where we've been

we had a weekend of stuff around the first house (friend in town, christmas tree burning party, the usual) and then the next (long) weekend a trip to yellowstone.


one sad bit of news- our sandhill cranes that were nesting by the highway didn't fare so well. we stopped to check on the way out of town and saw no cranes & an empty nest. looking further, we saw at least one crane carcass. we think maybe the golden eagle we saw across the road got to them, but will never know. major drag.

more of the same lesson in yellowstone, but lots of new life too.
the buffalo calves are so cute, and silly- they'll just take off like little lunatics running in circles, butting heads, jumping sagebrush- and then collapse into a dead sleep with mom watching out for them.

then, the griz.... saw lots this trip. they seem most interested in food (which is usually of the carcass variety). big powerful animals. magnificent. and clearly something you don't want to get too close to (i have a fairly long lens).

black bear- looks really different- i wasn't sure i could tell, until i saw a griz, then no question.

four buffalo were curious about what was going on here and wanted to walk by. the bear finally bluff charged and the buffs moved off. they didn't seem too concerned, tho. bull buffalo seem to do pretty much whatever they want.....

we also saw 2 wolves, and plenty of ungulates, will post more as i sift thru the photos. and, of course, update on house progress.