Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge - Part III

White Pelicans from Seedskadee:

White Pelican

White Pelican

Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge - Part II

Here a nice Trumpeter Swan allowing me a lovely photo:

Trumpeter Swan

Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge - Part I

On my way to Yellowstone National Park I took a side trip to Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Wyoming. Seedskadee is 26,000 acres along the Green River in an area that was inhabited by the Shoshone people since about 1300. Seedskadee is derived from their language and means "river of the prairie hen." 

It is a haven for over 200 species of birds including Trumpeter Swans, White Pelicans, Bald Eagles, and of course, Sage Hens. Mammals include Moose, Pronghorn, Porcupine, Mule Deer, and Bobcat.

Here are some Bald Eagle photos I was able to get:

Adult Bald Eagle

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Juvenile Bald Eagle

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VIII

Yellowstone National Park is an obvious choice when looking for bear, wolves, pronghorn, etc. It is less obvious, but nonetheless an excellent place for birding. However, I must admit that living in Tucson, where photographing birds gets the lion's share of my time, when I go to Yellowstone I really don't "Loook" for birds. I did take several bird photos, so I thought I'd share a couple with you today.

The first is a pair of Ravens that gave me a nice up front a personal look:

Raven

The second photo was taken in the far south of Yellowstone which is an area I don't normally search. Here two Sandhill Cranes with their two chicks:

Sandhill Cranes with Chicks

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VII

I did not see any Moose in Yellowstone or Grand Teton National Park this trip. The old dirt road (Moose-Wilson Road, in Grand Teton) is now paved. And with the human population expanding significantly in the Jackson area, what was once a road I could take and not see another human being -- only Moose, is not a road where cars are bumper to bumper and no Moose anywhere.

The Yellowstone Moose population was never as high as Grand Teton, but I always found them. But as I said, not this trip. I am not sure what the cause of that is. Increase in Bison population maybe? Disease? Don't know. But as I was searching for Moose near Ice Lake in an area that is great Moose habitat, I found these Uinta Ground Squirrels. Not exactly Moose, but still worth a photo:

Uinta Ground Squirrel

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VI

It's hard to miss the Bison and Elk, but there are some smaller animals at Yellowstone that are fun to find and photograph. In this case, the Yellow Bellied Marmot. I found this guy on Blacktail Ridge Road, a one-way dirt road branching off from the main road from Mammoth to Tower Falls.

He was very curious about me and let me take many, many photos. Here are a couple:

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Yellow Bellied Marmot

Wildlife at Yellowstone National Park - VI

Can I get excited about seeing wildlife at Yellowstone National Park even though I can't really get a good photo?

You betcha.

I mentioned a couple of days ago about Bighorn Sheep at Barronette Peak out past Lamar Valley and near the Northeast Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. I suspect less than one tenth of one percent of Yellowstone's visitor's drive by Barronette Peak. And, I'll bet that few of those stop to look. But it's a great look. And, frequently you can find Bighorn Sheep -- or, Mountain Goats. 

I drove out one morning hoping to find Mountain Goats. I arrived at the pullout; stopped the car; got out; and within five seconds of scanning the mountain, spotted a small herd of Mountain Goats. As you can see, it's hard to see the Mountain Goats from the first photo (using a 35 mm lens). Even after walking up that path to a ledge overlooking the river in front of the mountain, and using my 400 millimeter lens (the second photo) it's not easy. But they are there, right in the middle of the photo.

Since I've gotten very close to Mountain Goats in the past I wasn't disappointed not being able to do so this time. I was just in awe of these beautiful and amazing animals.

Mountain Goats

Mountain Goats