26: well out of the way

Dear Friend,

I hope you had so many good days this past week that it would be hard to choose a favorite!

We’ve been at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge, north of Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. (I wrote to you a bit about Sheldon in my last two blog letters). Both Sheldon and Hart protect American Pronghorn and many other animals, birds, and plants that have been in danger of extinction.

The habitat at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge is high desert. Sage brush is the predominant native vegetation, though invasive grasses have been a problem after wild fire.

This is a Greater Sage Grouse, one of the birds that hosted our visit to Hart Mountain. She’s flying to catch up to her friends.

We enjoyed seeing Grouse and lots of other creatures like badger, mule deer, pica, ground squirrel, yellow-headed blackbirds, white pelican, etc… but if they were shy, we respected their right to be left alone.

Wide open space is the Refuge. Big Horn Sheep also roam this area and even though we didn’t meet up with their herd, we are happy to know that they are out there somewhere!

We saw this Pronghorn grazing by himself, so Frank stopped the truck and got out, then spent about ten minutes making his way closer, taking his time. The buck stayed put and didn’t seem to mind the click of the camera or that Frank was there.

As usual, I stayed well out of the way while Frank was working with his subject to avoid annoying either.  : )

When the Pronghorn wanted to leave, he sauntered away. Thanks for the pics, little friend!

Adjacent to Hart Mountain is the Warner Wetlands, an ‘area of critical environmental concern, set aside for the benefit of wildlife. The lakes in these wetlands, as well as the lakes on Hart Mountain, are also stopping points for a variety of migratory birds and animals. Depending on the time of year and the annual precipitation, water can be very plentiful. (Our visit was in August, summertime, and this year, there was a lot of water covering the majority of lake beds).

Natural springs on top of the mountain join rainfall and spill down creating lush green canyons.

We were treated to several thunder storms on and around the mountain during our visit. Clouds would build across the sky and we’d start seeing lightning. Right away we’d hear the thunder.

Then directly over our heads there’d be an hour or two of heavy rain, the flash-zapping and crack-booming of lightning and thunder, high winds, and then, just like that, each storm would leave behind a beautiful rainbow!

Each lake was spectacular in its own way, even the dryer lake beds had birds and animals visiting. 

After a morning of catching moths and flies, this sweet little lizard posed in the hot sun with nap-time on his mind.

Ravens flew about in every part of the Refuge.

Hawks soared high above the desert floor.

Here’s a hawk hunting after a storm.

And the wet lakes were alive with a variety of feathered friends. It was a beautiful cacophony of voices.

So much life and living happening on the water and in the reeds along the shore!

Here’s an Ibis and an Egret during a morning hunt for breakfast.

The Egret was quick and successful…

…and flew away after swallowing his snack, which, we’re guessing, might have been a little redbud trout.

It would be difficult for us to tell you which day was our favorite this week. We’re really grateful to have been able to spend time together here at Hart Mountain, seeing the wildlife and experiencing this magnificent environment.

Thank you for being here to read Tracks by the Post! Frank and his camera have been very busy this past month and we look forward to sharing more photos of our travels in upcoming letters. For now, we’d love to hear from you, Please Write and let us know how things are going, and when you're choosing a favorite day this coming week, we hope that every day is a contender!

Sending hugs of gratitude,

Gently Be,

Leslie and Frank