tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14362638912757330232024-03-05T23:44:33.902-08:00Bill Schiess' Wild in Idaho - Experiences and Essays of LifeThe beginning of a magical day.Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.comBlogger303125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-39110683386152619962016-01-10T05:23:00.001-08:002016-01-10T05:23:41.735-08:00Ice fishing on Ririe Reservoir.Here is my latest article from the East Idaho News.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/01/228260/">http://www.eastidahonews.com/2016/01/228260/</a>Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-90602910270592285152016-01-03T06:24:00.000-08:002016-01-03T06:24:52.442-08:00Howe, Idaho, Christmas Bird CountGetting up with the temperature at a balmy minus 13 degrees and heading out to Howe, Idaho, with four other people to do the annual Christmas Bird Count, can be very exciting. As we entered the small town, the temperature had dropped to a minus 22 degrees, and what did we do? We started wading in snow up to our knees looking for owls. They were not to be found - but we found some later in the day.<br />
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In the car I was in there were three of us; Kit, Justin and myself. We were assigned the northern section of the count area and found a total of 43 species of birds. Two of them I had never taken pictures of.<br />
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There were five Virginia Rail chasing each other in a warm creek.<br />
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A White-throated Sparrow with a lot of other sparrows at a farm.</div>
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Also at that farm was about 30 California quail.</div>
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We ran into several coveys of Gray Partridge.</div>
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A Merlin was in the same tree with about 20 Eurasian Collared doves.</div>
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Three Belted kingfishers worked the warm springs near the rails.</div>
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Hundreds of Horned larks worked the straw and weed patches.</div>
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Known for it concentration of raptors during the winter, the Howe area is the winter home of the Rough-legged hawks. We found 41 of them there.</div>
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Jackrabbits were everywhere.</div>
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We found the Common Redpolls throughout the day in small and large flocks.</div>
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It was a cold, but rewarding day spent in the wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-86771741465816013612015-12-29T05:30:00.000-08:002015-12-29T05:30:02.645-08:00Baby - it cold out thereWith the temperature a minus 18 degrees, the trees were covered with frost but the birds and animals still had to eat and stay warm, so out in the wilds of Idaho I ventured.<br />
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The Red-tailed hawks were trying to keep warm but still had to go out and hunt for food.<br />
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This Black-capped chickadee was picking of frozen sap from the spruce trees.</div>
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The Cotton-tailed rabbits fluffed out their fur but stayed close to cover to escape the hawks and owls.</div>
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White-tailed deer ventured out looking for some grass poking out of the deep snow.</div>
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This porcupine uses its front paw to pull in a branch to strip it of nutrient-rich bark.</div>
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And then this Black-capped chickadee next to the Henrys Fork of the Snake River was picking buds of willows to survive.</div>
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Venturing out in the cold wilds of Idaho can be a very interesting activity.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-57936992122098843002015-12-15T15:21:00.000-08:002015-12-15T15:21:29.702-08:00Wildlife in the snowYesterday we got from 8 to 10 inches of fluffy snow on the desert, so I just had to spend the morning out looking for animals. I was not disappointed except I wanted to see the elk migrating down from the mountains, but did not see them. I was able to photograph a while Long-tailed weasel - only the second one I have been able to in my life.<br />
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The first animal I saw was a cow moose. Later I would see four more, but no bulls.<br />
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The Tetons were beautiful in the morning haze cause by the zero temperatures.</div>
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Sharp-tailed grouse were roosting and feeding in the chokecherry bushes.</div>
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I saw about 30 mule deer and probably another 50 saw me as I was busting through snow drifts up past my headlights.</div>
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On a pile of rocks, I saw two black eyes looking at me. It was a Long-tailed weasel.</div>
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I watched and photographed it for about an hour as it hunted through the rocks.</div>
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I did not see it harvest any rodent, but enjoyed it just the same.</div>
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It finally had enough of me and off it went in a hurry.</div>
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Just another great morning in the wildness of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-78408787259877466742015-12-13T07:54:00.004-08:002015-12-13T07:54:52.197-08:00<br />
Here is my latest column from the East Idaho News:<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/12/fire-at-sand-creek-pond-2-becomes-a-winner/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.eastidahonews.com/<wbr></wbr></span>2015/12/fire-at-sand-creek-<wbr></wbr>pond-2-becomes-a-winner/</a><br />
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Hope you enjoy it.<br />
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-10559047607030201462015-12-06T20:13:00.002-08:002015-12-06T20:13:52.441-08:00Great Gray owlsHere is my latest column for the East Idaho News. It is about Great Gray owls - I hope you enjoy it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/12/218260/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.eastidahonews.com/<wbr></wbr></span>2015/12/218260/</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW-pSiJrJWqufkkmgmX9HHGTJ0qkMKC9atqxkHGWdMII1EmM3EaWAxMq4bOvi6Sw46aiglQjOg1KF90IRSa5_GgJJ8Z302-_rJDFS2S2Fu2snR3ku4MlHUsaCm9a6vTPXYwYfqFcnSxWL/s1600/Owls13-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglW-pSiJrJWqufkkmgmX9HHGTJ0qkMKC9atqxkHGWdMII1EmM3EaWAxMq4bOvi6Sw46aiglQjOg1KF90IRSa5_GgJJ8Z302-_rJDFS2S2Fu2snR3ku4MlHUsaCm9a6vTPXYwYfqFcnSxWL/s320/Owls13-15.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-19273209233408019212015-11-29T08:39:00.000-08:002015-11-29T08:39:42.737-08:00Backyard birdsAfter going through a major surgery at the University of Utah Hospital, my doctor's told me to take short, slow walks - perfect - to my bird feeders. Hopefully I will be able to get in the truck to explore other areas in about a week or two.<br />
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Here are some that I found yesterday at my bird feeders.<br />
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A Mountain Chickadee - There are several with one of them very dark, but elusive.<br />
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A Black-capped chickadee, one that will sit on my hand and eat sunflower seeds.</div>
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The American Goldfinch are one of the most numerous.</div>
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The House finch that keep their distance when I am out there.</div>
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Had to show you this picture of an American goldfinch leaving it roost and headed for a niger seed sack.</div>
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Four of the invasive Collared doves that waste a lot of seed.</div>
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A Downy woodpecker that was hard to photograph because it was continually pecking and blurring the pictures. </div>
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A great way to spend a little time in the semi-wilds of Idaho.Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-2154074382057137652015-11-18T18:08:00.000-08:002015-11-18T18:08:03.700-08:00Hiking in moose country.This afternoon I was hiking a ridge as the hunting season closed yesterday and I ran into this big bad boy and his girlfriend.<br />
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I don't think he saw me until the cow saw me as I was backing up away from the bull.</div>
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Then he saw me but I was close enough to the trees that I stopped worrying.</div>
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Even though we do not have a lot of snow, the deer are starting to migrate to the lower lands.</div>
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The sunset was colorful as I come out of the mountains.</div>
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A great way to spend a few hours after a windy cold morning in the Wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-74375293348204876082015-11-16T17:55:00.002-08:002015-11-16T17:55:36.170-08:00Big Walleye capturedHere is my latest column on the EIN. I hope you enjoy it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/11/huge-ririe-walleye-captured/">http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/11/huge-ririe-walleye-captured/</a>Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-74309192223581837932015-11-06T18:27:00.000-08:002015-11-06T18:27:55.932-08:00Bull Moose BattleThis morning before daylight I headed into the mountains. I saw a couple of deer and a cow and calf moose in the early morning mist and light snow. Then I saw a big bull moose standing behind a rock. It was way too early to get good pictures, but sometimes you have to take what you can do.<br />
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Next another bull showed up, but it only had one antler as the other one appeared to be broken off.</div>
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The two of them head toward the cow and calf.</div>
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The third bull was a small one that stayed away from the larger bulls.</div>
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A fourth showed up with very long eye-guards with smaller palms than the first bull that I saw.</div>
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The three large bulls were walking down the ridge when the one with long eye-guards poked the one in front of it in the butt with it antlers.</div>
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The fight was on as the one with one antler acting as a referee - until it located me climbing the opposite ridge to get better pictures of the battle.</div>
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The rattling of antlers for about 20 minutes as the two big bulls battled each other.</div>
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I finally noticed that the one antlered bull was headed down the ridge toward me - with his tongue hanging out. I quickly headed back to the truck, keeping it between me and the bull. I must have been less threatening as I did not have any antlers.</div>
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I missed the most of the rest of the fight as I was too low to see them clearly.</div>
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To get rid of the one-antlered bull, I banged on the hood of the truck and all the bulls headed over the ridge. </div>
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I don't know if any hooked up with the cow, but it was one of the most exciting times I have had in the Wilds of Idaho even with the poor light conditions.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-86877570847606860172015-11-01T12:26:00.000-08:002015-11-01T12:26:16.379-08:00Fall at CamasMany times when it is raining in Rexburg, the weather at Camas is great for observing wildlife. Last Thursday that was the case. Fall waterfowl migration is an exciting time to visit the national wildlife refuge. Local birds and animals are getting ready for the winter that is just around the corner.<br />
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Both the Tundra and Trumpeter swans are migrating south and resting at Camas.<br />
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"Love thy neighbor" came to mind as I watched two pair of Tundra swans in a argument on Big Pond.</div>
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Canadas, sandhill cranes and thousands of ducks join the swans in the migration.</div>
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Sandhill cranes are flying out to the area stubble fields.</div>
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The surprise of the day was a three foot Gopher snake I ran into on a road closed to motor vehicles.</div>
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In the evening five whitetails came out of the bulrushes to get a drink.</div>
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A great way to spend an afternoon in the wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-34836512519169327612015-10-18T12:25:00.003-07:002015-10-18T12:25:52.339-07:00Bear encountersHere is my weekly outdoor column about my encounters with bears.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/10/close-encounters-of-the-bear-kind/">http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/10/close-encounters-of-the-bear-kind/</a>Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-27301487998145613632015-09-28T10:42:00.001-07:002015-09-28T10:42:17.097-07:00Porcupines in a prickly situationLast week while chasing elk around I ran into some very noisy porcupines as they are also in the rut. They have the same gestation period as do elk, but I had never ran into them during this prickly situation.<br />
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As the two emerge from the dried bull rushes, the female turns and rubs noses with the male that is wailing just like a human baby crying.<br />
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She is a beautiful specimen with her long guard hair covering her lethal quills.</div>
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As she gets near me, she balances on her hind feet and tail and clicks her teeth, warning me to stay away.</div>
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The males quills are a mess as it looks like he has had to battle for the rights of the female.</div>
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Two other porcupines show up near the first two, but they are not so friendly with each other.</div>
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If you look closely you can see a quill stuck in the nose of this female. No worry, porcupines are the only North American animal whose skin produces antibiotics protecting them from infection from miss-located quills.</div>
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Just another great day in the wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-385315419728905142015-09-21T21:18:00.002-07:002015-09-21T21:18:52.661-07:00Bugling elkLast week I decided to work on an article about bugling elk for a couple of mornings. I did not foresee what I was about to experience. I knew there were about 150 head of elk on Camas NWR and they should be starting their rut. Here are a few pictures from the experience. The full story will be in the East Idaho News website on Saturday.<br />
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Early morning I caught the main herd moving from feeding in a hay field to the willow bottoms of Ray's Lake.<br />
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The herd bulls were busy chasing off other bulls trying to steal cows.</div>
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The herd bulls were challenged by other large strong bulls with them sparring against each other.</div>
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After I found a small harem, the herd bull charged the sagebrush I was hiding behind. I stopped the charge by standing up.</div>
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After he settled back down I watched him with several cows and announcing his talents.</div>
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He allowed several yearling bulls to hang around the herd. This one is very odd with a spike on one side and three spikes coming off the other side.</div>
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After the matriarch of the herd started leading them away from my hiding spot, these three yearling bulls, a yearling cow and the herd bull decided to give me a parting glance.</div>
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The last two to vacate the area was a calf and a rag-horned bull with a willow branch tangled in his right antler.</div>
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A great way to spend a couple of mornings in the Wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-85004380187025403242015-09-20T05:44:00.002-07:002015-09-20T05:44:39.229-07:00Sage grouse season opens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Yesterday the Sage grouse season opened - many people believe for the last time, but with all the money the federal and state government have poured into this bird, I doubt it. My intent was to play "shoot and release," as I intended not to kill one, but to take pictures of them and get a story for my new job as columnist for the East Idaho News.</div>
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I was on the desert long before daylight and my first pictures were of the snow-dusted Teton Peaks in the early morning light. I flushed Sage grouse and Sharp-tailed grouse that were roosting on the dirt roads I travelled.</div>
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I met and interviewed hunters that I met along the dirty and rocky roads. This is a hunter that I met a year ago and interviewed him. He was successful in bagging his one bird for the day. We flushed about 100 grouse on the hillside behind him.</div>
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I saw hundreds of birds and this large cock posed for me. They are not as handsome now as they were last spring when they were on their leks trying to impress the ladies.</div>
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When I got to the check station on the way home I was asked by the Fish and Game officers if I had been successful and I replied that I had and showed them the pictures of the birds I had taken. Since we do not enjoy the taste of Sage grouse, I did not harvest one.</div>
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It was just a great way to spend a morning in the wilds of Idaho.</div>
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You can read my stories at: EastIdahoNews.com. The name of the column will be "Living the Wild Life" found in the Outdoors section</div>
<br />Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-77686835963076430372015-09-13T12:01:00.001-07:002015-09-13T12:01:25.328-07:00Great EgretHere is an article that I wrote for the EIN in Idaho Falls, an online news source where my columns will appear.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/09/photos-the-beautiful-thieves-of-market-lake/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.eastidahonews.com/<wbr></wbr></span>2015/09/photos-the-beautiful-<wbr></wbr>thieves-of-market-lake/</a>Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-13489466382336269062015-08-27T10:05:00.001-07:002015-08-27T10:05:41.512-07:00Sage Grouse article<div class="sidr left" id="sidr" style="display: none;">
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<h1>
Sage grouse study aims to keep bird off endangered species list</h1>
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/category/lifestyle/outdoors/" title="Outdoors">Outdoors</a></h4>
<span class="format"><a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/08/sage-grouse-study-aims-to-keep-bird-off-endangered-species-list/"><i class="fa fa-file-text-o"></i></a></span><span class="com"><i class="fa fa-comment-o"></i> 0</span><small><i class="fa fa-clock-o"></i> Updated at 12:35 pm, August 26th, 2015 By: <a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/author/EIN_Staff">Bill Schiess, EastIdahoNews.com</a> </small> <div class="sharebar">
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<span class="alignright featured-story-image"><img alt="Sage_Grouse01" class="attachment-medium wp-post-image" height="225" src="http://assets.eastidahonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/25140554/IMG_5138-300x225.jpg" width="300" /></span>ST. ANTHONY — State and federal researchers have teamed up for a two-year study on the greater sage grouse, which may soon be listed as endangered.<br />
The Idaho Fish and Game Department and the Bureau of Land Management’s study is designed to see what habitat is best for nesting and brooding and overall survival of adult birds. <br />
The possibility of the nation’s largest grouse being on the Endangered Species List looms over users of desert areas in 11 states. The bird being listed could close large portions of sage grouse habitat for all human use, including grazing cattle, drilling for oil and gas, recreation, and travel.<br />
Last spring, north of St. Anthony between the Red Road and the Sand Creek Road, researchers had 40 radios ready to place on the hens. They found it difficult to capture the birds as they gathered on their breeding grounds. The hens, leery of any potential danger from overhead, would not move under the drop nets to be captured. <br />
<a href="http://assets.eastidahonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/25140557/Sagestudy6-15.jpg"><img alt="Sagestudy6-15" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-182417" height="467" src="http://assets.eastidahonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/25140557/Sagestudy6-15.jpg" width="700" /></a><br />
“We have to do something different as they will not walk under the net,” said a frustrated Eric Anderson, regional habitat biologist for the Idaho Fish and Game. “We have these devices that need to be placed on hens to track them for the next two years before the breeding ends.”<br />
Eventually, with the aid of canon nets, 36 hens were captured and fitted with the tracking devices before nesting began last spring.<br />
<img alt="IMG_5133" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-182412" height="525" src="http://assets.eastidahonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/25140553/IMG_5133.jpg" width="700" /><br />
The study is funded by the BLM from the fuels program as wildfires have destroyed large tracks of sage grouse habitat. Between State Highway 33 and the Egin/Hamer Road, fires have destroyed or forced birds to abandon seven traditional breeding grounds in the last six years.<br />
“Fires have the greatest impact on the sage grouse of anything we see,” Devin Englestead, a wildlife biologist for the BLM and point-man for the study, said. “We have set up 130 habitat monitoring spots to see what they like the best.”<br />
<img alt="Sagestudy4-15" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-182416" height="200" src="http://assets.eastidahonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/25140556/Sagestudy4-15-300x200.jpg" width="300" /><br />
During the summer tracking program, of the 36 hens with tracking units, 30 attempted to nest, 18 had successful nests; but by the time the chicks could fly, only six hens had at least one chick. Two of the hens were killed by predators, seven of the nests were destroyed by predators and four were abandoned by the hens. Two of the tracking devices failed and one fell off the bird.<br />
“The moralities are about normal with most of the other studies that have been done,” Englestead said. “One of the most interesting things we have found so far is the migration of these hens after their attempt to nest.”<br />
Most of the hens migrated north through Targhee National Forest to the Shotgun Valley near Island Park Reservoir where they have spent most of the summer. But one hen broke the pattern and instead of going north moved south and set up home near Juniper Mountain at the edge of the St. Anthony Sand Dunes.<br />
<img alt="Sagestudy8-15" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-182418" height="467" src="http://assets.eastidahonews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/25140557/Sagestudy8-15.jpg" width="700" /><br />
“The ones that traveled north left days apart but used the same migration route, stopping in pockets of sage in the forest,” Englestead said. “They took only one and a half days to get from their nesting area to where they are now. We don’t know if they flew or walked and hopefully we will find that out in the future.”<br />
With the Idaho Fish and Game Commission setting a six-day, one-bird-per-day season this year, there is some concern about the birds with the electronic devices.<br />
“I would not promote hunting in this area,” Englestead said. “I don’t want our birds shot with the radios on them. But if one gets harvested we need the device returned to us.”<br />
The study will be for at least two years with more hens captured and fitted with tracking equipment next spring. <br />
“We have a lot to learn about sage grouse and their habitat in helping them to survive as a species,” Anderson said.<br />
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Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-39067905017558759312015-08-25T06:29:00.001-07:002015-08-25T06:29:43.303-07:00Hiking the R MountainOur grandkids that live by us will be starting school on Wednesday and we have tended them every Monday during the summer. So we asked them what they wanted to do yesterday and they picked climbing the rocks and hiking the "R" Mountain near Rexburg. We had a great time. <br />
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As we started you could see the haze from all the wild fires in Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The air quality is very bad for those with breathing problems.<br />
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The trail to the top of the mountain goes through a sagebrush hillside.</div>
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These ancient volcanos are made from tuff rock and the weather has shaped many of the rocks on the edge. We call this figure the "Watch Dog" as it overlooks the lower fields, rivers and sagebrush flats.</div>
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The kids love to play on the rock and to crawl over the boulders in other areas.</div>
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As we finished the hike, six Red-tailed hawks entertained us as they rode the warm air currents created by the sun striking the rocks. <br />
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Just another day enjoying the wilds of Idaho.Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-11577413736372753922015-08-24T04:29:00.001-07:002015-08-24T04:29:16.299-07:00Article on Stinking Springs/Sidewinder hiking trail<br />
I have started writing for an online news source for their outdoor section and each time they run one of my stories, I will link it to my blog. This also means that I will do more blogging as they would like me to be up-to-date with my other experiences. I hope you enjoy these articles.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastidahonews.com/2015/08/idaho-trails-wheres-that-stinking-spring/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">http://www.eastidahonews.com/<wbr></wbr></span>2015/08/idaho-trails-wheres-<wbr></wbr>that-stinking-spring/</a><br />
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Stinking Springs area during a recent heavy rainstorm.<br />
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-9566821033905392532015-08-05T13:38:00.000-07:002015-08-05T13:38:49.017-07:00Spencer, Camas NWROn Monday I drove to Spencer, Idaho to do research for an article about the fire opals that are found there. Instead of going on the main roads, I went cross-country and covered two scenic byways, the Fort Henry Historical Byway and the Lost Gold Trails Loop. My first major sighting was this Belted Kingfisher that had been hit on the bridge crossing the Henrys Fork of the Snake River.<br />
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A little farther down the road, I flushed a Great Blue Heron hunting frogs and mice in the tall grass.</div>
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Once on the desert any water even the mud puddles attracted birds like this Sage Thrusher and sparrow.</div>
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This buck Pronghorn in a pasture on the green grass, but keeping a fence between him and the cattle.</div>
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Not far from the pronghorn was this young Red-tailed hawk hunting mice in a meadow.</div>
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Once in Spencer, I visited all four shops, interviewing many people. Spencer fire opal is a precious gem and is found in layers of common opal. This picture shows the layers of the rock. The story about the opal, stores and mines should run in the on-line newspaper, the East Idaho News, next week.</div>
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One of the stores has a mini-mine where they bring rock and put it in a pile to allow would-be miners to hunt for pieces of opal. I spent about two hours there and found a few pieces.</div>
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On the way home near Dubois, I found this young Burrowing owl hiding behind the sagebrush near a burrow.</div>
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My last stop of the day was at Camas National Wildlife Refuge where this White-tailed buck was hiding in the tall grass. He would only lift his head high enough for me to see his eyes when I whistled at him.</div>
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Just another day spent in the wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-66093467341561933832015-05-24T20:53:00.001-07:002015-05-24T20:53:10.037-07:00Fishing reportsYou can follow my fishing reports on my fishing blog by clicking on the link to in on the left. I will report my fishing activities each week.<br />
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Thanks,<br />
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BillBill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-88770953096142528572015-05-24T20:41:00.000-07:002015-05-24T20:41:06.560-07:00Market Lake birdsLast Friday I slipped out to Market Lake for a few hours and saw 87 species of birds and got some good pictures of some of them. Highlight were a Great Egret and several Black Terns. I did not get good pictures of the Black terns, but at least you will be able to identify them.<br />
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On the way to Market Lake I stopped to see if the Burrowing owlets were out of the nest yet. They were not, but the mother came over to check me out.<br />
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At Market Lake willets were on the edge of the ponds.</div>
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A cormorant was fishing in the deep water near the road. It is funny that they often swim with most of their body under the water.</div>
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Western grebes have started nesting so the males and juvies are swimming around lonely.</div>
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Forester terns were all over the place - oops - I forgot to load a poor picture of the Black tern.</div>
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The Black-crowned Night-herons kept flying over the ponds and marshes.</div>
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The color-clashing Ruddy duck males were everywhere while their mates are probably nesting somewhere in the reeds.</div>
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And finally as I was leaving Market Lake a Great egret decided to say "hi" to me. It was the first one of the season.</div>
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Just a few enjoyable hours spent in the wilds of Idaho. Have a great week.Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-19255542456579842732015-05-06T04:32:00.000-07:002015-05-06T04:32:12.062-07:00Mountain Goat hikeYesterday for to celebrate my wife's birthday, she wanted to hike to the Lower Palisades Lake near Swan Valley, Idaho. She had done it the week before with friends and they had seen some Mountain goats and I had expressed a desire to see and photograph them. We got a late start but had a great day even with some rain showers freshening up us on the way back down the trail.<br />
On the way in past a couple of homes, we saw this beautiful peacock. It was displaying when we first saw it, but would not after I got my camera ready.<br />
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We also saw three mule deer as we drove to the trailhead. Two of them were budding bucks with their growing antlers.</div>
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About two miles into the hike I heard rocks falling over the roar of the creek and caught this nanny jumping from a ledge, across a fallen tree to a rock where it landed perfectly.</div>
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There were eight Mountain goats in this herd with four small babies that one biker would call "little fur balls."</div>
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We enjoyed a lot of early spring flowers along the way.</div>
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Palisades Creek was roaring down through the canyon caused by melting snow and recent rains.</div>
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My wife led the way up and down the trail as we hiked 8.2 miles for the day.</div>
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On the way back down from the Lower Palisades Lake that had four pair of Barrow's Goldeneyes and two pair of Common Mergansers on it, we once again ran into the Mountain goats as they rested in the rain on the hard rocks of the canyon.</div>
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I loved spending the day with my wife in the wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-86124232599513869232015-04-30T20:52:00.000-07:002015-04-30T20:52:42.412-07:00Spring has sprungTuesday I went up to watch the Idaho Fish and Game tend their gill nets (another post) and spent the rest of the day enjoying the wildness of Idaho around Henrys Lake. It was a beautiful day with the Mountain Bluebirds and the Tree swallows fighting over nest boxes around the lake. Here is a female bluebird carrying plant material to build the nest in a nest box.<br />
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Here the male bluebird stands as a sentinel to protect the female as she builds the nest or is just plain lazy or full-of-himself for being so beautiful.</div>
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Even without a nest box, these two Tree swallow love-birds are busy getting to know each other.</div>
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By Timber Creek two immature and one mature Bald eagles are waiting for a good chance to pick off a spawning cutthroat trout in the stream.</div>
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This White-crowned sparrow got into a fight with a male bluebirds because it got too close to a nest box holding a female bluebird.</div>
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At the edge of the road I found what looked like a six-headed snake. It was not a one snake but a female with five smaller male Garter snakes trying to breed her.</div>
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On the cut next to the road were three other males, larger than the five with the female.</div>
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Eventually the three joined in the mass of snakes as the wrestled in the mud. I left before the wrestling was over.</div>
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Then I found two chipmunks chasing each other through the sagebrush.</div>
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I finished the day by climbing a mountain in search of some garnets and "fairy-cross" crystals. I found both and got high enough to see some Bighorn sheep.</div>
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What a great day it was to enjoy the wilds of Idaho.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1436263891275733023.post-31452991611919047882015-04-20T21:45:00.001-07:002015-04-20T21:49:46.097-07:00Owls of Camas NWRThis morning after doing my Sage grouse lek counts, I went on to Camas NWR to see what I could find. I was well paid for my time. I saw a few new birds for the season, but I also noticed a lot of Short-eared owls flying around, chasing off the Northern Harriers when they got too close to some marsh grass areas.<br />
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It kept landing on a headgate for water diversion and watched me very closely.</div>
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Then right by the road in the grass was a brown spot with big yellow eyes - a Short-eared owlet.</div>
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Not too far off I saw another one.</div>
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Then another one that was exposed to the diving harriers.</div>
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After an attack from the harriers, it flew about 20 yards into some thick bull rushes.</div>
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Across the road was another adult - I believe it was the male of the pair.</div>
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He eventually took off and chased the harriers away from the area.</div>
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On the way home I stopped to check out a Great-horned owl nest and found that the eggs had hatched and now a pair of adults have three hungry chicks to feed.</div>
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Just a few rewards of spending time in the wilds of Idaho and enjoying the wildness of it all.</div>
Bill S.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17918013366385456020noreply@blogger.com6