Al Larson Photography

I just couldn’t resist taking another photo of Idaho’s state bird. This one seemed to favor this perch as it was fairly close to me yet far enough away to feel safe. He seemed very concerned about my being by the nestbox.

I’ve been out on the bluebird trail again. Today I peeked into a nest and found a tiny bluebird just hatched. The parents had already removed the egg shell and were behind me scolding for the intrusion. When I look into a nest I record what I see, maybe take a picture then retreat in a few short minutes. There is no need to prolong the visit and further worry the parents.

Since the female, which does all of the brooding, starts the incubation process after all of the eggs have been laid all of the eggs usually hatch on the same day. So this evening as I write this there should be five baby bluebirds in the nest. In about three weeks the babies will fledge. They will be nearly as large as their parents and can fly. How’s that for speed?

On the way to Prairie yesterday I prepared to descend the grade from Wiggins Flat and came across this view. I’ve seen it many times in fair weather but never during a rain storm. The low lying clouds give the scene an eerie effect.

This scene is of the back waters of Arrowrock reservoir on the South Fork of the Boise River.

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I have been out on the “bluebird trails” again. Here is a fine photo of a male Mountain Bluebird. Out of several hundred bluebirds I encounter each summer, I find a few that I consider photogenic. By that I mean they seem quite tame and they come in close allowing me to get great shots of them. This little guy posed for me by perching on a twig about six feet from me. How can you resist taking pictures at a time like this?

On June 3rd I went out into the Owyhee mountains to check some of my many bluebird nest boxes. Storms were predicted all through southwest Idaho. However, I spent the entire day enjoying sunshine and the warm Spring weather. Toward late afternoon clouds began to form and it looked like a storm was brewing.

This photo was taken looking toward the north. The tiny mountain peak on the center horizon is Boone peak, not too far west of Silver City. I show a lot of the foreground to give the mountains their proper height. The clouds were highlighted enough to stand out against the angry sky beyond.

I traveled out into the Owyhee mountains a couple of days ago. The wild flowers were putting on their annual extravaganza. I always get excited when I see a bed of bitterrot. This flower seems to prefer dry rocky soil. It’s a wonder that it survives the extreme heat of the summer and cold of the winter. The scant foliage seems hardly enough to extract sufficient energy from the sun and atmosphere to support this beautiful blossom. Each flower in this photo measures approximately two inches across.

This certainly seems to be the year of the California Tortoiseshell . This morning I observed these butterflies gathered in clusters the full length of the foundation around the house.

The concrete was slightly moist and the sun was warm. When the butterfly’s wings absorbed sufficient warmth they folded them vertically so that they resembled little sailboats. This has been the most abundant species in our yard this spring.

Here we go into my photo files again. I captured this photo three years ago. This Mountain Chickadee is setting on her nest in one of my nestboxes. Nearly every year I have two or three chickadee nests on my “bluebird trails.”  Usually this species produce only one brood a year. However, after 31 years of observation I finally had a second brood in a box last year.

Last Saturday I had the privilege of leading a field trip of birders to the Sagehen Reservoir area. There were nine cars of us and the head count was 19 plus. We started out at Montour and worked our way up Squaw Creek, nooned just inside the Payette Forest boundary and ended up at the reservoir.

 The weather was very favorable as evidenced by the people in shirt-sleeves. Birdwise we were a little early in the season. Many summer bird residents such as the Western Kingbird were here but a few species were yet to arrive. Some of the highlights of the trip were nesting Swainson’s Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk. A pair of Northern Harrier in courtship display performed over a grassy meadow. we observed a fledgling Great Horned owlet, still unable to fly, perched out on a limb while a parent perched in a nearby pine tree. Turkey Vultures occasionally soared overhead. Songbirds, though not plentiful, kept us on the alert. At our lunch stop a pair of Western Bluebirds entertained us by their antics around a parked vehicle nearby. Were they interested in their reflected image in the window? Perhaps the most memorable sighting was a flock of eighteen Eared grebe swimming in tight formation near the boat launch area. Occasionally they would all dive in unison and reappear still in a group.

It was also a great day for observing wild flowers. Blue camas was starting to bloom. Arrowleaf Balsamroot, desert parsley, larkspur, glacier lily and white trillium and many others were magnificent. Purple trillium and dutchman’s breeches were a rare sight for many.

One of the advantages of living in the mountains is that we are in the midst of wildlife. This morning I stepped outside the bedroom door and was greeted by this pleasant scene.  Although the Red-tailed Hawk was over a hundred yards away my zoom lens brought it in close.