Idaho | The Retired Photographer

Winter Feeding American Goldfinches

Since it seems to only rain or snow here in the Treasure Valley at night, mornings can be very beautiful. This mornings snowfall only amounted to approximately 5/8ths of an inch (16mm) and didn’t deter the American Goldfinches from feeding. The Nyler thistle seed is dry in their two tube feeders and one mesh feeder. The Goldfinches seem to like the mesh feeder more that the tube feeders, more natural I guess. These finches will deplete these feeders in about three days, one twenty pound bag of seed a month during the winter months.

I also have another set of feeders up for the regular House Finches and Sparrows that come to the yard. Their is also a block of seed for the Dove and Quail if any stop bye. Water is also provided by a heated birdbath which all seem to enjoy during these winter months. I figure keep these birds happy now and they will stick around during spring and summer with their babies.

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Old Mormon Style Barn

Since moving to Idaho I am finding more and more subjects to photograph. Old barns have always intrigued me and Idaho has a bunch of them. However, new developments are knocking down these old structures faster than I can find and photograph them. The local history is being plowed over for new history, good or bad.

This is the second attempt at photographing this barn. First attempt was on the other side of the barn looking at the back of it and all new homes in a newer development in the background. I was taking new photographs every few minutes, hopefully, for a good sunset shot. I noticed the sun getting lower and lower finally peeping through the rear of the barn. I waited a few more minutes to get the sun in the right spot for a sun flare by stopping down my lens to a small aperture. As you can see the pointed sun flare works for this subject along with the sunset.

A week after I took this shot a a sign was put up advertising a new subdivision called Whitecliff on this 40 acre parcel. A week after that, the barn and adjacent old house was gone, every tree, bush, and stick of wood. I am glad I got to photograph this barn before it vanished forever…

Male Osprey Delivering A Rainbow Trout Meal

I waited around twenty minutes for the male to come back to this nest hopefully with a fish of some kind. I wasn’t disappointed, a rainbow trout was on the menu for the three small Ospreys. This trout was handed off to the female and she fed the trout to her young. One trout wasn’t going to do it, so off he went, again, looking for the next fish.

This image is the last of my Osprey photos for the year. I have about a dozen Osprey and hawk nests picked out for next year, but that is so far away. I will be off in late September to photograph elk and moose in rut and, hopefully, beautiful fall color landscapes.

Female Osprey with Three Offspring

The Osprey, sometimes called the sea hawk, river hawk, or fish hawk nests on land near a body of water. This female Osprey is finishing up feeding the two young Osprey chicks, on the right, a trout. The trout is a Department of Fish and Game planted Rainbow trout from one of the fishing ponds nearby. I would imagine it would take many fishing trips for the male Osprey to supply food for the three offspring and their mother. One small trout doesn’t come close to feeding their hungry mouths. The male Osprey is in the nest when this image was taken and soon flew out looking for the next fish for the family.

This Osprey nest also houses House Sparrow nests and maybe a Starling nest. All good neighbors I assume.