Hawk attacks Eagles

Last week I decided to go birding during the holidays and found these two Bald eagles perched over a warm canal.  They were probably waiting for a fish or duck to show up.

A Harlin's phase of a Red-tailed hawk decide it did not like them there and attack them.

The bald on the outside flew off with the hawk in chase.  It chased the eagle away from the canal.

The other eagle watched closely as the chase continued.

When the hawk started back to the canal, the second eagle also left.

It was a lot of fun to watch the battle of the preditors in the wilds of Idaho.

Happy New Year to all of you

Cold but no snow

I spent Tuesday evening looking for birds and fishing for perch at Mud Lake.  The fishing was slow with only three perch, and even the birding was slow.  It has been very cold with no snow and the winter birds have not showed up yet.  I did find this Northern Shrike that posed for me.

Then as the sun was getting ready to set, the ice started popping and cracking, forming pressure ridges on the lake.  The last open water had frozen over the day before.

Trumpeter swan looking for open water to sit on for the night kept coming in, but had to land on the slick ice.  What a funny show I watched with my binoculars as the inexperienced swans would slide across the ice crashing into each other or taking a tumble.  I wish I would have been closer and with more light to get some pictures of the skating party.

What a great way to spend another wild evening in the wilds of Idaho.

First Ice Fishing trip

About 8:30 I decided to skate my way 70 miles to get to Henrys Lake for my first ice fishing trip of the season.  The roads were slow going, but I made after two hours on ice and packed snow.

There were a few fishermen at Staley Springs, but I told a friend I would fish the County Boat Dock area, so I met him there.

Gary was in the process of landing this nice cutthroat  when I arrived.

After a couple of hours of slow fishing, catching four and breaking off two, I landed this large brook trout.

On the way home I watched the waterfowl, especially the Trumpeter swan.  With the water so deep in the river, ducks and geese would swim behind the swan picking up the plants to eat the swan picked loose.  Stealing food.

A great way to spend a wild day in Idaho.

Travels with an Old Man-1

I am out of school for potato harvest and decided to spend the day enjoying the outdoors.  I loaded my fly rod, shotgun, chain saw and camera and headed out at 5:45 in the dark.  About 10 miles out of town it started raining very hard and I almost turned around and headed home but then I thought, "If you wait for rain to stop, you may miss a life-time of experiences."

The rain had slowed to a misty wetness as I pulled into Sand Creek Pond #4.  The planters were hungry and I was enjoying them when other fishermen showed up.  The giggling told me some were teenage girls.  They went down the pond and soon the giggles turned into excited shouts - they were catching fish also. 

I found out that a young man was a very smart young man and knows exactly what to do with young women - pick them up at 6:15 in the morning and take them fishing.  They will never forget you.  Actually he and one of the girls are students of mine.  Here he is will a large rainbow - the girls also caught large fish.

The rain had subsided as I left the Sand Creek Ponds with the trees just starting to change into their fall colors.

I headed across the high mountain desert successfully finding sharp-tailed and sage grouse.  This is Split Butte, one of the dozens of buttes caused by volcanic eruptions.

As I climbed higher the clouds had dropped around the shoulders of Fog Butte - aply named.  There I was able to get a load of fire wood.

As I climbed higher and did some scouting for deer and elk, I found beautiful pockets of colored aspen.

After experiencing a sudden down pour, I found this Swainson's hawk trying to dry out its feathers in the wind.

What a great day spent in the wildness of Idaho.