Mountains are really here

By yesterday morning the rain had stopped, clouds came and went during the day. We had a tour of the cabins in the afternoon and actually saw the mountains. I went down to the lake for a look. Mountain Chickadees flitted in a Birch tree, a White-crowned Sparrow looked different. The Taiga / Orianthus race, perhaps. Something flew around me in circles and landed in a tree. A Red-naped Sapsucker returned to land on my pants !!! briefly. He didn't like the feel of the corduroy pants and went off to join the chickadees in the Birches.
After dinner I drove to the Oxbow viewpoint, a favorite for photographers. Western Grebes were doing courtship displays, not dancing yet. I spotted at least one Clark's with a yellow bill. White Pelicans, DC Cormorants, and a Chipping Sparrow finished the bird list that evening. The 4-legged excitement was a Moose across the river contently munching on willow branches.

This morning I woke up to a blue sky, with a few clouds. Quickly scooping up my yogurt, I went down to the lake and took the photo of Grand Teton Mt. Then the clouds came in.
The new work schedule gave me 2 days off, so I headed off on my first hiking adventure, Taggart Lake. The Ranger was correct in that people are using the trail. However, 3/4 of the trail is covered in snow !! When I reached the lake the mountains were covered in clouds. As I started back the wind was carrying snow, snow flurries surrounded me as I returned to the parking lot. A flock of Pink-sided Juncos was taking shelter in the sage brush, and a pair of Mountain Bluebirds was foraging on the ground. The male was brilliant blue.