T.R. Michels'

Bird, Wildlife and Nature Photographs

Trinity Mountain Outdoors Natural History Eco-Tour & Travel Magazine

Recent Tours & Bird and Flower Sightings I Trinity Mountain Outdoor Adventures Natural History Eco-Tours

Trumpeter / Trumpeter Swan and Bald Eagle Sightings & Tours

Join wildlife researcher and naturalist T.R. Michels on a tour of Wyoming's Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks to see the high mountains, geysers and geothermal wonders that make these parks nationally renowned. T.R. has spent over 10 years researching deer, elk and waterfowl. On your tour you will see a variety of wild flowers, plants and animals. During August and September you may hear bugling bull elk, or see rutting bison and moose. You may also see Bighorn Sheep and Gray Wolves. While you are on your tour T.R. will explain the biology and behavior of the animals, and what needs to be done to ensure their survival.

The central feature of Grand Teton National Park is the fantastic snow-covered Teton Range, a 40-mile-long mountain range rising 6,000 feet from the valley floor. The towering Teton Mountains were formed from earthquakes over the past 13 million years along a fault line n the earth's crust. The rugged mountain range includes Grand Teton peak, which is 13,770 feet (4,198 m), and at least twelve other peaks over 12,000 feet (3,658 m). Seven morain lakes occur at the base of the range, and more than 100 alpine lakes are found in the backcountry.

Western Tanager

More than 300 species of birds can be observed in the park, including bald eagles, peregrine falcons and trumpeter swans. Join T.R on a birding tour of the park.

Yellowstone Area Bird List (near bottom of page)

View Grand Teton National Park Bird List

Trumpeter Swans

Pika

Mammals make up a large part of the wildlife that people travel to see in the park. Large ungulates like mule deer, elk, moose, bison, and pronghorn are commonly seen from the roads. Large predators like grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, and mountain lions may also be seen.

 Uinta ground squirrels, least chipmunks, and red squirrels tend to show up wherever you are, but you'll have to keep your eyes open to find less commonly viewed mammals like badgers, pine martens, long-tailed weasels, and wolverines. You may see pikas, yellow-bellied marmots, and golden mantled ground squirrels in the rocky areas, and you may see a muskrat, beaver, or river otter in the waters of the park.

The park also has an abundance of wildflowers.

On a tour of Yellowstone Park you will see scenic vistas of mountains, valleys and meadows, and a variety of colorful wildflowers. You will also see fantastic geysers, colorful hot springs, boiling mud paint pots, and scenic waterfalls, lakes and rivers.

Grizzly Bears range throughout Yellowstone Park but are most often seen in and around the Dunraven Pass area and just past the turnoff to Mount Washburn. They may also be seen across the Yellowstone River in Hayden Valley, in the Fishing Bridge area, and in the Lamar Valley.

Black Bears can be seen almost anywhere in Yellowstone, at anytime. They are often seen around the Tower area and in the Blacktail Plateau area between Tower and Mammoth Hot Springs. They may also be seen in the Lamar Valley and along the Madison and Firehole rivers.

Rocky Mountain Elk

Some of the best places to view elk are along the Madison, Firehole and Gibbon Rivers, in the Upper Geyser basin, and in the Hayden and Lamar valleys. Elk are often seen in and around the Mammoth Hot Spring area. During the September and October elk rut look for them in Madison and Gibbon meadows, and just north and east of Mammoth Hot Springs.

Shiras Moose

Look for moose among the willows in Willow Park, just south of Mammoth Hot Springs, just south of Canyon and the Lake area. On occasion they can be seen in the Madison and Firehole Rivers, and on the east side of Lamar Valley.

Grey Wolf

Pronghorn are found mainly in the northern section of the park. One of the best places is the one-way dirt road that runs from Mammoth Hot Spring to Gardner. They are often seen at the northeast entrance station near Gardner, and on the road between Mammoth Hot Spring and Tower Junction and in the Lamar Valley area.

Mule Deer are not often seen in the park, but they can be found in many locations; most often along the Madison River, in the Mammoth Hot Springs area, and in the Blacktail area between Mammoth and Tower Junction.

Bighorn Sheep are not often seen in Yellowstone, mainly because of the limited areas they are found. Look for them along the cliffs and steep hills on the road from Mammoth to Gardiner, and among the rocky outcrops in the Lamar Valley.

The best chance to see wolves in Yellowstone Park is often in the Lamar Valley, where the park's largest pack, the Druid Peak pack, lives. More than 100,000 visitors have reported seeing wolves inside Yellowstone Park since their reintroduction in 1995.

Trumpeter Swans

Bald Eagles are frequently seen along the rivers in the early morning along the Madison River, and just south of Canyon along the Yellowstone River.

Look for Trumpeter Swans along the Madison and Firehole Rivers, and along the Yellowstone River just south of Canyon. There is almost always a nesting pair of swans on the Madison River, and depending on the time of year, you may see cygnets (young swans).

Join T.R. Michels on a tour of these two beautiful park as he shares what he has learned during his years of research on the behavior of the park's animals, and his love of the outdoors.

Trumpeter Swan *, Canada Goose, Wood Duck, Harlequin Duck *, American Wigeon *, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal, Gadwall *, Cinnamon Teal *, Green-winged Teal *, Northern Shoveler *, Northern Pintail *, Canvasback *, Redhead *, Ring-necked Duck *, Lesser Scaup *, Bufflehead *, Common Goldeneye *, Barrow's Goldeneye *, Common Merganser *, Ruddy Duck *

Chukar (east of Yellowstone and in southern Montana) *, Gray Partridge (southern Montana) *, Greater Sage Grouse (spring dancing) *, Ruffed Grouse, Blue Grouse *, Sharp-tailed Grouse (spring dancing) *, Wild Turkey (Merriam's subspecies southern Montana) *

Common Loon *, Red-necked Grebe *, Eared Grebe *, Clark's Grebe *, Western Grebe *

American White Pelican *

American Bittern

Cattle Egret (south central Montana) *,

Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle *, Northern Goshawk *, Sharp-shinned Hawk *, Cooper's Hawk *, Broad-winged Hawk *, Swainson's Hawk *, Ferruginous Hawk *, Merlin *, Peregrine *, Prairie Falcon *

Yellow Rail (NE Idaho) *, Virginia Rail *, Sora *

Sandhill Crane *

Mountain Plover (east of Yellowstone) *, Black-necked Stilt (south central Montana) *, American Avocet (south Central Montana) *, Long-billed Curlew *, Marbled Godwit (north of Yellowstone)*

Franklin's Gull *, Ring-billed Gull *, California Gull *, Forster's Tern *, Black Tern *

Band-tailed Pigeon (south or east of Yellowstone) *

Great-horned Owl, Great Gray Owl *, Long-eared Owl *, Short-eared Owl *, Boreal Owl *, Northern Saw-whet Owl *

Common Poorwill *

Calliope Hummingbird *, Broad-tailed Hummingbird *, Ruby-throated Humnmngbird, Lewis's Woodpecker *, Williamson's Sapsucker *, American Three-toed Woodpecker *, Black-backed Woodpecker *, Northern Flicker (red-shafted morph) *

Olive-sided Flycatcher *, Willow Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher *, Hammond's Flycatcher *, Dusky Flycatcher *, Cordilleran Flycatcher *, Eastern Kingbird, Western Kingbird *

LoggerheadShrike

Plumbeous Vireo (east of Yellowstone), Warbling Vireo *, Red-eyed Vireo *

Stellar's Jay *, Gray Jay *, Pinyon Jay (east of Yellowstone) *, Clark's Nutcracker *, Black-billed Magpie *, Common Raven *

Horned Lark *

Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow *, Northern Rough-winged Swallow *, Bank Swallow *, Cliff Swallow (buildings at Mammoth Hot Springs) *, Barn Swallow,

Mountain Chickadee *, Black-capped Chickadee

Red-breasted Nuthatch *, Pygmy Nuthatch (south central Montana and east of Yellowstone) *, White-breasted Nuthatch *

Brown Creeper *

Rock Wren *, Canyon Wren *, House Wren

American Dipper *

Golden-crowned Kinglet *, Ruby-crowned Kinglet *

Western Bluebird (south and east of Yellowstone) *, Mountain Bluebird *, Townsend's Solitaire *, Veery *, Hermit Thrush *, Swainson's Thrush *

Gray Catbird, Sage Thrasher

American Pipit *

Cedar Waxwing

Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audobon's morph) *, Black-throated Gray Warbler (east of Yellowstone) *, American Redstart, Ovenbird *, Northern Waterthrush *, MacGillivray's Warbler *, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler *, Yellow-breasted Chat *

Western Tanager *

Green-tailed Towhee *, Spotted Towhee *, Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow *, Brewer's Sparrow *, Vesper Sparrow *, Lark Sparrow *, Sage Sparrow (south and east of Yellowstone) *, Lark Bunting (southern Montana) *, Savannah Sparrow *, Grasshopper Sparrow (south-central Montana and east of Yellowstone) *, Fox Sparrow *, Lincoln's Sparrow *, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow *, Dark-eyed Junco Oregon subspecies (black head brown back) *, McCowan's Longspur (east of Yellowstone, southwest Montana) *

Black-headed Grosbeak *

Bobolink *, Red-winged Blackbird, Yellow-headed Blackbird *, Western Meadowlark *, Brewer's Blackbird *, Common Grackle, Brown-headed Cowbird, Bullock's Oriole *

Black rosy-finch *, Pine Grosbeak *, House Finch, Cassin's Finch *, Red Crossbill *, American Goldfinch

Evening Grosbeak *

House Sparrow

Join outdoor photographer Mike Brooks or wildlife researcher T.R. Michels on a Birding, Wildflower and Big Game Animal Tour throughout the year, depending on access to the areas.

We offer Natural History Eco-Tours to several State and National Parks and other areas for Bighorn Sheep, Bison, Elk, Moose, Mountain Goat, Mule Deer, Turkey, Waterfowl, White-tailed Deer; $100 per day per person, minimum of 2 persons.

Eco-Tours (limited photography) $100 per person per day; minimum of 2 persons.

Photography Trips for Bighorn Sheep, Bison, Elk, Mountain Goat, Moose, Mountain goat, Mule Deer, Turkey, Waterfowl, White-tailed Deer; $200 per person per day; maximum of 4 persons.

Wildflower & Scenery Photography Tours; $20 per person for 1-3 hours; minimum of 2 persons. All Day Tours (7-10 hours); $100 per person; minimum of 2 persons.

For more information contact T.R. Michels at Trinity Mountain Outdoor Adventures.

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