Yellowstone, day 4

Day 4 in Yellowstone, and the day we need to head down to our cabin at Colter Bay Village in Grand Teton National Park, so we decided to stay relatively local to the Lake area, by heading up to Fishing Village on the East Entrance road then along to Sylvan Lake.

Having said goodbye to the youngster we said goodbye to mum too:















we parked up by the bridge and had a look around. Most impressively, this Osprey was having breakfast close to the bridge, tucking into the first catch of the day:













On the other side, upstream, these Common Mergansers, were stirring from their roost and preening:

A little further toward Sylvan Lake over the river alongside the road, this American Pelican in flight:













and these Cinnamon Teal close to:













I got the impression these birds don't hang about their roosts but set off pretty early each morning. At Sylvan Lake itself I snapped this unusual looking bird. On closer inspection it's a juvenile Red Crossbill. I've never seen a Crossbill before so was delighted!


















Also a Mourning Dove showing its distinctive markings clearly:


















On the lake itself the Common Mergansers had some youngsters together:











And this lone Spotted Sandpiper flew, from the shore:
















to a floating log and appeared to spend a lot of time looking at it's own reflection:

















We headed back towards the Lake area and took the Lake Butte drive to get a good view over Lake Yellowstone and the mountains beyond:
















From here we headed on to West Thumb Geyser Basin to observe more of the parks' geothermal features include this weird display:
















Seeking food in the hot springs shallows was this Cassin's Finch, shown here from above:















and here from below in the tree he retreated to:















We headed out of the park and toward the John D Rockefeller Memorial Parkway stopping at the Lewis Lake campsite for a mooch. We spotted a family group of Red-breasted Nuthatches, including this one:



















And on the lake our last waterfowl close-up, this Barrow's Goldeneye:













We did a walk in the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway but were substantially put off. Whenever we saw waterfowl they backed off quickly. The shotgun cartridges on the path told their own story. They allow shooting on the water here just outside the park, which frankly is outrageous and another of the many remarkable contradictions inherent in the parks and their surrounding areas. Another good example is that it's now permissible to shoot Grizzly Bears outside the park perimeter even as their food sources are threatened by human pollution, which could well lead to a double whammy on what was until recently a species recovering from the brink. It also is a shame as the land was donated by a man who fought hard to secure it for nature, not for hunters.

We didn't dally any further but headed on down to Grand Teton, here a view of the Tetons from the top of Jackson Lake:















In amongst the rustling trees I snapped this Yellow Warbler, juvenile:


















Colter Bay Village is to the north of the park and we checked in then settled into our cabin, ready for another early start the next day.