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!