Al Larson Photography

My notes told me that on my last visit to this nestbox there were five tiny Mountain Bluebird nestlings. On this trip I expected to find a brood of healthy nestlings old enough to band. Instead I found this healthy Gopher Snake about 30 inches long sporting an enlarged body. There were two dead bluebird nestlings in the nest beneath the snake. So, I presume three birds had already been devoured. It was a sad day for the bluebirds. The box was mounted on a pine tree about 14 inches in diameter and about 5 feet from the ground. Reptiles have no problem climbing the rough bark of the Ponderosa Pine.

Quite often I come upon an empty nest with nest material seemingly undisturbed. I have concluded this may have been predation by a snake.

High in the Owyhee mountains at this time of year, especialliy after a wet spring, we occasionally come across a beautiful flower garden. Many species of flowers are in bloom. Here we have Lupine and Indian Paintbrush. In the distance we see the Snake river plain.

I’ve heard many times from people traveling through southern Idaho that it is only sagebrush and lava rock. They would tell a different story if they would  get off of the beaten track and open their eyes.

I just had to share this photo with you. It is a Northern Flying Squirrel.

Every once in a while one of these little critters decides to use one of my nest boxes for its home. They pack in fine grasses and other vegetation until they have enough to cover themselves. They burrow into this ball of vegetation, to give birth and nurse their young to fledging.

Notice the large bulbous eyes. Eyes like this indicate the critter is nocturnal. This explains why we seldom see them. Most of their activity is at night.

I went down to Mores Creek today and found this little guy. This American Dipper had a nest nearby and was bringing food to a couple of nestlings. These are fascinating little birds in that they have partially reverted back to water. They find their food under water. It’s fun to see one of them dive into a fast flowing stream in search of food and emerge in the same spot with their prey. One would expect the bird to be swept down stream.

Most of the Western Tanagers have moved on now. Weather improved and the birds headed north. As always we have a couple pairs of tanagers that call our home their home. They find a place to nest and rear their young nearby. Providing nectar is a little easier now. With all of the sugar water consumed there must have been a lot of sweet birds out there. Hummingbirds can feed more freely too.

This picture was taken just a few minutes ago. The sun had set. I am shooting through the kitchen window. The background shows too much blue and green but the bird shows up nicely.

Yesterday I went out to the Owyhee mountains to check nest boxes. The bluebirds are recovering from the loss of their first clutch of eggs. Many of the birds had started their nesting cycle on schedule. Cold inclement weather came at a criticle time and chilled most of the eggs before the start of incubation. I found many nests abandoned with cold eggs. Now the birds have started over again with nests built on top of the old ones. Hopefully the fickle weather will settle down and provide conditions more favorable for nesting.

Many of the new nests have a full clutch of eggs and female bluebirds are sitting tight. Colder weather is not much of a factor as long as the female bird is incubating the eggs unless she has to leave the nest for long periods of time in search of nourishment.

Many times when I am looking into the nest to observe the nesting progress I have a nervous parent closeby monitoring my activities. Such was the case with this female Mountain Bluebird. She posed nicely for this photo.

This has been a banner year for Western Tanager sightings. In some years when spring weather is cold migrating birds pause in the lowlands waiting for the cold front to the north to ease up. This year is no exception. All across southern Idaho in-coming birds are awaiting the green light to travel farther north. Western Tanagers are brightly-colored birds and are hard to ignore. For at least two weeks there have been numerous reports of tanagers in loose flocks of 50 or more.

Western Tanagers have been attracted to my yard with hummingbird feeders. It is common to see four or five tanagers sipping sugar water from our three feeders and several more awaiting in the nearby trees. Pictured here is a male Western Tanager eating suet. This is the first time I’ve witnesed a tanager at the suet.

Soon these birds will continue their trip north and leave us with only a couple of local nesting pairs. Their beauty will be long remembered.

 We have had a lot of rain recently. Saturday morning, early, there was a down-pour. This photo shows Mores Creek mid-morning. It looks like tons of sediment are being washed downstream. Dunnigan Creek is at the upper right hand side. The rains have made the vegetation lush and green.

I have this old pine snag set up in the yard. I brought it down off of the hill thinking that a woodpecker might choose it for a nest site. Well the woodpeckers never came but a pair of nuthatches used it a couple of years and raised at least three broods. This year the holes remain vacant.

Two days ago I looked out the window and was surprised to see a Wild Turkey perched on top of the snag. Usually they seem content to perch on the fence and preen. I often see turkeys lined up on the fence, but, on top of the snag? Oh, well!