By June 26th, I was on the road again. This time, my destination was Green River, WY. My brother Tim lives there and was scheduled for knee surgery on July 1. He needed a caregiver and I was happy to volunteer.
Ok, it wasn’t like he needed 24-hour care. Therefore, I could slip out in the early morning hours to pursue wildlife photography. My three primary areas of focus were the Green River itself running through the town of Green River, the floodplain of the Green River, and the area adjacent to the city cemetery.
As fly fishing people know, there are a lot of insect hatches throughout the year on the Green River. Birds know this too; especially those species that rely on a diet consisting primarily of insects, such as the swallows and flycatchers. It makes sense that these families of birds would frequent the riparian areas along the river.
There was a big insect hatch taking place on my first full day in town. This spawned a great deal of activity over the river from the swallows.
One member of the flycatcher family is the Ash-throated Flycatcher. Although not very common in Wyoming, this species is expanding its range into the southwestern corner of the state.
The Western Kingbird is a member of the flycatcher family. As the first part of its name implies, it is most commonly found in the western half of the United States.
The Say’s Phoebe is also a member of the flycatcher family. It will catch insects on-the-wing as well as pounce on them on the ground.
The birds depicted above are just a few of the species I encountered in the Scott’s Bottom Nature area within the city limits. More to come…