Very grey as I cross the causeway. There's a lot more ice on the Farmington Bay side as it's been a below normal (cold) week.
No birds of prey and hardly any ducks seen as I cross.
Upon reaching the island, I head south towards the Ranch.
The landscape is a mix dry ground and snow.
It's a quiet drive south seeing one Pheasant and a Northern Shrike (exciting as it's not a bird I see often) both near Frary Peak.
And what looks like an Oriole's nest.
As I approach the Frary Homestead, I notice a skinny black "thing" on top a hill. Curious, I stop to take a look, it's a lone Pronghorn!!
I look the herd on the other side of the hill but I don't find any.
Continuing on, I reach the Ranch. There is a small herd (~6) doe behind the Ranch.
And in the distance, near Sentry Peak, is a small herd of bison.
Time to head north to start my hike.
On the way up, I see that Shrike again and surprise, a coyote walking north along the lake bed!! (He's being bothered by a Crow/Raven.)
I pull into the Gravel Pit parking lot. It's 33 degrees, a bit windy, and still cloudy. Time to start up the trail.
As I work my way out of the Gravel Pit, I again see a skinny "thing" stand on top of my hill. Again, it's a lone Pronghorn!
He moves to the other side as the runner who is ahead of me approaches.
As I top the hill, I see some bison near the corrals -- but no Pronghorn herd. :(
I continue along
until reaching the trail up to Beacon Hill. I'm not going up today; I want to continue on the White Rock Trail to the bench overlooking the White Rock meadow to see if there are animals in the meadow.
I reach the bench - great views of Frary Peak
but no critters down there that I can see.
But there is blue sky! Not sure if I'll see it before I leave but at some point today, it'll be sunny here.
Time to head back. I actually don't have to go far before I see 4 bison. They are on the south side of a hill hidden from my view on the way in.
Back at my car, I decide to head over to the west side of the island.
Along the White Rock trail, there is a herd of 4 bison.
Also, not far from the Park Ranger Station, there are a couple more bison. And there's something else that looks suspicious. So I head over to the Station. The suspicious object is one Pronghorn standing and 2 laying down. (Hey, I finally see more than 1 Pronghorn!)
Time to head out. My parting shot is a Kestrel perched near the exit.
Good day!
