Heading up to Antelope Island today - still too much snow in the mountains (>135 base still) and the nasty biting gnats will be arriving soon on the Island so I need to take the last of the opportunities.
As I arrive on the causeway, I see rain to the north/northwest but none is reaching the ground (yet).
I head south towards the Ranch. Extremely quiet drive - a small herd of bison just south of the Gravel Pit Rd, 2 sitting under White Rock ridge (there's been one here the last 2 weeks - he's got a buddy now), and there a few up top but still under the White Rock ridge (they too have been there for a couple of weeks). And that's it!
As I reach the Ranch, I see something moving from the dirt road into the grasses but it's too far away to identify - deer/coyote are my guesses. No bison visible to the south.
Time to turn around and head north to the White Rock trail.
On the return trip, I see a lone Pronghorn moving north. I stop for the Pronghorn but then quickly see a coyote closer to my car and moving thru the grasses. Yea!
I look up to find the Pronghorn and he's gone. I can't find him. Hmmm!
I continue north and then turn west towards the White Rock trail. I don't see any animals near the Visitor's Center. But hey, there's a herd of Pronghorn near the road!
I continue on to the trail parking and start up the trail passing 2 bison as I start up the switchbacks.
Seeing lots of Spring Parsley in bloom.
I wish for the sun so perhaps I might see my 1st UT butterfly of the season - hoping for an Anise Swallowtail. No luck today.
As I cross past the corrals, I see something bright white moving in the distance. It's a Pronghorn!
And there's another in the sagebrush. Cool!
I think this may well be my last trip to the island for a while - I'm seeing tiny gnats flying. They're not biting yet but soon. :(
At one point, I see horse riders stopped ahead of me. Please keep going, I don't want to walk behind horses!
As I get closer, they finally continue (whew) and then I see why they were stopped - bison!
There's 6 on the east side of the trail and 1 on the other side. None are really far from the trail. I wouldn't normally walk between bison but since the horses were just there - I'll take the risk.
Went thru and they didn't even care!
Soon White Rock basin is in view and yea, there's a few bison down there. (No Moms and babies though.)
Down the ridge I go, spotting those bison underneath the ridge.
Then around to the inner trail. There's I see black beetles
but no lizards (again, it's the lack of sun).
But the bison are still in the basin!
The pink flowers are around and look great but not nearly as many as last year when the landscape was covered in the pink mat of flowers.
Then it's back to the trail head, stopping for my first Vetch of the season
and a different Tiger Beetle.
Then towards the causeway - hey, those Pronghorn I saw earlier along the road. They move farther west.
Along the causeway, I see Eared Grebes
Perhaps a Western Grebe
American Coots
and tons for Avocets!
(And tons of Midges. It's why the birds are here and they're swirling in little tornadoes everywhere. The splats on my windshield, dots on my photos are proof!)
Awesome day!
