Market Lake birds

Last Friday I slipped out to Market Lake for a few hours and saw 87 species of birds and got some good pictures of some of them.  Highlight were a Great Egret and several Black Terns.  I did not get good pictures of the Black terns, but at least you will be able to identify them.

On the way to Market Lake I stopped to see if the Burrowing owlets were out of the nest yet.  They were not, but the mother came over to check me out.

 

At Market Lake willets were on the edge of the ponds.

 

A cormorant was fishing in the deep water near the road.  It is funny that they often swim with most of their body under the water.

 

Western grebes have started nesting so the males and juvies are swimming around lonely.

 

Forester terns were all over the place - oops - I forgot to load a poor picture of the Black tern.

 

The Black-crowned Night-herons kept flying over the ponds and marshes.

 

The color-clashing Ruddy duck males were everywhere while their mates are probably nesting somewhere in the reeds.

 

And finally as I was leaving Market Lake a Great egret decided to say "hi" to me.  It was the first one of the season.

Just a few enjoyable hours spent in the wilds of Idaho.  Have a great week.

Fishing and birding in Island Park

I have posted a fishing report on http://www.billschiessfishing.blogspot.com/ for this week so far.  But on Monday after fishing I worked my way down through Island Park looking for birds.  Had a great time.

I found some beautiful Yellow Warblers and here are a couple of pictures of them.  Here it is flying out to pick off an insect.

And here one is warbling its head off.

Here is a tern, not sure which one, but I think it is a Caspian tern, looking for fish on the Henrys Fork.

As I came off the water from fishing on Henrys Lake, I was greeted by this Black-crowned Night Heron.

I also found this Mountain Bluebird on the shore of the Henrys Fork.

Catching my share of fish and then finding some great birds, what a great day to spend in the wilds of Idaho.