Cape May Point ~ Butterflies

Eastern-tailed Blue Butterfly

Eastern-tailed Blue Butterfly

Least Skipper

Exciting find ~ Long-tailed Skipper

Tagged Monarch Butterfly

Arcigera Flower Moth

Cape May Point

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch ~ Look watching them forage for pine seeds

Carolina Chickadee foraging for pine nuts

Cape May Point ~ Northwood Center

American Bittern

Over to Cape May Point I went to see the American Bittern that was hanging out at the Northwood Center all day but not in the reeds as one would expect but rather up in a tree.  Very unusual behavior for a bittern according to the birders who have years of experience birding.  The Northwood Center was enjoying lots of birds in migration.

Cape May Warbler

Northern Parula

Red-eyed Vireo

My Yard ~ Butterflies

Mating Cabbage White Butterflies

Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly

Horace's Duskywing Butterfly

Mourning Cloak Butterfly

Black Swallowtail Caterpillars

Gardiner, MT Road Scholar Goodbyes

Our Road Scholar Group

This morning we had breakfast and then we left for our next adventures with some of us flying home and others driving onto to another area of the USA.  It has been a good 5 days.  I learned and enjoyed all of the people in the program.  I would love to take this class again in spring time when the babies are seen.  Our instructor Meg Sommers is incredible and her wildlife photos are magnificent. Here is my image that she tweaked in class last evening.  It seems like it has more life to it after the post processing.

Before Post Processing by Meg

After Post Processing by Meg

WY ~ Yellowstone ~ Lamar Valley

One last trip out to Lamar Valley to see the wildlife as tomorrow it's time to leave and go back home. It's been a great month away and I found Yellowstone to be amazing.  I know I'd like to come back again someday.  I went pretty far out the valley.  First stop was near some nests that I think the Cliff Swallows use but nesting season is long since over so I can't be sure.  Cave Swallow nests are very similar.  While parked there, some bison came up really close to the car maybe 15-20 ft away.  Initially, they had been 2 football fields away while I was out taking pictures.  I was able to get into my car before they got too close and just sit where I took these pictures through the windshield.  They paid no attention to me.

 Driving back towards the North Entrance a coyote run across the road in front of me.  I was only able to get a few shots off.

WY ~ More sights of Yellowstone

Not many Pronghorn seen in the park

Dark-eyed Junco

Male elk bugling late afternoon

Female elk ready to answer his call.

WY ~ Yellowstone National Park ~ Butterflies

It's amazing that when I arrived early last week Yellowstone had a full day of snow with terrible driving conditions and today the high was 82 with plenty of sunshine.  I was excited to drive Blackhill Plateau and see a few butterflies on the Rabbitbrush. that is all around the park.  I decided to drive the road above Mammoth Hot Springs going over to Norris so I could stop at an area that had lots of Rabbitbrush and sage but where it was safe to park.  I was really excited to see a good number of butterflies and a total of 8 species.  I am sure missing the butterflies and am looking forward to getting back to NJ in a few days to see what butterflies are around.

Green Comma ~ Life Butterfly

Milbert's Tortoiseshell ~ Life Butterfly

Purplish Cooper Butterfly

Red Admiral Butterfly

Orange Sulphur Butterfly

Green Comma Butterfly

Checkered  White Butterfly

WY ~ Yellowstone sights ~ Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Upper and Lower Falls, Big-horn Sh

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from the North Rim    

Upper Falls

Lower Falls

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone from the South Rim

Norris Geyser Basin ~ OMG the sulphur smell could kill you.

Norris Geyser Basin ~ OMG the sulphur smell could kill you.

Norris Geyser Basin ~ OMG the sulphur smell could kill you.

Bighorn Sheep along the roadside

WY ~ Exploring Yellowstone NP

I moved over to Island Park, ID for the next few nights to another AirBnB.  This now has me driving to and from the park via the West Yellowstone Entrance.  One of the first things you hear about Yellowstone is"if you see a traffic jam it is usually due to animals being on the road or nearby." I also heard that along the stretch of road coming in the West Entrance were small herds of elk. Going out of the the park yesterday I saw some elk but the crowds were large and the rangers were not letting anymore people stop.  This morning I got up early so that I would be able to stop and view them from one of the parking areas along the road.  I was able to see a group of about 10 elk including the male who was bugling.  It was a great experience.  Then I spent the day exploring the park and doing some hiking.  On my explorations, I found life bird #416 Barrow's Goldeneye.

Along the road in the park

Barrow's Goldeneye #416 Life Bird

Muskrat