Birds of Yellowstone

Steller's Jay

A Little Blue

Drive along the Madison River and you may find traffic stopped to watch the elk herds that often congregate near the river. Drive a little further towards West Yellowstone and you might see bald eagles in the treetops or feeding in the river.

On this particular day, however, traffic flowed freely as there were no elk or eagles to be seen. It was a little flash of blue that brought me to a stop when I pulled into a picnic area. This stellar Steller was working the base of the trees, never going more than a few feet up the trunk.

Killdeer

Personal Sauna

A killdeer walks along white mineral deposits at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Elk had punctured the fragile crust, leaving their hoofprints behind, just the rise for the killdeer to use them as its own personal sauna.

A killdeer walks in the mineral deposits at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park

A killdeer sits in an elk hoofprint in the mineral deposits at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park

White Pelican

Second Glimpse

A white pelican soared overhead while I walked the cliffs above Yellowstone Lake along the Storm Point Trail. I had seen a flock of them earlier on the nearby (and aptly named) Pelican Creek Trail, my first ever glimpse of white pelicans.

Three-toed Woodpecker

A Glimpse of Beauty

This was my first (and so far only) sighting of a three-toed woodpecker. I didn't think I'd have much chance at a picture, as despite the harsh light of the midday sun, little was making it through the canopy. I had left my tripod in the car so that I didn't get too tired on the hike, but handholding the camera wasn't easy in the low light. And the bird wasn't sitting still, circling around the trunk and hammering into the bark, usually partially obscured by the many thin branches sticking out from the tree, often in poor lighting. While I don't usually like strong light sources in the background, I really like them in this picture, the sunlight streaming through distant trees.

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