Rose-breasted Grosebeak

Black-throated Green Warbler

Red-shouldered Hawk

Big Horn Ram

Soggy Coyote

Moose

Common Raven

Yellow-bellied Marmot

American Dipper

During our trip to Yellowstone last week I had the opportunity to photograph a few new birds for my life list. One of my new lifers was an American dipper. I had no idea what this bird was when I photographed it. It looked a lot like a plump cowbird but I was pretty sure it was not a cowbird because I found it in the rapids of the Yellowstone River.Fortunately it closed its eyes for a moment and I was able to photograph it with its white eye lid showing, above, which helped me to identify it.

 Dippers live around clean rushing waters. They forage the rocky bottoms of rivers and streams for aquatic insects, larvae, small fish and crustaceans. Many live in cold climates, such as mountains, and do not migrate south during the winter unless the water freezes up. Thick down feathers as well as a low metabolic rate help the dipper to survive the cold. Not the most colorful bird but still exciting because it was a lifer.

Being a Mother is Not All Fun and Games

Especially if you are a bear. When you are one of the largest predators around there are not many things that will mess with you. Other then humans bears really only have one predator and that is another bear. Female black bears are considerably smaller then their male counter parts. During mating season if a male finds a female with cubs he will often attack and try to kill the cubs. If he is successful the female will go into estrus and he will have the opportunity to mate with her. But female bear do not give up lightly they will often risk their life to protect their cubs who are taught to climb a tree at the approach of an other bear.

Photographing warblers can be quite the challenge. These tiny little birds are constantly moving. Warblers like this magnolia spend most of their time fluttering from branch to branch gleaning insects from the trees. Fortunately because of the late winter the trees have not completely leafed out because once that happens the difficult becomes the near impossible.

Eastern Bluebird

White Pelican

First warbler of the year.

 While I was out photographing the fresh snow yesterday I caught a glimpse of my first warbler of 2013. The yellow-rumped warbler is typically the first warbler that we see in the spring and the last we see in the fall. The reason for this is because most warblers are insect eaters so during the winter they migrate south to where they can find food. Yellow-rumps do not migrate as far south because they can eat several different types of berries that other warbler species cannot digest. This allows them to survive further north during the winter. It also lets them arrive earlier then other warblers and leave later in the fall. Unfortunately I did not have my birding lens with me so I did not get a picture, this is one from a couple years ago, but i am hoping to get out and spot some warblers this weekend as our temps are supposed to finally get up into the 70s.