Yellowstone again

Enticed by a report of Gray Partridge in Bozeman, MT I decided on another bird adventure. The very good shorebird migration locations in Montana are too far away for a short visit, so I opted for less driving to Bozeman. I selected a route past Midway Geyser Basin to Madison, exiting the park at West Yellowstone. Hwy 191 follows the Gallatin River going north. This is a popular area for fly fishing and white water rafting. The landscape moves from being heavily forested to a steep walled canyon, to open sagebrush flats. T'was a very scenic drive. A thunderstorm was breaking over Bozeman as I arrived, causing me to take shelter in a coffee shop until the storm passed.
........ Early the next morning I found Sourdough Trail, part of a network of trails maintained by the local Rotary Club. The trail protects a riparian corridor between 2 housing areas and a golf course. Black-billed Magpies were dominant. I also saw a Song Sparrow, Yellow Warblers, Evening Grosbeaks, and a few Mallards. Backyard feeders of a house had attracted both Black-capped and Mountain Chickadees, as well as Common Grackles and House Finches.
......Birds had slowed down by mid-morning on this warm Summer day so I left town and headed south, back to the park. A few hours later I was standing on the edge of a natural wonder, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The falls were thundering, roaring down the canyon. Late afternoon sun made this a spectacular scene.
I saw Ospreys nesting on a rock spire, part of the canyon wall, and being fed by a parent. No predators will climb up to bother this nest !! At another viewpoint I watched a Clark's Nutcracker bill-wiping several times on a branch.
The next morning I launched my kayak at Bridge Bay marina and paddled out into the sparkling blue waters of Yellowstone Lake. Its a huge lake and I stayed close to the shore. Wildflowers are still blooming near the lake edge, watered by small trickles of water flowing into the lake.
.........Around Colter Bay I was beginning to think the forests were totally devoid of avian life, when a Cassin's Finch showed up yesterday afternoon. This morning, behind Jackson Lake Lodge, I watched 2 Sandhill Cranes fly over. Several minutes later I heard other SH Cranes calling. That really is a sign of Fall when the Cranes are migrating.
.......Photos of Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Rainbow in the mist of the waterfalls, and West Thumb Geyser Basin.