Another band had passed nearly silently through the trees below the open area where Flash and his ladies were grazing, and here he paused for just a moment in the lovely light, to check that the way was safe, before leading them on down the hill in the wake of that other band.
The Deer Creek Fire started Thursday (cause is as yet unknown) at the base of Utah’s La Sal Mountains.
During the day, smoke settles over all of Disappointment Valley, and the mountains are obscured.
As evening settles, so does the smoke, and the mountains appear against the horizon … along with the smoke plume.
The above link lists the fire at 4,000 acres, but according to app Watch Duty, it has grown to 7,000 acres as of almost 10 p.m. Friday.
Be careful out there, folks, no matter where you live, work and/or recreate.
The incomparable Kestrel: epitome of wild wisdom and grace. 🙂
If this pic looks similar to the one of the pronghorn buck a few posts ago, it’s because she’s watching him head down the hill from very near where he stood to “pose” for the pic.
Pronghorns – in Spring Creek Basin at least – try very hard to warn their mustang cousins about the dangers of the two-legged in their midst with a “bark” or more strident “huff” sound than what the mustangs make as a warning snort. … But really, it just makes the mustangs more curious about their pronghorn cousin and what all the fuss is about. 🙂
Buckeye and Aiyanna settle into nap mode on a windy-windy day at the western edge of Spring Creek Basin.
A bit less wind, a LOT more rain, please?
As a bachelor lieutenant stallion, one of Skywalker’s duties is to protect the band as a whole from unwanted incursions by *other* bachelor stallions. When he’s not harassing the main stallion, Skywalker takes that pretty seriously.
Buckeye searches for the grasses that just received a slurp of rain under those mammatus clouds. He’s already taken advantage of the damp ground to try to deter the bugs, which also were taking advantage of the humidity to come out in force!
*****
Happy Fourth of July! Not a splash-of-color image, but I hope it’s one that invokes some of the independence and freedom this country was founded upon.
Storm made an appearance. 🙂
Rowan at sunset.
The clouds are trying to deliver monsoon moisture through the layers of heat and haze. … Trying …
Another one of Winona from gorgeous solstice evening. Just because she’s beautiful, as is her high-desert home.
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 