Junco Nest

Out and about early Monday morning...time for a walkabout before the Hikers Bus, so paddled back to Creek's End, and made the Inside Loop...at Cottonwood Bend, Blue Jay was being chased by Little Birds, which I am having trouble with id...pics for sometime....Mallardlings about too..pics for sometime...went to Breakfast, and at the Cabin, packed....not many on the Bus...Doe and Three Bucks at Crane Flat....pics....at the Meadows, couldn't check in until two...so, had two hours to explore....Shuttled over to the Store and picked up snack...animal cookies and cold tea....and out along Marmot Road...Marmots about...pics and clips...crossed 1915 Bridge, and a bit further along, found a place over one of the Streams, and sat and snacked...White Crowned Sparrow pics and clips...Picket Pins sighted all along the way...pics...picked up, and returned the way I came....scenic pics all along the way....Shuttled back to the Tents, but still time, so went over to the River to the Muir Trail, crossed the Bridge, and found a place to sit....sighted Little Birds going in and out of a Snag across the River...crossed back over the Bridge to looksee, and found the Snag to be on an Island...put the flipflops on, and used the Tripod for support...and there they were!....Three Little Junco Chicks, deep inside the Snag....Mama Junco was behind me, scolding...'ch ch ch'....very cool....picked up and checked in to my Tent....and got back to the Parking Lot just in time to catch the last Shuttle out to Tioga.....thought to go up to Gaylor Lakes, but thought to just stay close to the Ranger Hut...decision was made when I began to feel a little woozy from the altitude...walked out the Mt. Dana Trail a bit and found a place with a big view of the Sky looking out down the Road, and waited for Hawk....but no luck, the Magnificent Blue Sky empty...but Clark's Nutcrackers, Juncos, Picket Pins about....pic and clip of Picket Pin....dozed a bit....Two Hikers came by and enquired if I'd seen their friend who was hiking Dana, and then the Ranger too...Ranger thought too early to be concerned, and the two went up the Trail....almost time for the Shuttle, so I went back to the Second Parking Lot...first one was too full for Shuttle to turn around, and I was advised to go the Second, watch, and wave my arms....which I did, and while watching, saw Hawk, Redtail, fly to perch in a Snag Lodgepole...which was very cool...I'd talked a bit with the Ranger, who said Redtail was local resident, and we swapped stories, mine the Gaylor Lake pics, his 'a hundred pics of Hawk perched close overhead'...took a couple quick farfar away pics of Hawk, then set up the digiscope...took a quick looksee...Hawk looked wonderful in the Sunlight, a Snowy Mountain for background, but Branches covering Hawk's Head...moved the Tripod, and almost sighted, but Hawk flew to Ground and out of sight....looked at my pocket watch...five minutes....so waited, but while waiting, got clip of Redheaded Finch...Hawk and Finch pics and clip for sometime....and I waved my arms, hopped on the Shuttle, and back to the Tent....made dinner reservation, and with time, paddled out to the Two Bridges, and sat awhile watching the Picket Pins...clips....and back to the Tents for dinner...hamburger and apple pie and ice tea...didn't have cheese...hmmph...almost dark, and took some time to get a fire going in the Tent Stove, which isn't easy!....and to sleep....I've left out the conversations during the day, one of the charms...sunny bluemagnificent blue...Tuesday report for tomorrow....Today herabout: just a little time before work, a quick looksee at Ozone Beach...lots of rafters, most in the rental teal color, I think, green rafts, a few Swallowtails, and Phoebe on Phoebes Willow....sunny blue with thunder clouds...at Lunch: at Ozone, Thunder and light rain, the Little Birds chasing Blue Jay again, this time up in the Alders above the Flat...Robin, Sandpiper, Violet Green Swallows, about....oh, Tanagers darting about when I'm on the the Path....

"Tent was so cool, and thought, 'wish I could just have this for house, for like forever!'"

"Well, how many days could you afford?"

and I thought on that!...this snip from talkabout at work today...actually, there's a two week limit to tourist visits.....

to be continued...