Swallows' Choice

Last year the swallows built a nest on our back porch's brick wall:

The chicks hatched and did all right for awhile, but the west facing location and radiated heat did them in.  

This year, since we were late in using the horse trailer, birds seemed to find the underside of the gooseneck to be a prime nesting area.
We had two nests there.  This one (type of bird unknown.  The nestlings were gone before we noticed.):

And this one, the swallows' choice for the season:

Unfortunately, hatchlings were still hanging out in the nest when we hitched up the trailer and went on our first ride. 

I didn't think the little ones would survive, but they hunkered down and did okay.  The nest must be as solid as a rock.  It lasted through travel over some very rocky dirt roads. 

When we returned home from the first day trip, we tried to park in the same location, and the parents quickly found the youngsters.  After the second day outing, we parked in the driveway, a hundred feet away from where they'd started.  Mom and Dad Swallow again found their chicks. 

After our third trip, four fledglings flew out of the nest.

This morning, we saw them sitting on the fenceline, probably waiting for Mom and Dad to return with bugs for breakfast.

All is well in Swallowland.  We'll see if they choose the mobile home option again next year. 

For more cute critters, click here.

Hidden Signs and People Sightings

Last weekend, we drove to a trailhead leading to several large parks in the High Uintas.  (Corral Park with Marsh Peak in the background is shown above.)

The parking was a bit gnarly:

The trail was faint and rugged in places: 

And the Forest Service signage was well-hidden by trees, never to be seen unless you knew exactly where you were going to begin with:

But the parks (not city-type improved parks, just big open meadows in the mountains)

were beautiful, once we found them.  Boss surveys Big Park:

And Mischief looks pretty at the entrance to Corral Park:

Elephant head, one of my favorite wildflowers because of its unique shape) bloomed in the marshy areas:

Surprisingly, we saw some other riders!  They had pack horses and must have been out for a few days over July 24th (big Utah Pioneer Day holiday) weekend. 

We spotted their little dog first. The pup tried to jump up on my stirrup. When his owner came along, we found that the dog expected to be lifted up into the saddle for a ride.  Here they are riding away after our encounter near Fish Lake: 

Daisy didn't care about fishing, but she did opt for a swim.