Memorial Weekend means fishing.

Last Friday I fished for the first time since March and it was the first fly fishing of the season for me.  It was rainy and cold or should I say it was rainy-snow and cold.  I had most of Island Park Reservoir to myself and a few fish were hitting.  The surprise of the day was an 18 inch brook trout that hit my Beadhead Electric Leech.

Getting soaked three times in two hours was not that much fun, but the seven fish caught was a great way to spend another wild day in Idaho.

Snow again

After the heat in Alabama, I was glad to get back to the coolness of Idaho - but not this cool!!!

I had to go to Island Park to deliver fishing flies to several businesses and it snowed on me all day.  I did find a few birds braving the cold and picking hatching flies of the water like this Yellow Warbler.

A flock of Yellow-rumped warblers as the snow fell near Staley Springs.

On the way home, I even found a few Glacier lilies blooming in the forest.

Even with the cold, it was a great day in the wilds of Idaho.

SkyWatch Friday - Snow storm

May 6, and we woke up to snow on the ground - only about half a inch but it was snow.  I am ready for summer so next week I will be heading for Birmingham, Alabama, for six days.  Not for pleasure, but for work.

This evening after the snow had melted and it was still trying to spit on us, I got this picture of the sun trying to sneak through the clouds as it was setting.

The walk along the Henrys Fork of the Snake River was a great way to end another wild day in Idaho.

View other great pictures of the sky at http://skyley.blogspot.com/

Back again

Busy, busy, busy.  Missed my first year anniversery blogging on May 1, but first things must come first.  I still found time to go birding and photographing.

I have been following the progress of a Great-horned owl nest with two owlets that hatched early in April.  Last week during a strong wind, one of the owlets fell out of the nest.  Last week I found it in the crotch of a tree about 12 feet off the ground.

Above the owlet was the male or father standing guard over it about four feet above it.

As I watched from a distance, I watched as a Northern Harrier attack the chick and the male drove it off.  Meanwhile the mother and the other chick remained close to the nest.  The chick with the mother is almost twice as large as the one that fell out.

                               

Is it by design the youngsters need two parents?  Could the one with the mother be larger because of the nurturing?  I watched as a snow shower came through.  The mother climbed in the nest to protect it while the male did not protect the other one.  I did not see either one of the chicks being fed, but does the mother have the ability to feed better than the male.

Just some thoughs about life and studying in the wilds in Idaho.