Vacation Journal
Friday, June 10, 2005
Friday, June 10, 2005
We had good weather today, and we took advantage of it. Although the sky was two-thirds cloudy all day, we had almost no rain and some sunshine. It was over 50 degrees when we left the trailer. We went quickly through Madison Valley. We did see four swans. One individual is now about three miles downstream of Seven Mile Bridge, the furthest downstream we have seen a swan. Last year the swans were always within a half-mile of the bridge. The group of three swans is now about three miles upstream of the bridge, a little further upsteam than they were yesterday. They've been a little further upstream for several days now. We also saw the Sandhill Cranes.
A few miles after we turned south at Madison Junction, heading towards the Old Faithful area, we noticed an Osprey flying downstream over the river carrying a fish. The Osprey had one leg in front of the other to keep the fish's head pointed into the direction of travel. About fifteen seconds after he went past us, another Osprey went the other direction flying above the river (with no fish). The second Osprey went behind some trees. In about 30 seconds, it came back going downstream carrying a fish (also facing head forward). We've seen more Osprey in Yellowstone this year in 10 days than in 24 days last year.
Then we hit a bison jam. Our lane was backed up a couple miles, apparently while a herd was traveling down the road. When we finally got through in 20 minutes, the herd had moved over to a grassy meadow beside the road.
We took a hike to a viewpoint of the Grand Prismatic Spring. You hike about three-quarters of a mile and then climb a small hill. The view was great. I got several pictures. While on the hike we saw two Northern Flickers, a Common Redpoll, some Violet-Green Swallows, some Barn Swallows, and some Brown-headed Cowbirds. We also saw a Bald Eagle chasing an Osprey. They were above the Firehole River about a quarter of a mile away. We watched with our binoculars for at least three minutes. The Osprey could turn faster, so the Osprey would turn and the Bald Eagle would shoot past. The Eagle would turn and go back after the Osprey again. They kept climbing higher and higher, but the Osprey went in circles so they stayed about the same distance from us. At one point a large white feather floated to the ground. It must have been from the Eagle because it was large and very white. Both kept at it for a few minutes until the Osprey finally flew away over a forest. The Eagle kept circling over the river but he was three or four hundred feet above it. Since an Osprey eats only fish, we assume he wasn't a threat to the Eagle's young. Apparently he was in the territory the Eagle considered his own.
After our hike, we returned to West Yellowstone for lunch. Then we found a geocache on the edge of town on a snowmobile trail in the forest. We saw a Brewer's Blackbird near the cache.
Then we went about 25 miles to see Earthquake Lake. This is a lake that was formed in 1959 by a landslide caused by an earthquake (the fourth largest earthquake recorded in the USA up to this time). It destroyed a lot of property, killed about 20 people, and made a new lake. The lake is still there. The trees that had been submerged by the lake are dead and still standing up from the water. The Corps of Engineers did an emergency job to build a spillway through the landslide to keep the lake from rising 200 more feet and potentially causing a massive flood if the landslide dam gave way. The scar on the mountain caused by the landslide is still fresh looking. Only a few trees have started to grow.
We saw two Sandhill Cranes near Hebgen Lake on our drive back.
We got back to the trailer about eight hours after we left. The temperature was in the 50's all day.
A few miles after we turned south at Madison Junction, heading towards the Old Faithful area, we noticed an Osprey flying downstream over the river carrying a fish. The Osprey had one leg in front of the other to keep the fish's head pointed into the direction of travel. About fifteen seconds after he went past us, another Osprey went the other direction flying above the river (with no fish). The second Osprey went behind some trees. In about 30 seconds, it came back going downstream carrying a fish (also facing head forward). We've seen more Osprey in Yellowstone this year in 10 days than in 24 days last year.
Then we hit a bison jam. Our lane was backed up a couple miles, apparently while a herd was traveling down the road. When we finally got through in 20 minutes, the herd had moved over to a grassy meadow beside the road.
We took a hike to a viewpoint of the Grand Prismatic Spring. You hike about three-quarters of a mile and then climb a small hill. The view was great. I got several pictures. While on the hike we saw two Northern Flickers, a Common Redpoll, some Violet-Green Swallows, some Barn Swallows, and some Brown-headed Cowbirds. We also saw a Bald Eagle chasing an Osprey. They were above the Firehole River about a quarter of a mile away. We watched with our binoculars for at least three minutes. The Osprey could turn faster, so the Osprey would turn and the Bald Eagle would shoot past. The Eagle would turn and go back after the Osprey again. They kept climbing higher and higher, but the Osprey went in circles so they stayed about the same distance from us. At one point a large white feather floated to the ground. It must have been from the Eagle because it was large and very white. Both kept at it for a few minutes until the Osprey finally flew away over a forest. The Eagle kept circling over the river but he was three or four hundred feet above it. Since an Osprey eats only fish, we assume he wasn't a threat to the Eagle's young. Apparently he was in the territory the Eagle considered his own.
After our hike, we returned to West Yellowstone for lunch. Then we found a geocache on the edge of town on a snowmobile trail in the forest. We saw a Brewer's Blackbird near the cache.
Then we went about 25 miles to see Earthquake Lake. This is a lake that was formed in 1959 by a landslide caused by an earthquake (the fourth largest earthquake recorded in the USA up to this time). It destroyed a lot of property, killed about 20 people, and made a new lake. The lake is still there. The trees that had been submerged by the lake are dead and still standing up from the water. The Corps of Engineers did an emergency job to build a spillway through the landslide to keep the lake from rising 200 more feet and potentially causing a massive flood if the landslide dam gave way. The scar on the mountain caused by the landslide is still fresh looking. Only a few trees have started to grow.
We saw two Sandhill Cranes near Hebgen Lake on our drive back.
We got back to the trailer about eight hours after we left. The temperature was in the 50's all day.
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