Owls

With the approach of spring (the crocus have bloomed in my yard) Cyndi and I have spent many warm days outdoors. We went to the Deer Flat NWR, the Fort Boise WMA, and Snake River Birds of Prey. The Red-tailed Hawk in the photo above was seen at Snake River Birds of Prey, at the Discovery Park overlook. We stayed until after sunset and three beaver swam out into the river at dusk, then one waddled ashore to size up a tree for chewing. It was too dark and too far away for a photo, but seeing that fat bowling pin shape was mighty entertaining. And, earlier we had run into birders Jay and Heidi. Jay helped us recognize a Savannah Sparrow which I would have mistaken for a Song Sparrow.

Jay also shared with us some highlights of the recent trip to Africa, and recommended Rob's blog as a source of photos and information from the trip.

On Saturday, at the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area we saw thousands of Snow Geese (photos to follow in a future blog) and encountered my friend and fellow birder Rich as well as this Western Screech-owl. This was the first time I found one on my own, without somebody having found it first and given directions, and the first time I saw one outside of a nest box. Could this be a good sign that I might have more owling success this year than in past years?

Perhaps, because the next day Cyndi and I located this pair of Great Horned Owls, one on the nest, the other waiting nearby, in case anybody needs delivery of take-out food. I uploaded this photo in its full size, so if you click on it, you'll see yellow eyes staring over the soft, feather-lined nest edge. Very cool to see. I took a few quick photos and didn't approach very closely, and quickly retreated to help assure the couple privacy while they patiently wait for leaves to grow.

Birding

With a hint of spring in the air I've greatly enjoyed getting out to seek birds. I want to start off this blog post with a photo of three species of gulls. From a distance I could see that there were a lot of Ring-billed Gulls (they're the smaller, lighter ones with a black ring near the tip of their bill). And, there were two that were larger and one was facing me and one could be seen from the side and it had a darker back. Because I had observed a few California Gulls in this location before, among the many Ring-billed, I said, "Look at those two larger ones with the darker back ... they're California Gulls."

As I walked past them the light was nicer, so I took another photo before moving on. Now that I look at the photo, I see that there is only one with a darker back (the California Gull, at the bottom left, now almost facing the camera). The one out of the water, standing on a branch is much larger than even the California Gull, and has pink legs. The California and Ring-billed all have yellowish legs.

So, based on the yellowish eye, dirty neck, pink legs and large size, I now believe the one on the stick is a Herring Gull. That's my final answer, and I'm sticking to it ... for now.

Gulls are not really my favorite bird, maybe because they were so common where I grew up on the Atlantic coast of Maine, and maybe because they can be hard to identify, and maybe because if one wants to find gulls a dump is a good place to hang out and I'm not much into dumps anymore now that taking stuff home is frowned upon.

But this next bird is so disliked that it's legal to kill them anytime and in any quantity in Idaho. The Eurasian Collared-Dove has spread like a noxious weed across the entire continent in a few decades. There's no telling, yet, what sort of ecological change they bring with them. That said, I think they do look rather attractive.

Though rather far away, I was pleased to spot this Northern Shrike in a local park. They will likely go north as winter draws to a close.

This is an Audubon's race Yellow-rumped Warbler. Audubon's have a yellow throat. The other race, the Myrtle, have an off-white throat.

And, finally, who does not enjoy seeing an owl? I had looked for this one before, but they blend in so well with the branches and tree trunks that they can be difficult to spot. Only after the local resident pointed out this Great Horned Owl's favorite roosts was I able to see it, though I'm sure I had looked in that area already and overlooked it.

Birds in Idaho and Oregon

I went on a birding outing yesterday and though the weather was windy and cold, we saw many interesting birds. I got my best photo yet of Barrow's Goldeneye. Still quite far away, I would say.


Today I stopped to see a Northern Saw-whet Owl. This small owl was sleeping despite a fairly busy road nearby.