Travels with an Old Man-1

I am out of school for potato harvest and decided to spend the day enjoying the outdoors.  I loaded my fly rod, shotgun, chain saw and camera and headed out at 5:45 in the dark.  About 10 miles out of town it started raining very hard and I almost turned around and headed home but then I thought, "If you wait for rain to stop, you may miss a life-time of experiences."

The rain had slowed to a misty wetness as I pulled into Sand Creek Pond #4.  The planters were hungry and I was enjoying them when other fishermen showed up.  The giggling told me some were teenage girls.  They went down the pond and soon the giggles turned into excited shouts - they were catching fish also. 

I found out that a young man was a very smart young man and knows exactly what to do with young women - pick them up at 6:15 in the morning and take them fishing.  They will never forget you.  Actually he and one of the girls are students of mine.  Here he is will a large rainbow - the girls also caught large fish.

The rain had subsided as I left the Sand Creek Ponds with the trees just starting to change into their fall colors.

I headed across the high mountain desert successfully finding sharp-tailed and sage grouse.  This is Split Butte, one of the dozens of buttes caused by volcanic eruptions.

As I climbed higher the clouds had dropped around the shoulders of Fog Butte - aply named.  There I was able to get a load of fire wood.

As I climbed higher and did some scouting for deer and elk, I found beautiful pockets of colored aspen.

After experiencing a sudden down pour, I found this Swainson's hawk trying to dry out its feathers in the wind.

What a great day spent in the wildness of Idaho.

Wildlife in the rain

For the last two days, rain has dominated the weather.  It is tough getting good pictures in the over-cast sky when the clouds are crying.  It almost makes me cry when I am trying to get some good pictures.

But across the desert and marshes I traveled.  First to the Sage Grouse lek where only the males showed up - females are nesting and males are staying available for a female that might lose its nest.

As I headed across the desert looking for new Sharp-tailed grouse leks, I found pockets of blooming Buttercups.

I also saw nine herds of elk moving from their wintering grounds to the areas for them to calve.  Many will return to Yellowstone Park about 80 miles away.

As my raptor nest study will begin next week, I started by trying to locate nests.  Three Swainson's Hawk nests were found.  But they have not started sitting on them.

Then today on the way home from Church, I watched the male Yellow-headed Blackbirds, staking out their territory and inviting the females to come to visit them.  There was a little flirting going on, but all the females have not yet returned.  Give them another week. 

Even the rain could not totally dampen the beauties in the Wilds of Idaho.

Church Conference Sunday

I slept in until 6:30 today but was still greeted by the sun as it peeked over the Tetons.  The impurities in the air colored it a brilliant orange.

I decided to go for a drive out to Market Lake, but the duck season opened yesterday and there were more hunters than birds.  West of Market Lake and the freeway, I found a newly baled hay field with 19 hawks in it.  Swainson's, kestrels, Ferruginous and the Red-tails that have started moving down out of the mountains were all killing gophers and mice.

I watched as a pair of Swainson's were trying to teach two immatures how to harvest gophers.  Here one of the adults carries a gopher out in the field to drop it.

The other adult yells at the youngster (and me) to get going.

Both parents chase after the Red-tails that were trying to get it, but eventually the immature Swainson's gets it before one of the Red-tails comes back to the post.

Then the parents try to chase the other youngster off its perch to try to get it hunting, but like a lot of stubborn children, it is easier for mom and dad to provide.

Just another wild day in Idaho.  I make it back home by 10a.m. for the Conference broadcast.



R and R with the birds

After a hard week dealing with Homecoming at school and in charge of a seminar for the Teaching American History Grant all day Satureday (it was outstanding with Peter Henriques, author of Realistic Visionary, discussing George Washington), I needed some R and R.  So out to Market Lake to look for migrating birds I went.

Immature Swainson's hawks were everywhere looking for food.  Here is one that was harassing a bunch of sparrows in a thicket.

Flocks of Canada geese were in stubble fields and ponds alike.

                               

Then I got to the thickets that housed the Great-horned owls.

In the next line of brush, I saw 9 Long-eared owls.

Then on the way home I caught this Swainson's having dinner.

Probably a nest-mate of it come in to try to steal a snack before it was gone.

I loved the R and R enjoying the down time with the birds of the area.  Just the end of another wild week in Idaho.

Willet - eating

What a wonderful day I had yesterday celebrating International Migratory Bird Day. I started by meeting Dick from Ogden, Utah, at 5 a.m. to visit a sharp-tailed lek for viewing and picture taking. Dick is a gentleman with a lot of knowledge about photography and equipment made mine look sick. Northern Harriers, a Fish and Game truck and a visit by seven antelope kept the sharpies a little nervous and by 7:30 they left the lek.
When I got home a flock of Evening Grosbeaks and a Grackle had joined siskins, finch, robins, blackbirds,sparrows, crossbills and buntings. I had planned on being at Camas National Wildlife Refuge by 8:30, but the beautiful grobeaks and grackle delayed me. Both male and female Evening grosbeaks have already fascinated me. They are one of the most beautiful birds that visit my yard.
At Camas I met many of the Audubon group from Idaho Falls. We watched kestrels, Ruby-crowned kinglets, yellow-rumped warblers and Eastern Flycatchers. I decided to drive out through the refuge.
There were only a few shorebirds and waterfowl there. Willets were all scattered along the roads and ponds throughout the refuge. As I was about at the last marsh, I noticed a willet working the newly flooded marsh.
The willet would probe the soft earth with its strong bill eventually finding an earth worm. After the worm was extracted, the willet would grasp it in its bill and run to the nearest water, swish the worm, washing it and then gulping it down. I watched it for about 45 minutes as it gathered nine worms, washed and ate them. From time to time the willet would fly in a circle only to land closer to my truck. It was a great show.
On the way home I visited a Swainson's hawk nest and two Great-horned owl nests. One nest on the Refuge had six and the other had three owlets. Just small furry balls with two big eyes.
When I got home the Evening grosbeaks and grackle were still active and had been joined by a Western Kingbird and a Yellow-rumped warbler. What a great day.