Idaho birds

Where has the time gone? I've been studying hard and taking exams, for the most part. But, to get a little fresh air and exercise Cyndi makes sure I take my eyes from the computer screen from time to time, and we go birding. I've not found the time to blog, or even edit all the photos I've taken.

I've just finished another course of study and am in my final review for my next exam. To reward myself for my determination to get through this one I'm spending a little while organizing and editing my photos.

You now get to share the joy I've had taking these. You might want to click on some of your favorites in this batch to see them really large. The feather structure can be seen in the close-ups.

This is a Chipping Sparrow.

Though we didn't enter the closed area, of course, we could still see some wildlife. It wasn't hard to find!

This Killdeer is one of those photos you might enjoy seeing larger. Look at that eye color! And, I must say, you can probably tell that the bird was not running in fear for its life. I'm learning to get along better with our avian friends. Patience and a longer lens are my secrets.

Here's a colorful Kestrel.

These are Horned Grebe.

Everybody loves Eagles, and this is a mature Golden Eagle.

The Mountain Bluebird is Idaho's state bird.

I got quite close to this Yellow-headed Blackbird, and the light was favorable as well.

Here's an American Avocet feeding.

I had to put in another, so you could see that wonderful curved bill.

Here's a Wilson's Phalarope.

And, a muskrat is gathering plant materials. Do you think it eats that stuff? Or is it making a nice home with a soft bed?

I saw this Pronghorn yesterday. Cyndi and I took the long way home from her mother's house in Gooding.

And this fox kit was seen just outside of the urban area of Boise at Foote Park by the Boise River.

Homeward Bound

Before we started homeward, Cyndi's Dad took a photo of us. Two thousand miles without a shave, and we were still friends.

On the trip home we saw yet more colorful desert flowers.

One of the two longest days of driving was our marathon journey home from Las Vegas to Boise, with lots of birding stops along the way!

As we drove northward through Nevada toward home we went over a fairly high-elevation area. We got out of the car to look at the Juniper trees and geology and when I turned to look back at the car there was a Lazuli Bunting sitting right on the car's rear-view mirror! Though I didn't get a photo of it sitting on the car, it didn't fly far. Here it is on a road sign.

This magnificent Golden Eagle watched us pass through its territory. There's a lot of wide-open space in Nevada.

One wetland at the corner of an agricultural field hosted this Great Egret.

And here is yet another type of lizard, this one clinging to a tree. Cyndi thought it might be a Collared Lizard, and it does seem to have a collar-like marking around its neck.

As the sun set we crossed the border back into Idaho, and this Swainson's Hawk sat high in a tree catching the last warm rays.

I saw 163 species of birds on this vacation, in four states. Thirty-nine of them were Life Birds for me and I list the Lifers here in the order I encountered them:

Gambel's Quail
Great-tailed Grackle
Lesser Nighthawk
Mexican Jay
Magnificent Hummingbird
Broad-billed Hummingbird
Hepatic Tanager
Flame-colored Tanager
Bridled Titmouse
Painted Redstart
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Elf Owl
White-winged Dove
Hooded Oriole
Arizona "Strickland's" Woodpecker
Blue Grosbeak
Verdin
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Gila Woodpecker
Curve-billed Thrasher
Phainopepla
Thick-billed Kingbird
Cassin's Kingbird
Gray Hawk
Canyon Towhee
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
Abert's Towhee
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
Costa's Hummingbird
Vermilion Flycatcher
Chihuahuan Raven
Varied Bunting
Whiskered Screech-Owl
Black Phoebe
Greater Roadrunner
Cactus Wren
Pyrrhuloxia
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Harris's Hawk

The entire list of 163 birds seen, with the photos arranged in a slideshow, can be seen at http://cyndiandjonathan.shutterfly.com/.

Because this blog shows off all my photos I'm never seen, so I thought I'd share this picture Cyndi took of me in Arizona.

Thanks for reading about our trip. I hope you've enjoyed the story and pictures. Next, I have some exciting things to share from my own corner of the world. There's no place like home!

It'll be a Cold Day in Idaho ...

Today the high temperature was something on the order of 26 degrees, with a steady strong wind. Cyndi and I braved the temperatures, but didn't get out the metal tripod and scope, and frequently fled back to the warmth of the car.

We saw the American Tree Sparrow. This photo isn't as sharp as I'd like, but clearly shows the spot in the center of the chest.

This photo of the American Tree Sparrow is sharp, but the bird has hidden behind a branch so the spot is not visible. The bicolored bill is shown nicely, though.

Usually the type of Goldeneye I see are Common Goldeneye. In the winter another kind can often be found, and today for the first time I saw one in Idaho. The back has more black than the Common, and the round spot on the face becomes shaped like a crescent. It is a Barrow's Goldeneye.

Well, there it goes. It has to run on the water to get a start for takeoff. And when it flies, the wings make a whistling sound.

It was a good day for eagles! In my worst identification blunder for the day I watched a bird approach and studied the tail feathers. A Raven has a spatulate tail, longer at the center that comes to a point. We had seen lots of Ravens, but this one didn't have the pointed tail. It was more squared off. "Crow," I offered, but as it got closer and bigger I raised the binoculars to my eye and was greeted by a face with a hooked beak and magnificent golden mantle. Too late I raised the camera and got this soft image as it went past.

This Golden Eagle is nicely lit and sharp, but I'd rather see it without the transmission lines. Well, the poles are a part of its habitat these days ... .

This one is interesting because a Bald Eagle will usually eat fish. Grasped in its talons, however, is a feathered creature. Some black and white bird met its demise, perhaps one of the more than 90 Merganser we saw? Whatever it was, it is dinner now.