The Wind River Canyon is so full of the activity of the wild animals that it would be impossible to list the behavior of all of it's residents; there are well over one hundred species of birds that nest or migrate through the Wind River Canyon!  Just yesterday I was chasing around a Lazuli Bunting male that was singing his very small little heart out; and he's particularly hard to photograph, as his color is much like that of the sky.  We have two species of Hummingbirds that are nesting right Rose-breasted Grosbeak, Wind River Canyon, WyomingRose-breasted Grosbeak, a rare visitor of the Wind River Canyon. now, with two more species that will begin arriving for the summer nesting season next week!  If you're counting, that's four nesting species of Hummingbirds in the Canyon; this is also brand new behavior, and I would assume that they're in need of new and more pristine nesting sites.  

     The Bullock's Orioles are nesting nearby, as usual, but this year they have locusts to munch on and haven't been visiting the Hummingbird feeders as much as they normally would.  And speaking of the locusts, we had a group of 150 Seagulls that spent two weeks scouring the upper reaches of the Canyon for the ugly bugs; the Seagulls flocked like huge white waves in the ocean.  This behavior has never been seen in the Wind River Canyon before, as Seagulls are a recent addition to the "Birds of the Wind River Canyon."

     We have the usual Finches, Robins, Grosbeaks, Western Tanagers, Yellow Warblers, Vultures, Wrens, Juncos, Hawks, Ducks, Mergansers, Chickadees, Solitaires, Towhees, Owls, Golden Eagles and Woodpeckers and Cedar Waxwings, and well you get the picture....it's busy around here.  The Deer and Bighorn Sheep of course have their young ones to take care of; a young buck was killed Thursday early morning within sight of our cabin.  We will see the Boysen Elk herd on the mountain later in the summer and fall; we watch the herd of over fifty from our front steps with a spotting scope.

     Sometimes we see an especially rare bird that is obviously out of their usual range, like the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak or a Steller's Jay; colors of Mother Nature that are truly unforgettable.  Steller's Jay-Wind River Canyon, WyomingSteller's Jay, a rare visitor, in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming. And speaking of beautiful colors, it would take a website and blog all it's own for me to show the world the Butterflies and Moths of the Wind River Canyon;  we have a black one with a white stripe, and a small blue one that looks like an expensive jewel, and huge Swallowtail Butterflies that never seem to land, and dozens more that I don't know the name of; course they don't know my name either and it doesn't matter.  

     But at this time I've had the greatest buzz with my two Wild Turkey friends; they stop by almost every day and seem to especially like this place in the Wind River Canyon.  They're very big and very friendly towards me, and smart enough to know that I'm cool with them and their visits.  Just this very morning as the sun was breaking the rim of the Canyon, they were here for a visit and Wild Turkey, "The Big Show" - Wind River Canyon, WyomingWild Turkey strutting his stuff this Spring in the Wind River Canyon, Wyoming. breakfast with us.  The Arapahoe American Indian used to think of the Wild Turkey as stupid, contrary to what Benjamin Franklin thought of the Wild Turkey, and I know why now....the Arapahoe was thinking of them as only food, and in nature the Wild Turkey has very few enemies other than man.  I know that the Wild Turkey love sunflower seeds, and they will come so close to me (seven feet or less!) that I could kill one with an arrow even if I was a bad shot; but I can buy one in the store that tastes better for a dollar thirty-nine a pound!  Wild Turkey have survived when other birds that can be eaten are extinct or scarce, and these two have survived countless marches up and down the Wind River Canyon when other animals (Deer, Rock Chucks, Raccoons, Rabbits, Skunks and Beaver never make it across the roadway.  This photograph of my Wild Turkey in full show mode was taken just ten days ago; I wondered if he was "posing" just for me, because there aren't any girl Turkeys around here....yet!

Written as usual by Michael John Balog; thanks for reading my blog.