September, 2008

My friend Chris likes to photograph these signs. I think he lurks on this blog from time to time. This is for him. I hope to elicit a response.

Lost Dog, Rexburg, ID 2008

It’s become a bit of a tradition after family home evening for Kevin, Ethan, and me to walk to Walgreens to get a treat. This tree looked pretty nice. If it looks sort of familiar, it’s the same tree as in the previous post.

Yellow Tree, Rexburg, ID 2008

I love the signs advertising church events in the Rexburg neighborhoods.

Church Party Advertisement, Rexburg, ID 2008

We had our first substantial rain in a couple of months on Saturday. I noticed this scene in the Sam’s parking lot after picking up 30 corn dogs, a big bag of chicking nuggets, a big bag of chicken patties, and a new Dyson vacuum cleaner.

Wet Parking Lot with Oil, Leaves, and Rag, Idaho Falls, ID 2008

The older boys and I took a walk at Cartier Slough WMA tonight to photograph and just enjoy the evening. They actually got along quite well (something of a rarity lately). Kevin took some photos with his digital camera and Ethan caught a few grasshoppers and found some cool sticks.

Kevin and Ethan, Cartier Slough WMA 2008

On Wednesday I talked my friend Cliff into going birding with me at American Falls Reservoir. This is a the premier spot for shorebirds and larids (gulls, terns, jaegers) in Idaho. We hoped to see a few shorebirds and maybe luck into a Jaeger. Jaegers nest in the arctic and winter in the ocean. They forage by harassing gulls and terns until the gulls barf up their catch and then the Jaegers enjoy the spoils. Although they are fairly rare inland, a very few Jaegers show up at American Falls every year. I’ve seen Long-tailed Jaeger in Idaho, but still had not seen Pomarine or Parasitic Jaegers.

We first drove down near the dam and had fantastic looks at several shorebirds including Western Sandpipers, Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Sandpipers, Baird’s Sandpipers, Spotted Sandpipers, Sanderlings, Greater Yellowlegs, Semipalmated Plovers, and Marbled Godwits. We also spotted a Glossy Ibis (a fairly rare bird that seems to be increasing in the west recently).

We then drove up on a bluff that overlooks the reservoir to see if we could spot any Jaegers. Within minutes I noticed a dark bird flying low over the water. I grabbed my scope and with Cliff’s help relocated the bird. Shortly after I had it in the scope it chased after a gull and I could tell it was a Jaeger. After a while we noticed a second, and then a third Jaeger. We determined all three were Parasitic Jaegers, a new state bird for me.

It was nice to be out birding again for a change. It was especially nice to get a new bird for Idaho.

American Falls Reservoir from the Bluff

Cliff Scanning for Jaegers with Burritos on the Dash

Storage Units, Rexburg, ID 2008