click to enlarge

All of the rivers in Yellowstone National Park have personalities of their own but the Firehole river is hands down the coolest. While the Yellowstone river is majestic and the Gibbon is chaotic and the Madison is grand, it is the Firehole that has the hippest personality of all. It is due to the supporting characters along it’s banks as much as anything. From the dive-bombing Osprey that slice into the crystal clear water, to the occasional coyote that swims across it and even the buffalo that will walk along it’s banks in the water just for the fun of it, the Firehole is more like a refined circus than a carnival.

 Here we have a Mallard duck preparing for the season premiere of Yellowstone’s version of RiverDance. Each year one of the animal groups is chosen to be the featured performers in this season’s extravaganza, and this year it is the duck family, much to their delight. Rehearsing tirelessly the ducks are perfecting each and every move. Carefully choosing the perfect location to show off their classic performances, this rock overhang is the absolute best choice for the climax of his routine.

The show also features the high diving Osprey showcasing their dangerous and heart stopping “Dive of Death” where they plunge headlong into the river and reappear with glistening Cutthroat trout in their talons, plus the zany and carefree Common Mergansers, the mop-tops of the duck world, performing their perfectly choreographed skit “Skipping Across the River Top”. The featured performance though, will be the dancing talents of the Mallard backed up by that Bevy of Bountiful Beauties, the Duckettes, performing a dance routine “Rollin’ On The River” set to the music of Ike and Tina’s “Proud Mary”. It will be a showstopper.

So, don’t miss it. Performances daily at locations up and down the Firehole River. Be there or be square.