The Feisty Garter Snake

Since we haven't been out to take any new photos lately, I thought I would post some older photos. Around Christmas, a garter snake was found near my parent's house in Meridian, Idaho. It was originally going to be kept as a pet, but escaped a few days later!

Here is a photo of the snake right after it was caught, it was rather calm at this point.

The next morning we got the snake out of its temporary cage and it was a bit more feisty! It must have been starving because it tried to make a meal out of my sister-in-law's hand! Ouch!

Bald Eagle Days

Saturday was a cold and dark day, but we were determined to not let the weather dampen our mood, so we headed outdoors to stop by the Bald Eagle Days celebration at the Shakespeare Festival facilities in Boise. Bald Eagle Days is an annual celebration which raises awareness and support for the Boise River and the wildlife living there. When we first arrived, we noticed the local Audubon society had a few spotting scopes set up for the public to use. One of the scopes was pointed at a sleeping great horned owl across the Boise River! Whoever spotted that owl had a sharp eye; she blended right in amidst the bramble.

Liberty, a captive bald eagle, was out with her handler. Unfortunately we didn't get any photos of Liberty because she had been in the cold for over half an hour and was taken back inside soon after we arrived.

However, our disappointment was short-lived because we soon noticed two captive owls out with their handler. One was a great horned owl that was hit by a car and suffered brain damage, and the other was a short eared owl. We were able to get close enough to see the detailing in the owl's plumage!

We've never seen a short eared owl before, but found out they do live in southern Idaho. We'll have to make it a goal to spot one this year! Hope you enjoy the photos!

An unexpected sighting

This weekend we attended a bald eagle presentation at the MK Nature Center in downtown Boise, Idaho and hoped to spot some bald eagles in the wild along the Boise River. Alas, no bald eagles were to be seen. The weather was being so uncooperative that day with cloudy dark skies and constant drizzle, so even if we did spot an eagle, any photos we would have taken wouldn't have turned out. Next weekend is Bald Eagle Days, and hopefully the weather will be much better for taking photos. We are sure to see many different kinds of raptors then!

After the bald eagle presentation we walked along the river. We were a bit disappointed that we didn't get any good photos over the weekend when all of a sudden we spotted a female downy woodpecker right next to us on the trail! Justin whipped out his camera and snapped a few shots before she flew away.

Bruneau Sand Dunes

Welcome to our very first blog post! I’m so excited to start sharing our journeys with everyone. Last weekend Justin and I visited Bruneau Sand Dunes in Bruneau, Idaho. Here’s the link to the state park’s website in case you are interested in learning more about the dunes. http://parksandrecreation.idaho.gov/parks/bruneaudunesstatepark.aspx

Our main goal was to get some amazing photographs of the birds and scenery of the area. During the summer months the sand dunes are filled with tourists, however on this cold January morning, we were some of the only people there! It felt like our own private park. :)
These photos were snapped at one of the middle dunes.

We walked around the edge of a frozen lake searching for wildlife and finally came across some Western Bluebirds.





Before leaving we drove to a smaller lake hoping the lake was ice free, so that we might spot some waterfowl. As we opened the car doors, we could hear loud honking and quacking coming from the lake. There were literally hundreds of geese and ducks on the lake! We snuck down to the water’s edge as best we could wanting to get a close up shot of the sheer numbers of birds. However, as Justin poked his head around the edge of some bushes, a group of the ducks saw him and lifted in to the air. Soon half of the lake was taking off and the sky was blackening as more and more waterfowl left the lake. The noise of their wings was amazing to hear! We quickly turned back and eventually the ducks and geese came back. It was a spectacular event to behold! :) Here is a shot of a small portion of the lake. Unfortunately, it doesn't give a fair representation to the amount of birds that were there.