SkyWatch Friday - Henrys Lake sunrise

We have been having unseasonably warm weather with very few clouds in the sky.  Last Saturday as I was getting on Henrys Lake for some fishing, the sun slowly colored the few early morning clouds.



With the weather the weather predicted to change this weekend, we will see a lot more clouds and more colorful sunsets and sunrises.  Just the beginning of a wild day in Idaho.

See other great sky pictures at http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

Beautiful Saturday

After a busy three weeks, I finally got a Saturday to hit the lake and mountains.  After fishing, see http://billschiessfishing.blogspot.com/) and helping get a load of wood, I went for a drive to enjoy nature.

This pelican harassed me while catching fish.

Saw this beautiful butterfly.

Songbirds were feed on the ripe hawthorne berries.

And the trees are putting on their their gilded colors before they become barren before snow flies.

Enjoying the wildness of Idaho on a very sunny day.



SkyWatch Friday - Teton River sunset

Predicted storms never materialized this week, but the clouds created great sunsets.

Just the end of another wild day in Idaho.

Check out other great sky photos at http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

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.

SkyWatch Friday - Mud volleyball (wrestling).

This week is homecoming week at Madison High School in Rexburg.  I am still in charge of the homecoming activities - a job really don't enjoy, but try to do well.

Tuesday night was Mud Volleyball, but it usually is more wrestling than volleyball.  Here is one of my favorite pictures of the evening.

Then after cleaning up, I was leaving after all the kids were gone and the sun was setting, I was pleased to witness the setting sun.

After the sun set I captured this single strand of grass seeds creating this silhouette against the sun.

Just the end of another wild day in Idaho.

See other great sky pictures at http://skyley.blogspot.com/.

Poop equals food.

"Some people's garbage is other's treasures," I have heard throughout my life.  But coyote poop for food?  Last week on a drive through the mountains, every pile of coyote poop I found was covered with butterflies.

Now I am not good at butterfly names, but these must be finding something they like in this pile of leftovers.  I wonder if it gives them their color.  Now this pile attracks more blues and flies than the orange ones.

Now this one's diet is more to my liking and it is beautiful.

Just a little bit of the wildness of Idaho.

SkyWatch Friday - Sunset over Swan Lake

While taking an evening drive this week, the sunset over Swan Lake in Island Park was more yellow than orange.  But the silhouetted of the trees enhanced and made it appealing.

Another end of a wild day in Idaho.

Busy Saturday

After watching four grandchildren run in a fun run, I headed for Sand Creek Ponds to work on a story about banana trout.  The turkey vultures were staging to migrate and I saw 17 of them soaring as I drove to the lakes.

I interviewed this lady who had caught a nice rainbow, but no bananas.  They had seen some swim by, but could not catch them.

So I rigged up my fly rod with a small nymph and moved to an area void of fishermen.  The banana trout would follow my fly and finally one would take it.

                                    

They were small, about six to eight inches, and  were easy to see in the water and even the ospreys got into the act and caught them.

                                 

Just another wild day in Idaho.

SkyWatch Friday - Fall River

On my way back from delivering fishing flies to some businesses and fishing for a couple of hours, the sun had just set and this was the scene as I crossed the Fall River bridge near Chester, Idaho.

Just the end of another wild day in Idaho.

See other pictures of the sky at http:skyley.blogspot.com.