An antelope, pronghorn

The setting of this picture reminded me of the color and background when we were in Africa several years ago. This was one of several antelope which we saw. Although this one was sauntering along it can also run at a very fast pace, one of the world's fastest animals. Their markings make them a very interesting animal to observe.

State Bird of Montana

We have seen these birds and heard them for at least a month. If I had posted their pictures with the photographs from the last 30 days, they didn't look natural as they were all hovered over, trying to stay warm in the snow, wind, and ice. I finally found one that would pose for me, the temperature was 55 degrees and the sun was shining. They are beautiful birds and there are plenty of them.

Sunday was a sunny day

But the snow was still here. I went outside to take a picture of the "big sky" which was a brilliant blue and the fields and mountains covered with snow. A beautiful image to capture. As I was walking around to get the image I wanted, I spotted Rafiki leaving one portion of the pasture and heading toward the area near the Grove Creek where I had put their hay. Through the branches of one of the trees, I took this picture. If you have seen Rafiki, who was born a bay and then shed out to the grey that he is today, you might wonder if he is getting another color as there appears to be muted colors in places on his body. He is still grey, just like his head and neck in this picture, but the leaves and branches of the tree blended in the picture to create the muted colors.

We were greeted by "happiness" in Yellowstone

There was no snow at the northwest entrance to Yellowstone as you can see by this picture. The Mountain Bluebirds were abundant but as we drove toward Mammoth Hot Springs and the higher altitudes we didn't see any more. For those of you who have seen our last several posts, there was plenty of snow in the Lamar Valley and I'm sure that they got at least another foot or two in the last 2 days. I still haven't got close to the male bluebird at the ranch, but I'm trying.