August 26 - Antelope Island Safari

Cool morning with temps 59 degrees at 6:30am and the sun is out. Minus the smoking air, it's a perfect day.

Heading up to Antelope Island this morning to check out the happenings on the island especially since the temperatures were a bit cooler this week. And we had some rain!

Very smoky this morning could not even see the island's mountains as I start crossing the causeway. It appears that the numbers of birds are increasing. Still lots of gulls and Avocets. This the one new species (Black Neck Stilt) I see this week.

(And the Shovelers are back!)

I reach the island and turn right to head to the Ranch.

The male bison that have been hanging out on the east side of the island near the Ranch are still there but their numbers are lower than in past visits.

Continuing on, I catch a glimpse of a Western Meadowlark sits at the fence line.

I pass the first pull-off and start heading down hill but first have to stop for a lone bison crossing the road.

After he crosses, I notice a bunch of bison on the downside of the hill. It's part of the Mom & younger bison herd. And it's definitely the largest of the herds I see today. (photo from my return trip)

They have moved to the north side of the island.

A group of doe crossing the road. They disappear behind the sagebrush. I wait hoping they will move of the hill so I can see them but they stay out of sight at the bottom of the hill.

I move forward just a bit a see a lone doe on the other side of the road. It seems this one failed to cross the road as I approached. She's looking for her friends across the road.

(I can see them now!!)

Continuing on past Frary Peak - another group of Mom and younger bison.

A small flock of female pheasant - the surprise of the day.

Further down, I stop for some bison crossing the road.

There's yet another portion of the Mom and young bison on the other side. Most of the calves are Spring calves but there are a few "little reds" in there.

Soon I reach the Ranch. I park and head over to the Birding Area hoping to see the Great Horned Owls. (They were MIA last week.) I talk to the DNR guys. They said that they were unsuccessful finding them after the pair flew from the sheep barn. I've got to give it a try.

As I enter, I see a guy leaving. He says he has seen both owls and points me in the general direction of one of them. This one is out in the open and easy to see.  She's half sleeping and half keeping an eye on me.

I search the rest of the woods but could not find the other owl. But I see one of them!!

And I hear coyotes howling/yipping as I move thru the woods. Always love that sound!

I leave the Ranch and drive down the dirt road towards the Sentry Peak trail. Along the way, I see one lone male Pronghorn trotting north thru the grasses.

I drive the entire road, see only one other Pronghorn moving another the lake bed. Time to head north.

Oops, I see another herd of bison under Sentry Peak -- there's at least 4 Mom herds!

On the way north, I pass the area where I saw a long Pronghorn the last 2 weeks. No Pronghorn today although the one I saw a bit further south could be my guy.

Continuing to head north, I pass the many bison -- I think breeding season may be here. ;)

Besides the bison, I see a lone buck - he's reaching up to eat tree leaves!!

And I spot a lone Pronghorn laying down under a tree. Nope, there are at least 2 others with here on the other side of the tree.

As I near the Visitor's Center, there are more bison out. Not sure where they came from but definitely a larger group of males now. And there's a lone Pronghorn near the side of the road!

I head west towards White Rock. There are a few bison behind the Visitor's Center.

I don't find any animals on my way to White Rock. But on my way to the beach, I do find that large group of Pronghorn I saw last week at the Visitor's Center. They are heading into the sagebrush at the bottom northeast corner of Bison Point!!

I circle past the beach and then search for the Burrowing Owls behind the Visitor's Center. No luck!

Time to head home - No Big 4 today but I did hear the coyote and did see the Great Horned Owl and some Pheasant.

Good day!

Aug 24 - Silver Lake (Big Cottonwood Canyon)

Beautiful cool morning at 59 degrees - love it. Sunny with highs near 90 predicted.

Heading up Big Cottonwood canyon this morning to walk around Silver Lake and breath some nice mountain air. Would love to go higher but still in a walking boot until at least Monday.

Heading up the canyon, some of the lower vegetation is starting to change but thankfully the aspen are still very green.

I arrive at Silver Lake and the skies are clear, it's sunny and 58 degrees. Drove thru a bunch of rain clouds on the way here so I'm happy to see the sun.

I start around the boardwalk in the normal counter-clockwise direction.

There's a nice cool wind blowing this morning.

The grasses are still browning and the asters are about on their last blooms.

The Fireweed has gone to fluffy seeds.

It pretty quiet along the boardwalk - no birds - kinda odd as it's just after 9am.

I reach the little bridge. I see a few trout in the water.

And bunches of blue dragonflies.

I continue along the right side of the lake

still walking thru many dragonflies. They're all just cruising around - none landing.

Along the far side of the lake I stop at the dock.

There are 3 ducks on the left side doing their morning preening.

And dragonflies! I try for a while to try to capture one hovering but not being successful.

I continue along to the left side of the lake. Funny how I can't seem to get a photo of one of many many dragonflies but I'm lucky to photo the only butterfly (Frit) I see.

I also see just one chipmunk today. He scampers across the boardwalk as I tracking the dragonflies.

I reach the shady section and find a few more Mallards (all females today).

And I finally kinda catch up with one of those dragonflies.

Nice little walk this morning.

August 19 - Antelope Island Safari

Heading up to Antelope Island this morning to once again see what's moving round on this wonderfully cool morning! The nice Green Air day from yesterday is gone as smoke once again fills the valley but another upper 80 degree sunny day is predicted!

I arrive on the causeway just after 8am and it's a cool 60 days. Still lots of gulls and Avocets lining the shorelines (where there is water of course). And a couple of these guys.

The water is calm.

I arrive on the island and turn left towards the Ranch.

Just like last week, there are several bison less than a mile down the road. Several are already resting in their dirt wallows looking out over Farmington Bay.

Or creating a dirt cloud by rolling in their wallow.

A few more are walking in their direction.

(And unfortunately, one looks pretty thin with his hips bones clearing showing - not good.)

I continue along passing the first overlook and down towards a watering hole. As I approach, I see two bison heading towards the water hole. I pull off to watch. The one arrives first and starts drinking the water.

It's a minute or so later, when the 2nd bison arrives. So nice to see them share. :)

I move on towards Frary Peak slowing to check for the Golden Eagles I saw last week but no sign of them.

I pass Frary Peak and slow to keep watch for Deer and Coyote as this can be a good area for them. Sure enough, I see a deer (female) moving south through the grasses. No wait, she has a fawn with her!!!

A bit further down the road, I see several cars on the side of the road and as I roll up, I see that they are watching a big buck!!

Not much farther down the road, I see that the Mom and young bison has moved north from the Ranch. There are a lot of animals but I'm not convinced that this is the entire herd I saw last week. I guess I'll find out in a few minutes when I get to the Ranch.

(And there are some skinny females too. Must have been a rough summer for them.)

I arrive at the Ranch but pass by heading down the dirt road. Sure enough, I am correct, there are more bison (Moms and young) south of the Ranch.

But no other animals.

Except this little bird.

On the way back north, I stop at the Ranch to check for the Great Horned Owls. No luck.

On the way back north, I find a lone Pronghorn (male)! It's in the same location I saw the one last week! (Guess he has his "home" turf.)

Further down, I see a lone bison. Oh, he's not alone! There's a coyote standing nearby!

In fact, the coyote gets really close! Unbelievable!

The bison does not react; in fact, he doesn't seem to care. The coyote stays nearby even as the bison slowly moves away. I wonder if she has a den nearby that she was trying to protect. Interesting!

Continuing on, I see two deer (females) moving north along the shore. Thought maybe this is the Mom and fawn from earlier this morning but they are 2 adult females.

And I see another coyote a little farther down the road moving along the shoreline!

I head up to the Frary Peak parking. Not much happening except this large bird circling over head.

I reach the north end of the island and turn west circling far behind the Visitor's Center and then down towards the White Rock Campground. Not seeing any animals so start back until something "rock"-like catches my eye. It's a Pronghorn laying down!!

There are other "out-of-place" looking things but it's hard to get a good view. So I head part way up the road to Bison Point stopping at a pull-off. I thought I'd be over that one Pronghorn but still a bit east but up higher and I can see another Pronghorn. Oh wait, there's 3!! They're almost form a triangle.

As I'm checking them out, I see that near one of them are 2 other sets of ears!! I saw a Mom and twins earlier this year, perhaps I've found them again!!

Very cool!

I continue down and down the west side of the island. Another the way I pass a Bison and Pronghorn pair.

I've come this way to check to see if the Burrowing Owls are around still. Last week, I didn't see them. And today, there' s one!!

As I'm watching the owl, I notice a herd of Pronghorn moving west toward the road - just north of me. I'm surprised to see a herd as I think it's a bit early for them to form harems but there's one "go-getter" male already collecting his females.

I pull forward to watch the Pronghorn.

Soon there are many cars around watching them. The first group from the herd sprint across the road. As the rest of the herd loiters around debating their next move. The male is now coming up behind.

The group finally sprints across the road to be with their buddies.

Time for me to take off.- can't beat that for ending my day!

Except the bird of prey I circle back for another the causeway. His wings are raised as if trying to cool off. As I roll to a stop, he flies of course!

Another awesome day at Antelope Island!

Aug 18 - Lambs Canyon (Brief Butterfly Check)

Beautiful day in the valley today! It's sunny, the smoke has finally left the valley, and the high predicted is only 87 degrees (too bad it's not here to stay).

I have to go somewhere today -- seriously want to find some butterflies.

Decide to head up to Lambs Canyon. Can't walk the trail but I can check for butterflies around the parking lot and the end of the canyon. Not really expecting to see much other than a few Woodland Skippers as it's late in the season but I'll see.

It's 68 degrees as I start north up the windy road of the canyon. I don't know why I'm a little shocked (as it's the middle of August) to see color changes in the ground vegetation and some of the trees are starting to yellow. Very few flowers in bloom - just some goldenrod and purple asters - and the Fireweed is just about done blooming.

The trail parking is full so I proceed up the canyon to the end and stop on the way back. As I pass by the parked cars, I see a Weidenmeyer's Admiral checking out of the cars.

At the end, there is a small parking lot. There are some asters and goldenrod so I head out to check for flyers. And hey, I find a couple of Woodland Skippers!

Several dragonflies flying but nothing stopping.

Time to head back down.

At the trail parking lot, I roam around checking out the remaining flowers and the mud/water. Only finding more Woodland Skippers.

Not a totally exciting day but I did see some flyers so good day!

Aug 12 - An Antelope Island Safari

Another hot and dry day with temps in the mid-90s. (I don't know we have a weather man -- the weather here hasn't changed all summer - 90s and no rain -- ready for a change soon.)

Heading up to Antelope Island to see what's moving around in the heat. (This is probably my first trip here in Aug ever so it could be interesting.)

It's still a bit cloudy as I arrive on the island and there's still an orange-sh hue to the sky as the sun is just above the mountains at around 8am.

The drive along the causeway is as I expected - no water, dry and brown.

I'm more than 1/2 down the causeway before I finally reach/see some water on the Farmington Bay (south) side. It's just a short stretch before it's dry again but the water comes back.

Takes longer to reach water on the Salt Lake side though.

But where there is water, there are plenty of birds enjoying the feast of the small flying insects both in the air and water.

Tons of swallows zipping along the road.

In the water, there are plenty of gulls (looks like several species), Avocets

and other shore birds

The water is flat and thus plenty of reflections - hazy ones due to the smoke from the wildfires in the west in the valley.

But it is a plenty and cool 72 degrees. Feels so good!

I reach the island and turn left to head directly to the Ranch. I don't have to travel far before a small herd of bison. One is just crossing the loop road and the rest are on both side of the road heading to the Ranch. Lovely morning view!

Oh, and one has a scratch to lick! :)

Well that's a great start!

Continuing on, it isn't until I near the White Rock ridge before I see another lone bison napping in the morning sun.

I'm nearing the rock outcropping before the Frary Peak turn-off when I see a couple of trucks pulled off the side of the road. As I near, I search for what the 2 men standing outside their trucks are looking at in the rocks. I can't find anything so I follow where there cameras are pointed. And then I see it -- it's a Golden Eagle!

No here comes another!!

They must have a nest in the rocks!

I can hear what I assume to be the chicks squawking from the road! I can't see the chicks though. Awesome! I feel so privileged to witness that! (It's only the 2nd time I've seen Golden Eagle on the island.)

When the one bird flies off, it's quiet again and time to me to move on. (I'll check on them when I return.)

I'm past the Frary Homestead when I see an animal moving along the top of a hill. It's a coyote!!

Continuing on, I find a few bison in the area where the whole herd hung out last summer.

As I near the Ranch, I find the Mother and younger bison herd. There are hundreds of them stretches out starting just north of the Ranch for 1.5 - 2 miles to the end of the dirt road. I thought of stopping at the Ranch but I'm sure I can't get to the Bird Area (to catch for Owls) because there are bison in there.

I continue down the dirt road towards the Sentry Peak trail head. All the bison are on the left side of the road - Moms including their Spring calves and other immature bison.

Except there is just one bison on the right side all alone. She's within 50-75 yards of the rest but I still think it's out she's alone. Hmmm!

I continue along the dirt road past the trail head following the bison to the end of the road. Tons of crows/ravens sitting on the ground with their mouths open along the way.

I'm searching for Pronghorn but do not find any.

At the end of the road, I turn around and head back north. I decide to stop at the trail head parking hoping to find something, anything. And I do, I find 3 Shrikes!!

Continuing back north, I near that lone bison. I stop to watch her and then I notice something out of place in the grasses behind her to the right.

It may be a baby bison - it is a baby bison!!

She's most likely alone because she gave birth sometime last night or early this morning. So cool!!!

A Golden Eagle pair and a recently born bison what an awesome day so far!

Continuing north past the Ranch, I'm just thinking that I'd like to find a Pronghorn and no kidding, as soon as I think that, there's a lone Pronghorn to my left!!

Maybe that will work again as I'd like to complete the day with a Mule Deer sighting. :)

On my way north, I see 2 Pronghorns laying on the lake bed.

As I approach the Golden Eagle sight again, I'm finding no birds. Perhaps they both went hunting.

I continue north until I reach the loop to the west side. As I head west, I see yet another lone Pronghorn moving through the grasses.

I check out White Rock Campground, no animals.

I head up to Bison Point. Nice view but no animals.

I circle along the beach and check for Burrowing Owls behind the Visitor's Center - just a few bison behind Center.

Then I pass the Visitor Center, I see it. The final animal in the Antelope Island Big 4 - a male Mule Deer!!

What an incredible day!!