Archive for the ‘Idaho’ Category

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Weippe, Idaho

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

Have driven on three scenic byways the past couple of weeks: the White Pine Scenic Byway, the Northwest Passage Byway, and the Gold Rush Historic Byway. A logging boom appears to be present in all these areas. The Gold Rush Historic Byway was my favorite, along Idaho 11 up a steep grade to the village of Weippe. This is where Lewis and Clark first met the Nez Perce Tribe.

Above, Musselshell Meadow in the Clearwater National Forest just east of Weippe. The bottom picture is a camas flower. Nez Perce Tribe members have the legal right to come into the forest to harvest the roots of the flower. There were some beautiful meadows filled with the blue flowers.

A Eastern kingbird and a flycatcher of some kind in the Musselshell area. There were a number of common snipe’s nesting in the area, but I didn’t get any pictures of them.

Weippe is half a farming/ranching town and half a logging town. Their backroads are like a roller coaster ride and fun to drive. Although they are gravel, they are good roads. Think the logging companies keep them wet to keep people from complaining of dust from the logging trucks.

The red calf above has to be one of the biggest ones I’ve seen. It wasn’t happy with the amount of milk it was getting from it’s mom.

On driving the backroads, I was about to take a picture of a ring-necked pheasant when a woman in a truck blocked my truck. She thought I was a real estate agent and came up to me saying “We don’t want to sell our land, if that is what you’re taking pictures for!” When I explained I was bird watching, she was very nice, even telling me about a nearby pond where you could see elk in the evening.

Hope Weippe stays a small rural village. Let the rich people stay in Sandpoint.

A Swainson’s thrush seen in the Giant White Pine Campground. Have frequently heard their unique call, but it’s hard to get a picture of them in the trees.

Since I was in the area, thought I should visit Dworshak State Park. It’s one bear of a drive there from the town of Orofino. Uneven two-lane road with sharp turns and no turnouts to let people pass. The park is more for boater’s and fishermen. Seeing cedar waxwing’s there, however, made the trip worthwhile. The bottom picture shows what they were eating. Not sure what kind of tree it is. There are also lots of berry shrubs in the area that will provide berries for them in a month or two.

Below, view of the Northwest Passage Scenic Byway along the Clearwater River as seen from the road going up to Weippe.

Posted in cedar waxwing, cow, flycatcher, kingbird, National, State, thrush, Weippe | Comments Off

Farragut State Park

Friday, June 10th, 2011

Enjoyed visiting Farragut State Park in Idaho. In 2009 when I passed through the area it was full. It’s located along the southwest border of Lake Pend Oreille, 20 miles north of Coeur D’Alene. There is a beautiful mixed conifer forrest with trails all over the place. Many intersect, so you can design your own hike. Most are fairly level, which I appreciated. The park also has a number of campgrounds, so you can choose hookups or no hookups. Now is a good time, at least mid-week, for people like me to visit. Would not want to come when it’s full (of kids…ok, I admit it).

The weather has continued to alternate between the 60′s & 70′s and cold spells with rain and snow in the mountains. There is some flooding in flood plain areas in Idaho.

Birds and squirrels are the main wildlife here. They say “Don’t feed the bears” on their handout map, but they are rarely seen. They don’t have bear proof trash cans. Mountain goats are on the opposite side of the lake. If you go out on a boat, they are supposed to be tame around people.

Above pictures: a pine grosbeak, like I saw in New Mexico. It was near the visitor center where there are trees and bird feeders. The picture below it is a gray jay near my campsite. Only the second time I’ve seen one.

Above, western bluebirds, the female with an insect in it’s beak. Below, a red-breasted nuthatch.

A Columbian ground squirrel. They were all over the campground I was in. They don’t seem to have many predators here. (update) Talked with camp host who said eagles, red-tailed hawks, kestrals, and coyotes do hunt these guys.

Just saw a few deer. Think road kill and hunters probably keep their numbers down.

Below, a trail near my campsite and Lake Pend Oreille.

Posted in bluebird, Coeur D'Alene, deer, grosbeak, jay, squirrel, State | Comments Off

Enough rain already!

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

When I first arrived in the Sandpoint area I noticed they did not have snow in the mountains to worry about. That is no longer the case. A cold front came through adding quite a bit of snow to the surrounding mountains. The rivers and lakes in Idaho, and I guess in Montana as well, are all overflowing. The governor of Montana said there will probably be another month of problems from flooding. Wish there was some way to pipe water to the southwestern states who are in a drought.

Above, the Kootenai River with a submerged bulletin board at a boat launch site. The lower picture is from a forest service campground above Bonners Ferry that I had planned to stay at. Ended up at a hookup site in Sandpoint where I didn’t have to worry about flooding or the cold temps.

On visiting the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge in Bonners Ferry, the movement of some coyote pups caught my attention. I was driving on the refuge tour route and the pups and their mom were on the other side of the Kootenai River. The 3 pups were exploring, while their mom rested in the sun.

When I returned to the refuge late the next day, after a night of rain, saw the wet female coyote in the second picture. It was walking on the same road I was on and looked like she was trying to find a place to cross the river (seen in the third picture). On looking at the coyote’s picture, I’m sure it’s the mother coyote I saw the previous day.

A bald eagle above a nest. It called out and was answered by another eagle that I didn’t see. Have had three eagle sightings, but they were either too far for a good picture, like above, or I was too slow on the draw with my camera.

A western tanager and a yellow warbler seen at the refuge.

Below, a quarter horse colt seen above Bonners Ferry. Talk about being all legs!

Posted in Bonners Ferry, coyote, eagle, horse, Sandpoint, tanager, warbler, wildlife refuge | Comments Off

Idaho Panhandle

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

Have been traveling in the Idaho Panhandle. The area has been affected by some bad weather recently. At Heyburn State Park, south of Coeur d’Alene, the water level at the lake had risen. The boardwalk to a marsh area was destroyed and some trails covered with water.

Above, an osprey and a yellow warbler (with a moth) seen at Heyburn.

Stayed along the Pend Oreille Scenic Byway for a few days. It’s a beautiful area. The lake, with its’ forest covered islands, reminded me of Skagit Bay and Anacortes in Washington.

Above, a pileated woodpecker seen along Lake Pend Oreille. The first one I’ve seen. One of the largest woodpeckers in North America, they have a very distinct call and sound like a jackhammer when drumming. The holes they drill are huge. Hope to see more of them and get a better picture.

The campground I stayed at along Lake Pend Oreille
had recently lost around 30 trees in a severe wind and rain storm. This was nothing compared to nearby Priest Lake State Park, who lost more than 100 trees, along with sustaining severe damage to one of their campgrounds. I stayed one night at the campground, in one of the less damaged campsites. The site had it’s own creek that appeared after the storm (seen above). The park is having to call some people who reserved sites for the Memorial Day weekend to tell them they cannot come. A cold front is coming through the area, so some may be relieved to not have to camp in cold wet weather.

A deer in the Lake Pend Oreille area.

Below, Lake Pend Oreille.

Posted in deer, National, osprey, Sandpoint, State, warbler, woodpecker | Comments Off

Into Idaho

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Headed north into Idaho. This year, took a different route, through western Idaho. From Boise, took highway 55, then highway 95, through mountain valley’s, usually along streams or rivers. Unseasonably cold weather in Boise followed me part of the way. It’s a beautiful drive, with lots of places to stay and explore.

Above, a view above White Bird, Idaho, where the initial battle that started the Nez Perce War took place.

Stayed at Hells Gate State Park in Lewiston for a few days. Above shows the Clearwater River (on the left)  as it joins the Snake River. The State Park is along the Snake River in the middle of the picture. There are lots of beautiful trees in the area that look like pictures from a plant catalog. Lewiston is just 738 feet above sea level and has mild winters. Think it gets pretty warm in the summer though. The weather in northwest Idaho lets a lot of the State Parks and National Forest Campgrounds open in May, rather than after Memorial Day.  Hells Gate State Park has one camping loop open year around.

Above, an osprey, with what appears to be a small bird in it’s talons, returns to it’s nest near the Visitor Center at the park.

Also, a wood duck near the shoreline by my campsite.

On my drive through western Idaho, all the rivers were running high and swift. This was the case in Lewiston as well. The Snake River was really muddy and swift. Wondered if that played a part in the osprey going after a bird rather than a fish.

Found that Walmarts in both Lewiston and nearby Moscow had been closed. The one in Lewiston is now a community center and the one in Moscow has a Goodwill store. Both towns are strong farming communities. That may have played a part in the Walmarts’ closing.

A young swallow let me take it’s picture.

After leaving Utah, stopped one night at a campground in the Curlew National Grasslands. On leaving, the young  hawk below let me take it’s picture.

Posted in Lewiston, National, osprey, State, swallow, White Bird, wood | Comments Off

Still here

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Still in the Camas National Wildlife Refuge area. Seeing all the rv traffic on the nearby I-15 over the holiday weekend, was relieved not to be in it. Saw quite a few people towing trailers and a cart with atv’s. It must be legal to do this in Idaho.

Above, a western tanager in a flowering tree.

Above, another northern harrier came after me after I stopped my truck on the road not far from where it was nesting (top picture). The truck gave me protection this time, but I didn’t stay long.

An adult and juvenile harrier flying and playing in the wind (bottom picture).

Swan (trumpeter?)

While I haven’t seen a lot of sandhill cranes, did pass one pair that had two young ones. So some are nesting here.

Young barn swallow

This looks like a Swainson’s hawk. It was on farmland near the refuge eating a mouse. Have seen a lot of these hawks in the area.

The weather has been ever changing, with winds blowing a continuous stream of clouds through. For the most part it has been partly cloudy with clouds shrouding the mountains. Snow is down to 7,000 feet. The valley is a little over 4,000 feet. Had one day with mostly rain. Made use of it by installing new hard drives in my computer, along with the mac’s Snow Leopard operating system.

Posted in Dubois, Hamer, hawk, Roberts, swallow, tanager, wildlife refuge | Comments Off

More birds at Camas Refuge

Wednesday, May 26th, 2010

Walking on a path near the visitor center at Camas National Wildlife Refuge saw two very large nests on the ground. As I looked closer, saw there was a young great horned owl in one of them. It didn’t seem to pay any attention to me, but on walking back by, saw that it had flown to a nearby tree. Online it says they fledge from the nest while still downy around the head and without noticeable ear tufts. Surprised they nest on the ground. There have to be coyotes in the area.

Lewis’s woodpecker. Don’t believe I’ve seen one before.

Ruddy duck

Juvenile northern harrier. Saw it harassing a lone Canada goose on the dirt road.

Came across two barn swallows nesting in an unused mailbox. It is in a hunting area on the refuge, so it’s probably used during hunting season.

Birds seen but not pictured: western tanager, a flock of cedar waxwings, juvenile meadowlarks, yellow warbler, marsh wrens.

Posted in Dubois, great horned owl, grebe, Hamer, Northern harrier, Roberts, swallow, wildlife refuge, woodpecker | Comments Off

Camas National Wildlife Refuge

Sunday, May 23rd, 2010

I’m visiting Camas National Wildlife Refuge along the I-15 in Idaho, southwest of Yellowstone Park. Eared grebes at the refuge are pictured above. Last year when I was here, there were baby eared grebes riding on the backs of a parent and baby coots. I’m earlier this year though, and winter weather is continuing longer than usual. The corridor along the I-15 between the small villages of Roberts, Hamer, and Dubois, remind me of the Bishop area along #395. It is a desert area with snow capped mountains to the east, west, and north. I plan to stay here till after Memorial Day. Hopefully by then the winter weather will be gone, along with most of the snow from the mountain passes.

Besides Camas National Wildlife Refuge, there are two wildlife management areas here that I hope to visit: Mud Lake and Market Lake.

Yellow-headed blackbird

A hawk holding on to a branch in 30-35 mph winds.

At my campsite, there are two killdeers that use the broken wing ploy every time I step outside, most likely to draw me away from where they have a nest. Would love to see some baby killdeers. They start walking around as soon as they hatch.

Driving home from the refuge on a rural road late one windy day, two sandhill cranes flew in front on my truck, making me slam on my brakes. I was the only one on the road and was driving slow, so I didn’t hit them. Have seen 3 or 4 pairs of cranes and one pair of swans.

Below, clouds passing through the area. They did not bring any rain, just snow to the mountains and cold temperatures at night.

Posted in Airstream, black bird, Dubois, grebe, Hamer, Roberts, sandhill crane, wildlife refuge | Comments Off

Lake Walcott State Park

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

On arriving at Lake Walcott State Park found lots of birds and millions of midges. Took a spot in the sun, away from the lake, where there were not so many midges. The next day it was windy, which seem to blow away most of the bugs.

Above, a Bullock’s oriole (top) and a yellow warbler (bottom). There were lots of warblers.

There were also lots of robins. I saw one robin’s nest with newly hatched chicks inside. Magpies were flying around searching for nests to plunder.

Black-headed grosbeak at a park employee’s bird feeder.

Birds seen but not pictured: swallows and kingbirds enjoying the bugs, cedar waxwings.

On the first day at the park, I braved the midges to walk near the lake which is stocked with fish. Large fish, as shown above, could be seen from the trail. Was amazed that there were so many midges they sounded like a swarm of bees

On leaving Lake Walcott passed by some white pelicans on the Snake River with snow seen on the mountains near Pocatello, Idaho.

Posted in grosbeak, oriole, pelican, robin, Rupert, State, yellow warbler | Comments Off

Thousand Springs State Park

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

Took the Thousand Springs Scenic Byway off I-84 to US-30 in south central Idaho, near Twin Falls. It is a beautiful drive and well worth the extra time. Wanted to visit the Thousand Springs Preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy. Found out that they gave the land to Idaho Parks and Recreation in 2006 and the preserve is now part of Thousand Springs State Park. The preserve has the last unaltered canyon wall spring in a system that once stretched for miles*. The spring water comes to the surface through a lava rock wall and flows into the Snake River. The Thousand Springs Hydro Project is right next to it. They provide a day-use picnic area at the entrance to the State Park.

The Thousand Springs State Park is made up of five different sites. You could spend weeks exploring it and the wildlife management areas that are also in the area. There are also a number of fish hatcheries. It was hard to find the preserve, as there were no signs directing me to it. The park doesn’t officially open till Memorial Day, so signs may be put up by then. To get to the former preserve, you drive down a steep, narrow, dirt road which only the smallest rv’s should attempt.

* Idaho Wildlife Viewing Guide, 2003

A muskrat.

Boise, Idaho and its’ suburbs are like any towns you would see in Southern California. Twin Falls, however, is more of a farm town. In the village of Filer, saw the store below for game processing and a mobile butcher. Next to it is a store to process grains.

Posted in muskrat, State, Twin Falls | Comments Off

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