Yellowstone Zoo - The ones that got away...

Yesterday, we had some great wildlife sightings out our windows.... White Pelicans flying by (the first ones we've seen this year), an Otter swimming down the Yellowstone River and an Osprey with a fish in his talons. If it weren't for the window, I could have reached out an touched the osprey - he was that close. But I missed my photo opportunities entirely on those. I did manage to get a nice photo of the flock of Cassin's Finch that were using the osprey platform as a perch. (They liked John's 'stick arrangement' even though the Osprey didn't.) So in the place of my missed shots, I'm posting a couple of my past 'best shots', along with some tidbits of Yellowstone wildlife info....

American White Pelican

In Yellowstone, the American White Pelican nest in rookeries on small islands in Yellowstone Lake. Those islands are now closed to the public to keep human disturbances to a minimum. However, there was a time in the 1920's in Yellowstone when rangers went onto the islands to stomp the eggs to keep the Pelican population down. The thinking was that by controlling the Pelican population they could preserve the trout population. Nest building and egg laying occur almost simultaneously - about the same time bison calves are born - right now - early to mid May.


North American River Otter, after catching a trout



North American River Otter family

I love watching otters (I wish I could swim like that!) and seeing them in the river on the edge of our property is a real treat. Otters have clawed, webbed feet and can hold their breath for 8 minutes! Their average life span is 8 to 9 years.

Osprey with a fish

Osprey, are almost exclusively fish eaters - equipped with unique talons to do the job - a reversible outer toe helps them catch the fish and spiny pads on the bottom of their feet help them hold the slippery fish. When airborne, they carry them aerodynamically with the head first. Amazing to watch! We live on a stretch of the river where they fish quite often, so we're lucky to see their dives frequently. But getting a good photo of the action is tricky!

A flock of Cassin's Finch settled on the osprey platform - (an easier photo to capture!)



Cassin's Finch by Shirl Ireland - 6" x 8" oil on linen
This Cassin's Finch is in the collection at the Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center