did see a few birds such as this Northern Flicker, a bird that is also quite common at home.

Red-shafted Northern Flicker (male)

However, the subspecies that we have in the East is the Yellow-shafted Flicker. West of the Rockies you will find the Red-shafted Flicker. The difference is that the underside of the wings will be yellow in the East and red in the West. The red markings, like a mustache, of the bird above show that it is a male. The female in the East will have a red crescent on the name of its neck. You can see the red crescent in the photo, which I took in May in Vermont, of the female below. You can also see the yellow tones under the wing.

Yellow-shafted Northern Flicker (female)

On our second day in the Grand Tetons, we were looking for a place to hike along Moose Wilson Road and saw this Great Blue Heron. Although, not an uncommon bird, it is still quite impressive and interesting to watch hunt. They can remain almost motionless for extended periods of time while they wait patiently for a meal to approach. Many years ago we saw a Great Blue Heron do just that before grabbing and flying away with a baby alligator in the Everglades.

Great Blue Heron

After the Grand Tetons we spent two wonderful days in Yellowstone National Park. Although much of the time was spent in the car and making spots to see the numerous thermal features or to observe large mammals, we also saw raptors and water fowl. However, the first bird I photographed was of a tree swallow at a hot spring.I thought this odd since it didn't seem like a very hospitable place for wildlife. We also saw some deer tracks in the mud, but they must know to keep their distance from the boiling water.

Tree Swallow at West Thumb Geyser Basin

There are many lakes throughout Yellowstone so there is also lots of water fowl. The coloring of these Barrow's Goldeneyes reminded me of loons.

Barrows Goldeneye diving for food

At the end of the first day we visited Old Faithful. It wasn't on my "must see" list, but I'm glad that we did. Going at the end of the day meant that the crowds weren't too large. We were lucky in that we just happened to arrive with about fifteen minutes to spare before the next eruption.

Old Faithful post-eruption

We had dinner at the pub in the Old Faithful Inn. As we returned to the parking lot, this raven was investigating the contents of the back of a pick-up truck. Ravens are curious and intelligent. If the owner of this car didn't return soon, this bird probably figured a way to open the garbage bags.

Raven

On our way exiting the park we saw one of the most interesting wildlife sights. Off in the distance, were two coyotes stalking a Sandhill Crane. Although the Sandhill Crane could have easily flown away or defended itself, I suspect that it was protecting a nearby nest. The coyotes eventually lost interested and retreated.

Two coyotes circling a Sandhill crane

And our trip to the national parks couldn't be complete without seeing the iconic symbol of America. This bald eagle bid us farewell as the day came to a close and we exited Yellowstone National Park. We will definitely need to return again soon.