• Who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed? – HST #
• Interesting observation…my dog only spins clockwise #
• WilderTrack 4.0 released! New features plus mobile interface. Visit us at http://wildertrack.com #
• What we think, we become. – Buddha #
• Internet so slow in Plains….aaaagh! #
• Just saw a Chestnut-backed Chickadee at Dad's place #
• Chestnut-backed Chickadee WilderTrack report – http://www.wildertrack.com/TripSight/ViewSighting.aspx?SightingsID=8843 #

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• New Radd Photography post: White-out wolf http://raddphotography.com/?p=723 #
• Good morning Tuesday, the most lackluster day of the week #
• My dog has good karma – her duties are eat, sleep, play and get pet…a rough life indeed #
• "Better a cruel truth than a comfortable delusion." — Edward Abbey #
• It is better to travel well than to arrive. — Buddha #
• Overwhelmed – Japan fishing out bluefin tuna, demonizing nature, how unbelievably selfish we are, who are we and what's our true nature? #
• Getting ready for a long training….500 meter swim, 7 mile ride, and 3 mile run #
• Just got done with 500 meter swim, 8 mile ride, and 3 mile run…I'm pooped but happy #
• Eating wasibi peas, watching Zatoichi, drinking a Belgian…life's good. #
• Politics has always been the stronghold of small, petty men — Me #
• Just re-watched No Country for Old Men…AWESOME #

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On Saturday, Non-Birding Vida and I went to Yellowstone to see if we could find some wolves. Vida had never seen a wolf, so I had a mission in life. We entered the park at 7 AM, and we proceeded toward the Lamar Valley. Upon the entering the valley, everything was still and quiet. Just a few bison bulls in the distance and not much else, save for the backside of a lone coyote. We cruised the valley twice without a wolf sighting.

Heading east toward Soda Butte, I spied a form atop a ridge. There he was, the alpha male from the newly named christened Silver Pack.  Loping through the snow, he came off the ridge and across the road. He continued up and over a hill. In the saddle behind the hill, he joined 4 other wolves. A younger member of the pack was outfitted with a radio collar. The alpha stayed apart from his loafing compatriots, he just leaned against a Douglas-fir. It was apparent that he was suffering from mange from the missing fur on his legs. The parasitic mites were driving him to gnaw on his irritated skin.

After some extended wolf viewing and a quick trip to Cooke City for use of the amenities, we headed out the Lamar to the Boiling River for a soak. Passing Floating Island Lake, a bull moose was browsing on a stand of willows. It was quite interesting to watch this huge deer use its maneuverable upper lip to grasp the willow stems. The fact that moose can make it through the winter browsing on such nutritionally deficient plant material is rather amazing to me.

Arriving at Mammoth, we noticed a maintenance truck parked on the side of road and two orange-clad Park employees were glancing up the hill. They pointed out three wolves resting amongst the sagebrush. One black, one gray, and a third was almost white. What a great day to end the wolf-watching days.

The soak at Boiling River was too relaxing, and made magical by the singing American Dippers and Townsend’s Solitaires. The solitaires were busy chasing one another, maybe a sign that spring and its amorous aspects were repeatedly approaching.

• Why can't today be like yesterday, you know warm and sunny after a snow #
• New Radd Photography post: Making the most of the Sun – First HDR http://raddphotography.com/?p=718 #
• Spring is coming, Snow Geese! Fort Boise WMA: http://bit.ly/9o4iFB #
• I've offically lost 20 pounds…the work is paying off. #
• Getting excited for the weekend…what do you have planned? #
• My Birds of Peru field guide arrived today! #
• Headed to Yellowstone #
• 5 wolves and 1 cooperative moose today…pics to come. #

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Yesterday, I managed to take a quick trip around the valley to enjoy the warm sun and see what the birds were up to these days. While the birding was a bit slow, but the scenery was spectacular. The intensity of the sun was causes an unique low-level fog off the snow. The feeling that I was getting more than anything else was that winter seems to be losing its grip on the land. It’s only a matter of time before the first spring migrants return and scenery transforms from white to green.

• The Georgia Ivory Gull dies…the perils of a vagrant http://bit.ly/cbZBQv #
• Great video from Manu, Peru…where I'm going in June…I'm going with Kolibri Expeditions – http://youtu.be/5McAHsyGYsw #
• Groundhog Day…sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in that movie..time to break the cycle #
• Off the gym for cardio – 1 hours worth #
• Saw a Red-tailed Hawk as I drove to the gym #
• Bourbon barrel stout at Bozeman Brewing Company…hell yeah #
• Wolves good for U.S. parks, scientists say – http://bit.ly/b87vlz #cnn #
• Win a new Nikon D300s (or 2000 photo scans) from @ScanCafe & Scott Bourne. Pls RT. Details here: http://bit.ly/8SJuMT #

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The Best Peru Birding YouTube Channels and Videos

• Birds of Peru – Many HD videos of birds of Peru and around the world – GREAT!
• Jan van Bekkum – Video clips of his trip to Peru
• kblomer – 13 videos of a great birding trip to Peru – they went with Gunnar and Kolibri Expeditions
• Birding in the Pantanos de Villa – Great video from a great birding spot
• TVArtZ – Footage from a trip based out of Lima
• Random Original Wildlife Videos – Videos of individual Peruvian species

I cannot wait for my upcoming in June with Kolibri Expeditions and Gunnar Engblom. I will be visiting the Manu lowlands for 8 days, and hope to see a great number of the terrific species that live there. You can join me on this trip or book your own with Gunnar here.

Every Groundhog Day, they drag a poor old Punxsutawney Phil out of his constructed den and see if he sees his own shadow. Will there be 6 more weeks of winter or is spring right around the corner? That predicitive logic might be acceptable for an eastern Groundhog (I personally prefer Woodchuck), but we have our own Groundhog in the Rockies who won’t even if see sunlight for another 3 or 4 months.

Hoary marmots live in the high alpine reaches of northwestern North America and, in particular, the Crown of the Continent ecosystem which encompasses Glacier National Park. They live and thrive in an environment that is immensely harsh. The winters are so taxing that the Hoary marmot must hibernate 7-8 months of the year. These 20 pound rodents spend their winters in a den on a talus slope under feet of snow and ice.

Come summer, the marmots feed upon alpine plants and frolic among the lichen-covered boulders. Folks that are fortunate enough to visit the high country will find these fearless creatures incredibly entertaining.

So if a Hoary Marmot sees its shadow in May, it means that summer is coming…well, even if he doesn’t, summer is coming.