Thursday May 23, 2019
I wanted to get out to Gray’s Lake National Wildlife Refuge while Melinda was here, but our weekends became increasingly busy. I decided to leave work a bit early on Thursday and drive out regardless of the weather. It’s been raining in dribs, drabs, and downpours for at least a week and is scheduled to continue for another week. All the water from the spring rains and the great snowy winter meant that for the first time there was visible water near the road at Gray’s Lake.
I knew I was taking a photo of a Tree swallow, I did not expect the cute Bank swallow in the bottom right corner.
Young moose
Young moose imitating a mule
Short eared owl
One of the many Sandhill cranes
Blurry dancing Sandhill crane
Mountain bluebird in the rain
Next time I’m going to be sure to take at least a 1/2 day. It’s an hour drive to just get in the vicinity of Gray’s Lake and our detour out to the southern tip of the Blackfoot reservoir took time. This is where we saw some of our birds and our Moose. I can’t wait till my next trip out this direction – Jenny
- Common ravens
- Black billed magpies
- European starlings
- Red winged blackbirds
- American crows
- American white pelicans
- Brewer’s blackbirds
- Gadwalls
- Cinnamon teals
- American robins
- Tree swallows
- Bank swallows
- Violet green swallows
- Great blue heron
- Killdeer
- Canada geese
- Clark’s grebe
- Cliff swallows
- California gulls
- Mallards
- Eurasian collared doves
- American kestrel
- Barn swallows
- American coots
- Redheads
- Canvasback
- Eared grebes
- Northern shovelers
- Sandhill cranes (some dancing)
- Yellow headed blackbirds
- Short eared owl
- Long billed curlew
- White faced ibis
- Red tailed hawk
- Western meadowlark
- Ruffed grouse (by ear, a new one for Melinda!)
- Vesper’s sparrow
- Horned lark
- Mourning doves
- Northern flicker (red shafted)
- Brown headed cowbirds
- Mountain bluebird
- Franklins gulls
- Sage sparrow
- Ruddy ducks
- Yellow rumped warblers
- Western kingbird
- Yellow warbler
- Chipping sparrow
BlueRavenBirders 