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.

SkyWatch Friday - hunting eagle

Last week, before the two storms, while ice fishing Ririe Reservoir a Bald eagle flew over the hill looking for discarded trash fish for a meal.  I was sorry I did not have one to give it.

It was a mature large one that circled me several times.

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

Snow Birds

Yesterday morning I got up to six inches of snow and the birds were having a hard time finding a perch.  Each time they tried to land, the snow would give way and down they would come, birdy, snow and all.  Finally there were enough bare branches for them to gain some footing.  Here a male Housefinch is able to perch close to my blind.

A male Lesser Goldfinch is a bright spot in a snow-covered world.

As the day progressed a blizzard blew in and over a hundred birds, American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, House Sparrows, flickers, Downy Woodpeckers, Pine Siskins, Eurasian Collared Doves, Starlings, Sharp-shinned hawks and these Housefinch all came to eat.  They emptied my feeders twice and the hawks harvested a few of the munchers.

A great day to observe nature in the Wilds of Idaho.

SkyWatch Friday - cold sunset

Cold evenings create a beautiful sunset during February.  We are just waiting for warmer weather to create more orange sunsets over Rexburg.

Happy Valentines Day - bird style

 Last week I noticed three Downy, one Hairy woodpeckers and a couple of Northern Flickers in my backyard chasing each other around.  A male and female Downy would land near each other on the cottonwoods and spruce.  At first the female was quite coy and seemed to be flirting with the male.  She would hide behind a branch and peer out at him from behind it.

Every once in a while she would look out from the branch at him.  Just like a couple of teenagers in the halls of my high school as a budding relationship starts.

Finally she got aggressive and chased him from tree to tree.  In the fading light it was too dark for me to catch the action.  She finally tired of the games and went to the black walnut tree to look for food.

While he searched the cottonwoods for some hidden treats that some of the chickadees had stored.  He found a sunflower seed and harvested the meat from it.

As the sun set, he left for the heavy wooded area while she followed closely behind.  They have been back several times and it appears that the dating is in full swing - just in time for Valentine's Day.

What a great way to end a day in the wilds of Idaho.