Dec 18 - Antelope Island Cruise

 Cold morning with temps in the upper teens but sunny skies are coming - a perfect day for a winter hike. (However, there will be no hiking today as I injured my knee while shoveling our 12 inches of unexpected snow on Wednesday. Hoping it's nothing more serious than a sprain so trying to be kind to it.)

I arrive on the causeway around 8:30 am. It's sunny with temps around 20 and very little wind. There's snow along both side of the causeway and lots of frozen water (w/ a few open spots).

There no Kestrel waiting this morning but there is a Rough Legged Hawk on the wheel structure (like last week and many times before).

As I near the island, I see a black spot in the distance on Farmington Bay. I stop, it's a Bald Eagle! (This week I'm not surprised to see them with the snow storm and the cold temperatures.)

Still lots of ducks (Shovelers, I think) near the island on the Salt Lake side.

I arrive on the island and head south. I'm surprised that there are no bison behind/near the Visitor's Center. Hmm!

In fact, I don't see my 1st bison until after Frary Peak - just a lone bison not all that far from the road on the right side. (Oh, the only other critter I see other than that lone bison is a porcupine.)

After that, I find more bison in the bison open meadow around a mile before the Ranch. There is a small herd in the sagebrush near a tree. And in that tree is a large brown bird -- I think it's juvenile Bald Eagle.

In the distance, there are more bison on the Farmington Bay lakebed.

There are more to the north in the sagebrush.

I continue on to the Ranch. I'm not sure where the big bison herds are today but there are none that I can see south of the Ranch.

Time to turn around and head north.

On the way north, I stop again to see the Eagle and the bison.

Continuing on, I pass that lone bison again, stop to take a photo of the Porcupine.

Farther along, I see a lone coyote moving south not far from the road.

Back on the north side of the island, I head to the west side to search for critters. I only find a few bison behind the Visitor's Center.

Time to head home stopping to watch a bird of prey hunting along the causeway. I think this is the same guy as this morning.



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