Last Thursday I went out to Birch Creek by Lone Pine on the Salmon Highway. Between rain storms I was able to interview five people about fishing Birch Creek and looked for Indian petrographs. Fishermen and a fisherwoman reported good fishing for the small trout that had been stocked recently with some "native brookies" and a few holdovers from last season. A couple from Shelley, ID, had caught 10 that morning and 11 the day before. The fisherwoman caught one while I was visiting with them.
Birds were all over the banks of Birch Creek. I saw an osprey, Red-tailed hawk, kestrels, Yellow warblers, Yellow-rumped warblers, Yellow-headed and red-winged blackbirds, robins, an eagle, mallards, house wrens, ravens, crows, magpies and Western Tanagers. The most interesting was the Western Tanagers that flew out over the water picking off insects in the air. I wish the picture was a little better, but the bird is about to nab an insect in the air.
I also saw many beautiful flowers. I am not very good with them, but some appeared to members of the Indian paintbrush, members of the columbine family and of course the Rocky Mountain iris are blooming along the streams.
I spent three hours exploring for Indian petrographs, but did not find any new ones. I hiked up to some caves, finding old wire probably used for trapping bobcats as it used to be a popular place for that activity. I also found old mines, dug-out houses and many mining exploratory holes.
Antelope were scattered around the desert with large bucks, but mostly does with or without their young by their sides.
Just before leaving the area, I stopped in at the Lone Pine Store and visited with the mother of the owner. She was an older pleasant woman to visit with as she fix me a burger. I will go back - soon for a visit and look until I find some petrographs.
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