Over the years, many folks have climbed Squaw Mountain, as shown by these cairns, captured by our new telephoto lens.
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Elk crossing, Siobhan running
Elk migrating
Pat was on his way back from Siobhan’s track meet when he saw these migrating elk near Meeker, Colorado, on the White River.
Crossing the White River
Why do the elk cross the river?
Siobhan on the run
Siobhan: long jump
Dunkin redux
Dunkin is enjoying his retirement, but he was disappointed that Sharon didn’t bring him a treat. photo by Sam “Thirsty Land”
Battle Creek structures
rock structure in Battle Creek
We have worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Partners for Fish and Wildlife program to improve the habitat for fish in Battle Creek. The structures, which are engineered to guide the flow of the creek through high water and low, and to prevent erosion. The structures also help with our flood irrigation system which also provides habitat for birds and other wildlife.
waterfall
Confluence of Battle Creek and the Little Snake River
The Ides of April
Bull fight
The bull fight crowd is pretty placid
the cranes of spring
Seamus on the run
Free range children
Seamus with Val and Dulce
McCoy, Tiarnan and Maeve ready for lambing
Easter Sunrise on the Muddy Mountain lek
male grouse line up to try to impress the girls
One of the largest Greater Sage Grouse leks in southern Wyoming lies right on our lambing grounds below Muddy Mountain. We don’t start lambing until after the lekking season is past, but sometimes we go up just to watch the birds courting. It reminds me of a singles bar scene, where a bunch of guys show up and try to pick up a lady. The guys are the ones with the big white puffy chests, and the hens are the smaller brown ones. A lot of hooting and chasing around goes on, and I’m not too clear one why one guy becomes the chosen one. And these guys don’t seem to stick around for rearing chicks!
This particular area is slated for oil and gas development, and it has also been proposed for addition into Wyoming’s Sage Grouse core area, which would give some extra protections to the birds. It is also the nexus of a proposed mitigation area for the Grouse, which are awaiting a status determination from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sage Grouse dancing under Muddy Mountain
guy Sage Grouse looking for “Easter Chicks”
Ladder Ranch
