We started out the day driving to Boise, and spending a lot of time at the Peregrine Fund's World Birds of Prey Center. This is a great place, well worth a visit! They have a world renowned raptor program, and have been actively involved in breeding and repopulation programs for a variety of critically endangered species, including Peregrine Falcon, Aplomado Falcon, Andean Condor, etc.
We also got some birding in at their feeders, spotting a lifer CHUKAR, and also some CALIFORNIA QUAIL!
After the Birds of Prey Center we did not have much time. We grabbed a quick lunch at Sonic in Boise, and then headed to the Snake River / Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. It was a hot dry day, so we did not see much raptor activity, but still a neat place to visit. (A few OSREYS, and a ROCK WREN). On the drive back we saw COMMON NIGHTHAWK, BURROWING OWL, and SWAINSON'S HAWK.
We also paid a visit to a spot that was reccomended for desert birds east of Boise on I-84, off Exit 74. No Ferruginous Hawks as hoped for but we did see NORTHERN HARRIER, LARK SPARROW, and lifer SAGE THRASHER.
Now it was almost dark, so we headed west on US-20 into Oregon (noting some serious wildfires near the road in Ontario). We took US-20 in the dark, much of the way across Oregon into Bend for a late night hotel stop. One of the sights we came upon in Oregon US-20 was a tree full of shoes, near Juntura!
World Birds of Prey Center Photos (Boise):
Snake River / National Birds of Prey Conservation Area Photos:
On the road heading west:
The shoe tree! (Juntura, on US20)
BIRD PHOTOS
World Birds of Prey Center, Boise:
California Quail
Chukar
Side Trip to Exit 74 on I-84 east of Boise:
flying Northern Harrier
Lark Sparrow
Snake River Canyon / National Birds of Prey Conservation Area:
Above Three: Rock Wrens
Common Nighthawk
Swainson's Hawk
Burrowing Owl
No comments:
Post a Comment