Timing

The sighting of a sage-grouse started a wild 40 minutes just before dark one evening last week.

---

Late one evening last week while returning from a social function, we decided on a whim to take a shortened version of our favorite wildlife drive. On the west end of Island Park Reservoir, we were surprised when, right at dusk, a crow-sized bird with a long tail flashed across the road at fence height. At the risk of wrecking the car, I took my eyes off the road to watch the bird, wondering what it was. The question was answered when a songbird flushed from a sagebrush and the pursuing bird flared up and caught it with its talons. Soon we could see it on the ground tearing at the hapless prey and identified it as a Cooper’s hawk.

We had a specific purpose for this drive. We wanted to add a sage-grouse and a common nighthawk to our monthly bird list. We had just seen a sage-grouse and were on our way to a known nighthawk foraging area when the dramatic hunt unfolded before us. Running short on daylight, we moved on from the killing ground. We pulled off the road where we often see nighthawks and let a truck and a side-by-side go by. About that time, I spotted a nighthawk, its long wings making it obvious, even high in the dusky sky. Cathy quickly spotted another and we felt like the drive had been a success with a bonus Cooper’s hawk as well.

But our evening wasn’t over. On a corral post we saw another large dark bird and identified it as a Swainson’s hawk, one of the most common hawks in Island Park. This one was a bit harder to recognize because it was a dark-phase and did not support the classic brown “bib” of the light-phase Swainson’s.

Further down the road, another large bird lifted off from the middle of the road, creating swirls of dust with its huge wings. It was far enough away that it was hard to identify without binoculars (I had forgotten mine when we switched vehicles at the last minute), but the blue-gray color and size gave it away—a great blue heron.

Two killdeer teased us at a stream crossing and another large bird spooked right beside the car as we drove by, but it went directly behind us and we couldn’t find it. We were musing about what it could have been when yet another sizable bird took flight toward us and about 20 yards out. The stumpy neck, round head and large slow-flapping wings made this one easy to identify: a short-eared owl.

Just as this owl soared past us, Cathy exclaimed, “there is another one on the left side of the road!” I slowed down and the first bird circled back. Then we saw that there was a third, and then a fourth owl. It was quite a sight as they all floated around us like giant moths. It was my guess that this was either a clutch of fledglings out on their own, or mom, dad and two siblings. I believe the latter to be the more likely. Mom and dad were probably issuing instruction on how to hunt before allowing the kids to go it alone.

Just around the corner from the owls, the roadside again erupted as two sage-grouse took to the skies. It was nearly dark, but they were clearly visible in the light of an almost full moon peeking around some clouds.

This all happened in about 40 minutes, after having seen almost no birds during the first half hour of the drive, and brought to mind several things. First, timing is everything. That golden hour just before and after sunset is truly a wonderful time to see wildlife. Second, serendipity happens. Sometimes, it is just a matter of putting ourselves out there and hoping for the best. Finally, if we will allow it, Nature will provide plenty of opportunities to be awed by the bounty that still surrounds us.

---

Help Idaho Wildlife

When we traveled across the state in October 2017, most of the vehicles we saw using the wildlife management areas did not have wildlife plates. Buying wildlife plates is a great way for non-hunters and hunters alike to support wildlife-based recreation like birding.

C'mon folks, let's help Idaho's wildlife by proudly buying and displaying a wildlife license plate on each of our vehicles! 

See below for information on Idaho plates. Most states have wildlife plates so if you live outside Idaho, check with your state's wildlife department or vehicle licensing division for availability of state wildlife plates where you live. 

And tell them that you heard about it from Nature-track.com!

Wildlife License Plates

Great news! as of 2024, there are three NEW designs for license plates. They still are bluebird, cutthroat trout and elk, but they are beautiful.

Idaho Wildlife license plates provide essential funding that benefits the great diversity of native plants and wildlife that are not hunted, fished or trapped—over 10,000 species or 98% of Idaho’s species diversity. Game species that share the same habitats (such as elk, deer, antelope, sage-grouse, salmon, trout) also benefit from these specialty plates.

No state tax dollars are provided for wildlife diversity, conservation education and recreation programs. Neither are any revenues from the sale of hunting or fishing licenses spent on nongame species. Instead, these species depend on direct donations, federal grants, fundraising initiatives—and the Idaho Wildlife license plates.

Both my vehicles have Bluebird Plates. I prefer the bluebird because the nongame program gets 70 percent of the money from bluebird plates, but only 60 percent of the money from elk and trout plates - 10 percent of the money from elk plates supports wildlife disease monitoring and testing programs (to benefit the livestock industry) and 10 percent from cutthroat plates supports non-motorized boat access.

Incidentally, in 2014, the Idaho Legislature denied the Department of Fish and Game the ability to add new plates or even to change the name of the elk and cutthroat plates (very specific) to wildlife and fish plates, a move that would have allowed for changing images occasionally and generating more revenue. It would seem that they believe that we Idahoans don't want a well funded wildlife program.

I think it is time we let the Legislature know that Idahoan support wildlife funding and that we would like to see these generic plates come to fruition.