Looking for Grizzly Bears with Fred and Becky

Our friends Fred and Becky arrived, (they are our neighbors from across the street), and we asked them if they would like to go look for bears. You may remember them the post from last fall where we hiked Taggert Lake Trail and where Fred accidently got too close to a black bear.

They agreed that it would be a nice diversion form unpacking and so we headed to Grand Teton National Park for a day of bear watching and a nice picnic. The plan was to first head up Towgotee Pass, next to go to Pilgrim Creek, and then to go to Willow Flats and Jackson Lake area.

Passing the ever-present Buffalo herd near Moran Junction we stopped for a moment to glass band of willows where we had spotted a grizzly bear boar hunting for elk calves. We did not see any bears, but the buffalo were nearby and Fred, who is a much better photographer than we are. Took a number of images of the bison.

Next, we headed up the pass and after stopping at the ranger station, restrooms closed, we drove to the top of the pass before heading back down pausing to look for bear at several good spots. No bears were visible, but it was a nice look at the Tetons across Jackson Hole, (Jackson in the mane of the City and Jackson Hole the valley along the east flank of the Tetons).

Our next destination was Pilgrim Creek and we arrived to find no bears. We did hear of stories where bear 399 and her cubs had showed up the day before and had been approached so closely by idiots that she had bluff charged the group. Anyone who gets that close is an idiot. 399 gathered up her cubs and left the area for a quieter place that is over six miles away.

We talked with several other people one of whom suddenly left. He returned a little later and kindly told us that two sub adult grizzlies wee about a quarter of a mile away. Hurrying there we did see both of the grizzlies before they disappeared into the brush. They were about three hundred yards away and you could just see them, one of which was scratching his back on a power line pole.

To see the bear, I first took a picture of the pole and then the next two show the color change of the bear. The third is when he looked at us. the bear. We have since decided that we need a more powerful lens as the 75-305 mm telephoto lens just did not cut it, (we decided it was not necessary after we looked at the price).

One of the people who stopped there told us that we go to a trailhead and wait for the bears, but we delayed and got caught in a traffic jam and lumberjacks were cutting down dead trees. By the time we got there we heard one lady telling another person that the bears had walked toward the parking lot but that a bunch of stupid people walked toward the bears and chased them back into the woods.

When they returned, she stopped each one and told them that if they had stayed still the bears would have walked right up to everyone. She further told them that they had ruined the day for everyone, and I noticed that none of them had any bear spray.

After noting the possible places, we could go we got back in our car and drove to Willow Flats.

Its another great place to see grizzly bears as they hunt the elk calves that have just been born. Renita spotted a trio of cow elk, (you can only see the white rump of the elk cow on the right), in a clearing and behind the middle cow, you can barely see the calf elk.

No bears were visible, but we saw lots of cow elk and in the image above you can see three cow elk with a small calf hiding in the grass behind the middle cow.

Too soon it was time to head home, but we do plan on visiting the park again, next week.  It was a good day as we spotted two grizzly bears, even though they were a long ways away. Clear skies

Looking for Bear 399, A Day in Grand Teton National Park

On the first day the park opened lucky people caught a glimpse of the most photographed grizzly bear in the area. Bear 399 is a twenty-three-year-old sow grizzly bear. Her fame is because she has raised over twenty cubs and because she often is near roads, (she keeps her cubs near roads so boar grizzly bears will not kill the cubs.

On last Monday, she appeared at her favorite spring location and was accompanied by four new cubs. Now grizzly bears normally have one to four cubs. Nothing unusual there but what is unusual is her age had caused many to speculate that she would no longer have any cubs. Obviously, those who said so were wrong.

So as soon as we saw the image we had to go to the park and try to see her. George and Val also went and being aware of the virus danger we took two cars and wore masks. Arriving at Pilgrim Creek we saw the bear jam, or should I say a car jam. There were probably about one hundred people waiting patiently for her to show up.

We waited for four hours but she never did show. Still it was a great place to have a picnic and George and Val joined us, (we kept a six-foot separation). 

A Black bear had been spotted in the area and it did put in a brief appearance. As you can see in our photos. It was quite a ways away and people blocked our view, (I spotted the bear as it left the trees to cross the road, but it happened so fast that I couldn’t get out of the car fast enough to get a clear image). Renita hurried up to where it had disappeared, but she never did get a glimpse of it.

We did meet one of the best bear photographers we know, Rick Larson, and later learned that Tom Mangelsen was also nearby. We also learned much earlier two grizzlies had been spotted on Towgotee Pass. Two mountain blue birds flew nearby, but again no images.

It was time to return home and as we passed Willow Flats, we saw that it was filled with cow elk. They should start calving and that means the grizzlies will move there to hunt the elk calves. They are the main predator of calf elk and we did see one feeding on a new kill last year.

Still it had been a good trip. Anytime we are in a national park, it is a good day. We also got to see a black bear and we do not see bears every day. It is our first bear spotting of the year!  Right now, it is snowing here, but it is going to warm up Monday, so we are planning on heading back to the park next week. Clear skies

Homeward Bound

It was finally time to head north. We had stayed for a full month longer than we usually do because our place in Wyoming was not yet open. The temps in south Texas heated up and the humidity made it more than we could stand so we spent most of the day indoors. The plan was to drive the seventeen hundred miles in four days, which is a huge mount of driving without breaks.

The first day on the road was a drive of four hundred plus miles to Sweet Water Texas. Once we got on the way, (we had a lot of prepare the fifth wheel for storage), it was ten thirty which meant that we would get to Sweet Water about six in the afternoon.

If you have never been to south Texas, the area we crossed was really flat. At least there were lots of scrub brush to break up the monotony and crossing several rivers. All of the rivers we crossed were low due to the drought that eastern and central Texas is currently undergoing. Gas was cheap and when we reached Sweet Water, we found a nice place to stay along with fast food restaurants nearby.

The second day was another drive of about the same length but this day we drove through some areas with buttes, and the area near the Canadian River was really quite pretty. It reminded us of some areas in southwest Wyoming.

This day we as we neared Oklahoma a warning light came on. We had never seen a warming light on this car and this one said that a tire was underinflated and needed to be checked. Renita even got a text message from Subaru!

We had just left Perryton, Texas and turning around we went to Perryton Tires, There the staff welcomed us and got our car in and after removing the tire and looking for a leak, put the tire on and sent us on our way free of charge. We offered to pay but the tire man thanked us and said no payment was necessary! If anyone ever sees them self in need of tires or service Perryton Tires is the place to go!

After spending the night in Garden City, Kansas we left on day three for another leg to Sidney, Nebraska. There were lots of detours and we got off route so bad that our gps stopped receiving data. We found a map of Kansas, in a small convenience store in Atwood, Kansas. We decided to take a longer route to get back on track as the road we had been on was narrow. It had rained most of the day and we dreaded going on such a road with no shoulders.

The highlight of the day was when we stopped at a small picnic area. There two American goldfinches flew nearby and landed in a small bush next to the car. They were brilliantly colored in their breeding plumage, (and puffed up from the cold temperatures as it was forty-five degrees Fahrenheit), but they flew away before we could get any pictures.

We reached Sidney, Nebraska and were shocked to see the gas price was fifty cents higher per gallon than the town that we had passed through forty miles earlier. It seemed like price gouging to the extreme which is pretty typical when you are in a town next to the interstate.

We left Sidney and drove across Wyoming, stopping for the night at the Little America on Interstate eighty. It was an easy drive, a little less than four hundred miles.  The mountains were covered with snow and it was so nice to see mountains!

Our rv park did not open till the next day and so we were only one hundred and fifty miles away. It was the first time we have stayed at Little America and the room was nice but dated. They do have two grills there and so we had our usual chicken and cheeseburgers. The highlight of our stay there were the two red breasted nuthatches that stopped to look at us before continuing their hunt for bugs.

The final day started with a short drive and we arrived at eleven am. The rest of the day was spent checking for damage, (no damage to our fifth wheel), and unpacking. It is amazing how much stuff we brought in our Subaru.

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The Packary Channel County Park, A Great Day of Birding

Last week we went to Port Aransas for a day of birding with Dan and Barb.  While there, Renita talked with a woman who commented on the great birding at the Packary Channel County Park, which is located on North Padre Island.
Renita's birthday was last Friday, and I asked her what she wanted to do. She did not think awfully long before she said she wanted to go birding at the Packary Channel County Park. After packing a lunch and putting the cameras and binoculars in the car we used Google maps to find out how to get there.It showed us that the quickest way was to go through Corpus, Christi and then take SPID, (South Padre Island Drive), over the bridge to the county park. However, Renita wanted to take the ferry and it was a good choice as we saw a beautiful Cara Cara and a bright pink Roseate Spoonbill.

Arriving at the park, we first walked out on the boardwalk and quickly spotted several hummingbirds feeding on long reddish flowers. The more Renita and I watched the more hummers we saw and to add to the mix three Baltimore orioles played a game of chase as they also fed on the same flowers. They flew to a larger flowering shrub and there were more hummingbirds, orchard orioles, and several warblers

It was a great way to start the morning, but it got even better. Another birder told Renita that we should go left at the road and slowly walk the road carefully watching the shrubs, trees, and all the feeders. It was only a quarter mile and at first, we did not see much but upon reaching the yard at the end of the street we were amazed at all the orioles and hummers in the yard.

The owner had put out orange halves and the birds were greedily tearing the pulp from the fruit! On one stick an impaled orange half was being fed on by a Tennessee Warbler, while a female orchard oriole waited overhead.

After taking some images of other orioles, I got an image of four hummingbirds on a feeder. They were busy sipping the nectar while another flew nearby waiting for its chance.

Leaving the back yard, an eastern peewee posed on a nearby branch. As I was taking its image, Renita spotted a rose breasted grosbeak high up in a towering tree.

On our walk back Renita further spotted a blackburnian warbler

and I got another image of a yellow warbler. It had been a great day of birding and while there were other birders, we were easily able to maintain a six-foot distance. We also wore our masks which is something that we do not see a lot of people doing down here along the Texas Coastal Bend. Clear skies

Ps We went back the next day, accompanied by Dan and Barb, (and yes, we drove in separate cars). Only to find that most of the birds have continued their migration. It turned out that we had caught the tail end of a huge fall out. There had been a really strong cold front and as the birds fly north across the Gulf of Mexico they tire and “Fall out”, on the first land they see.

Sunrise over Aransas Bay

Each morning I wake up early and after a cup of coffee I grab my pole and head down to the rv park shore front. Sometimes I am joined by a friend Dan, who also casts for the speckled trout, (Dan and Barb are friends here and we spend happy hour with them while keeping a correct social distance).

This morning the sky cleared and even though the wind was strong, we enjoyed the sunrise, while trying to cast our lures into a strong east-southeast wind. It doesn’t really matter if Dan or I catch anything, it’s just being outside and of course keeping a correct social distance.
This morning the fish did hit and after losing three fish, I managed to catch a sixteen inch keeper along with an undersized speckled trout. Another fisherman joined us and he even though he used live shrimp, he never had a bite, (I have gained a lot of confidence in throwing crankbaits).

This time of year, we should be in Louisiana, birding at the Grand Isle Biding Festival along with enjoying the Blessing of the Fleet, and we miss our time with my sister Connie and her husband. I know they are also practicing safety first and are keeping to their house.

A few days ago, Renita and I, along with Barb and Dan, (we traveled in separate cars), traveled to Port Aransas to go birding at three birding areas. Renita had called the day before and they all were open as long as we practiced social distancing and wearing, masks. Crossing the ferry, the first stop was at the Leorna Turnbill Birding Boardwalk.

Dan takes great wildlife images and he and Barb had never been to the birding sites. As we walked out on the boardwalk, we pointed out different species. There were fewer birds than the last time, so I concentrated on trying to take some good shots of some of my favorites.

The black necked stilts were engaging in courtship dancing which consisted of jumping up and down. Three males were trying to attract the attention of a nearby female and she seemed to be enjoying the display.  It was a short drive to Paradise Pond. They were two other vehicles parked there but each only had one other person and wearing masks, all of us practiced social distancing.

The male American avocets were in their breeding plumage and I took a great image of one of them. I also got some shots of a blue winged teal, mottled ducks, and the ever present northern shovelers. Returning to the cars we drove to the next stop.

It was a short drive to Paradise Pond.There were only a few birds there but one bird. A Baltimore Oriole flew back and forth pausing in nearby bush for a nice image,( or at least as good as I could take). Other birds there were mottled ducks, common grackles, and a little grey bird that none of us were able to identify. Next stop was at Charlies Pasture. Deciding it was a good place for lunch we headed up to the pavilion where an online yoga class was being filmed. Renita and I once took a yoga class and while it was fun the instructor had a difficult time keeping from laughing as I fell over in some of the poses. Deciding it was best to just watch we tried to be silent until the instructor was finished and then set up or picnic lunch.

During the meal, several eastern meadowlarks landed near us. Barb spotted a Cara Cara across the bay and a yellow warbler flew back and forth between bushes allowing me to get a fairly good image.

There were also American White Ibis feeding in the nearby bay, which had formed when a breach occurred during Hurricane Harvey.

On the way back to our rv park Renita and I stopped at a new birding area near Paradise Cove. No one else was there, and we spotted huge mullet, working their way in the muddy shallows. A tricolor heron posed, along with a reddish egret, but the best image I took was of a common tern in flight.

It was a good day birding with friends and now we have settled down to keeping safe for the next fourteen days before we head north by northwest to our place in Wyoming. It is time to leave the flat Coastal Bend of Texas and see Mountains, bears moose, and antelope. The snow in the park has melted and is scheduled to be open May 15^th. Clear skies

Dolphins

I didn’t have a bite on the first cast, but the next two resulted in bumps, which usually means small fish. Another cast and I was hooked up. Fighting the undersized trout in I released it hoping that the thrashing of the fish had not alerted another fisherman.

My hope was to no avail as I saw a triangular shaped fin approaching. Hoping it was a shark, (I like grilled fresh shark) the fish turned out to be a dolphin that made a circle on the school of fish and I knew I might as well quit fishing till it left. He shows up every morning after I catch my first fish.

Now I like dolphins. They are fun to watch as they cavort with one another but when you are fishing, that is another matter. While their presence means that there is bait/fish in the area, when they become aggressive and start to feed you might as well quit or move to another spot.

Sure, enough my fish had scattered, and I didn’t get another hit for thirty minutes.  I changed my crankbaits, but nothing happened until the dolphin had left and I finally hooked another small fish. It was also undersized and so I safely released it.

I never did catch another fish, but several other fishermen showed up and it was time to call it quits. At least I had caught two, that’s two more than if I had stayed in our fifth wheel. Oh, and all three of us did practice social distancing.

Returning home, I told Renita about the mornings fishing and after breakfast I set up in our hummingbird blind, (the back end of our Subaru). The hummers did show up and I got images of a black chinned and a ruby throated hummer. In both I had the shutter set for sports mode and I was able to take images in which the wing feathers showed details of the feathers.

The rest of the day was mundane as, picking up our prescriptions and making a grocery store run. We do wear our masks and now that the restrictions are being slowly eased, we will still limit our contacts. Both of us so want to head back to our home in Wyoming, and there is resentment towards us. You don’t see it at the stores, but you do see it online. Trust me will leave as soon as we can.  Clear skies

To say the past week has been crazy, as you all know, is an understatement. The excitement for each day is pretty much the same. Every morning we walk down to the bay, (a very short distance), and then we walk along the shore. We also put up a hummingbird feeder, watch Netflix, order blue ray DVDs, occasionally go to the grocery store, and at 4 pm engage in a safe distance happy hour with our friends Barb and Dan.
W got the feeder from our friends Jane and Dave and the hummers moved to it as soon as we put it up. One male has taken over the feeder and attacks any other humming birds that get anywhere near "his", feeder. His female also sits and watches from our tree while he bullies everything else. It has been a bright spot each day. Thanks Dave and Jane!

Lately I have been getting up early and casting plugs along the shore. The speckled trout have moved in and yesterday I had a super day! I caught three slot size trout, lost two more, and it was all in a one-hour time frame. The fresh fish tasted excellent in a caper and lemon cream sauce.
I returned to my spot this morning and lost two nice fish, one close to shore. That means we are going to have cornbread for dinner. Its not a good menu for people on a low carb diet. Still at least we do get exercise while walking and fishing.
One of the mornings our friend Dan fished near me, and using one of my lures, caught his first keeper fish of the year. I put it on a cheap stringer and later watched it swim away as my knot came undone, (never had that problem when I was rock climbing).
Last month we bought a smart tv and so we have been binge watching shows. Schitt’s Creek is a favorite, the Longmire series, and a short series about Tiger Joe Exotics. It amazes us that there are so many people that don’t realize how harmful uncontrolled tiger breeding is destroying the gene pool.
We don’t have HBO and so we are trying to finish Game of Thrones by buying the DVDs. Just got season seven and the goal is to finish all of them by the time we leave for Wyoming. The rest of the tv shows are simply too depressing.

We also have learned to make our own masks, (Renita is the real mask maker). We had a nice talk with our daughter who works in a major hospital. She is also making her own masks as the hospital only has one for each of the members of her trauma team and require them to keep their mask in a paper bag with their name on it.
Blame whoever you want, but it would be nice to have the president stand up and say, as Harry Truman did, that the “Buck stops here”! There is no excuse for not having personal protection equipment for the medical people who try to save our lives, NO EXCUSE!
We still have another month here before our rv park opens in Wyoming. Both of us long to sit on our patio and watch the mountain sides for elk, deer and bear. Keep safe, wear masks, and don’t hoard, (the grocery stores here, especially Heb, are doing an excellent job in keeping the shelves full).
All of our family and friends have so far avoided the covid 19 virus and we pray each day that this will continue. Pleas say a prayer for all who work to keep us safe, heal us, keep the areas clean and sanitized, and make sure we have medicine, food and fuel.
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