"A Sand County Almanac"

"THERE ARE SOME WHO CAN LIVE WITHOUT WILD THINGS AND SOME WHO CANNOT."
"FOR US IN THE MINORITY THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE GEESE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN TELEVISION.".....Aldo Leopold




"LOOK DEEP INTO NATURE, AND THEN YOU WILL UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING BETTER".....Albert Einstein


“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves”.....John Muir


Monday, May 7, 2018

Green River Valley, Wyoming...Dancing Cranes, Gray Ghost, Willet, Curlews



We wanted to arrive in Jackson Hole on May 4th, when the first campground in Grand Teton National Park opens.  To facilitate this we camped in the Green River Valley for two days.  The scenery was exceedingly beautiful and the wildlife was plentiful.
One of the first species that we noticed were the large sandhill cranes.  We had seen them many times before in past visits, but we had never seen them dance...



Part of the courtship ritual includes the "dance" during which they spread their wings and leap in the air while making vocalizations...







Upon completion of the display the cranes left, walking in lockstep with each other...



There were numerous long billed curlews in the meadows...



Willets were pairing up and we enjoyed their courtship display...











A typical view of the Wind River range from the valley floor...



Northern harriers are common where we live, but I have never been able to photograph a male, also called "the gray ghost"...





While observing some deer in a meadow, I noticed a bird on a nest in a fairly tall tree...



I was surprised to see that it was a Canada goose...



Waterfowl was present in the wetter areas, like this northern pintail hen...



This cinnamon teal...



And this northern shoveler...



Pronghorns were migrating through the valley...





Mule deer were plentiful...





After a beautiful sunset, we left the next morning for Jackson's Hole...



Thanks for visiting, be well, and come back soon.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I sincerely enjoy comments from my visitors. I must ask that those wishing to comment understand that moderation has become necessary due to the nature of some comments left in the past...