Wildlife in the snow

Yesterday 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.

The first animal I saw was a cow moose.  Later I would see four more, but no bulls.

 

The Tetons were beautiful in the morning haze cause by the zero temperatures.

 

Sharp-tailed grouse were roosting and feeding in the chokecherry bushes.

 

I saw about 30 mule deer and probably another 50 saw me as I was busting through snow drifts up past my headlights.

 

On a pile of rocks, I saw two black eyes looking at me.  It was a Long-tailed weasel.

 

I watched and photographed it for about an hour as it hunted through the rocks.

 

I did not see it harvest any rodent, but enjoyed it just the same.

 

It finally had enough of me and off it went in a hurry.

 

Just another great morning in the wildness of Idaho.

Hiking 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.

 

I don't think he saw me until the cow saw me as I was backing up away from the bull.

 

Then he saw me but I was close enough to the trees that I stopped worrying.

 

 

Even though we do not have a lot of snow, the deer are starting to migrate to the lower lands.

 

The sunset was colorful as I come out of the mountains.

 

A great way to spend a few hours after a windy cold morning in the Wilds of Idaho.

Mountain Goat hike

Yesterday 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.
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.

 

We also saw three mule deer as we drove to the trailhead.  Two of them were budding bucks with their growing antlers.

 

 

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.

 

There were eight Mountain goats in this herd with four small babies that one biker would call "little fur balls."

 

We enjoyed a lot of early spring flowers along the way.

 

Palisades Creek was roaring down through the canyon caused by melting snow and recent rains.

 

 

My wife led the way up and down the trail as we hiked 8.2 miles  for the day.

 

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.

 

 

I loved spending the day with my wife in the wilds of Idaho.

Raptors, migrating big game and Burrowing owls

This week was very warm with no moisture and all the migrations continue with birds and big game.
It looks like an odd pairing up with a "Harlin's" Red-tailed hawk matching up with a regular colored Red-tailed.  A Harlin's is almost black on top with light coloring showing when flying above you.

 

Its mate is a light colored, near a light-morph.  They are in the Burton area near Rexburg.

 

Here are two more Red-tails that show the different coloration of the Red-tails the migrate through the area.

 

On Tuesday last week this Bald eagle was being harassed by a pair of Kestrels near Sand Creek Ponds north of St. Anthony.

 

Also on Tuesday from St. Anthony to Sand Creek area there were 17 moose working their way across the desert.

 

Right with the moose, there were over 100 deer also migrating to the high country.  With two light winters in a row, the mule deer population is growing.  Here is one of the few bucks still wearing their head-gear.

 

A large flock of sandhill cranes joined 108 Trumpeter swans on the grain field planted and left standing for migrating birds at Sand Creek.

 

Then on Saturday I found my first Burrowing owls of the year.  There were three pair from Roberts to Hamer that had moved in since last Monday.

 

It is the wildness of Southeastern Idaho that inspires me.

Mule deer and Turkeys - Happy New Year

At a minus 15 degrees this New Years morning, it took me a little while to get rolling this morning.  But once it got above zero I was on my way to the wilds of Idaho.  After searching about 500 horned larks I finally found a Snow bunting, but it was shy and I did not get a good picture of it.  But in a draw I found nine mule deer with these two small bucks.

 

Then this Ring-necked pheasant was sitting in the sun with its feathers fluffed up, trying to keep warm.

 

This was a very interesting experience as 33 wild turkeys were moving from one feeding area to another one.  All the hens and young ones started working toward me so I waited and waited.

 

Soon the lead hen worked right next to me and was picking grass stems.

 

The four toms that followed about 200 yards behind the flock finally made it to me and began feeding on rose hips and dried leaves and buds.

 

Three of the toms had long beards that touched the snow when they were in the deep snow.

 

On the way home I saw this Trumpeter swan that had flown into a power line and broke its neck.  A home owner in the area said that 12 had been killed since Christmas along the Texas Slough since the cold weather had hit.

 

A bitter cold day enjoyed in the wilds of Idaho to celebrate the New Year.

Ice fishing again

I am glad to be able to ice fish again.  It was a great day with some old fishermen that I enjoy fishing around.
Here some are waiting for a school of kokanee to come in.

A thief on the ice - a bald eagle steals one of the fish from another fisherman.

After catching my limit of kokanee, I found and herd of Mule deer and one of them was this large buck.

This evening I found one of the Great Gray owls and enjoyed it flying over my head, missing me twice by about a foot.  Just another wild day in Idaho.

Winter hangs on - Will it ever end?

Went ice fishing yesterday again and the temperature was below zero.  I set up the ice house so I would relax, take naps, hide from Scout Troops and hopefully catch some fish.  I was successful on all accounts.

By mid morning I had my six kokanee, but none of the huge ones I got the week before.

As I was leaving several people recognized me and we talked fishing and ice conditions.  The ice is still a solid 14 inches deep and still growing.  This week are are predicted to get snow, rain and warmer tempatures.

The deer will be happy so see some of the snow leave also.  On my way home I snapped this picture of mule deer digging stubble out of the snow.  Hopefully they will make it.

I had a great day enjoying the wilds of Idaho for another day.

Mountain Happiness

My friend came up with this saying:  "If you are lucky enough to be in the mountians; you are lucky enough."  I agree and since my wife wants me to get an elk to eat this winter, I have been spending evenings and weekends in the mountians.  All the elk have escaped me, but this week I have seen over 30 moose.  It is breeding time and there are usually numerous bulls with the cows.  Here is a cow with a lazy bull  sleeping behind her.

I have seen over 20 deer.  If you look close you can see four in this picture alone.

But the most thrilling were four more Great Grey owls and two Great-horned owls that I saw this week.  That makes nine Great Greys that I have seen in a week.  The most for me ever during a fall or winter.    Usually they work the old clear cuts that have some patches of grass for them to hunt rodents in.

Sorry for the sideways picture on this one, I just could not get it to straighten up.  But this one was successful  as it has a gopher in its right talons. 

What an exciting week.  Five partial or full days to spend in the wilds of Idaho.

SkyWatch Friday - Harvest sunset.

Yesterday evening I decided to go scouting for elk.  I saw two elk, two Ruffed grouse, three wolves, a golden eagle and six moose.

Here are two dating moose.

Then they start kissing!!!!!

As I was driving out of the mountains, the sun was just setting.  The dust from the potato harvest along with the thin clouds in the sky, made for a wonderful sunset.

A great way to end a beautiful sunshine filled day in the wilds of Idaho.