Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Chester wetlands

Yesterday evening I drove to the Chester Wetlands Wildlife Management area to hike the mowed trails through it.  With a mostly cloudy sky and a heavy rain the night before, the colors were fresh and the bugs were out in force.  But I had a wonderful time walking and observing things.  The ponds had ducks, flowers had bees, trees had birds and the most interesting was finding an endangered orchid in the tall grass.  Here are a few of the photos I took.
The wetlands have 16 ponds that are managed for waterfowl and shorebird nesting.

Here a Great-horned owl peers at me on a low branch hiding in some stinging nettles.  It says, "You are close enough."
Here is the endangered orchid, the Ute Ladies Tresses.  In Idaho it is only found on the South Fork of the Snake River and at Chester.  It is only found in nine states and in British Columbia in Canada.  A very beautiful and interesting plant.

11 comments:

Jann said...

I really love finding any of the orchids that grow in my area; that Ute Ladies must've been real exciting to see. And the owl, fabulous pic! The stinging nettle was telling you to stay away too! I see you have the curlycup gumweed too; it was quite abundant here this yr. Looks like a really nice hike.

Sunny said...

What a beautiful area. Love the owl! I fell in a patch of stinging nettles when I was a youngster...ouch!
Sunny :)

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Bill, You always take such great pictures and see such amazing things. I especially enjoyed seeing that Owl. They have such awesome eyes.

Are you back in school yet? I think you said you were. What do you teach?

Good Luck.
Betsy

Bill S. said...

Betsy,

We are back in school but I only teach two classes (US Government and am the Student Council Advisor). Later I will teach a Current Events class. I also administer a Teaching American History federal grant that makes me travel to Washington DC, New York City, Boston and California.
I have awesome students and look forward to my experiences in the classroom each day.

Bekkieann said...

The Great Horned Owl is magnificent. Your photos give a real sense of being there. This is my first visit. I'll be looking through the archives for more of this marvelous photography.

Janie said...

I've never seen that orchid. Beautiful.
Great photo of the great horned owl.

Leedra said...

such a nice photo of the owl.

troutbirder said...

Thanks Bill. Me and my big pup love these kinds of walks. Go slow. Look and smell carefully. Expect the unexpected. Take pictures. You've captured the spirit exactly! Have fun in school this year. I loved my stint to the very end.

Mary said...

It's great to find your blog and to enjoy your amazing photos. I love the owl, cascading water, the wildflowers, and the lake. You are very talented. And it is wonderful that you are teaching others and sharing your enthusiasm. Thank you for visiting my blog and for encouraging my efforts.

Gayle said...

When I lived in Cheney I used to love riding my bike out to Turnbull. The wildlife areas are so beautiful. The orchid was a great find.

Carletta said...

Awesome owl shot!