MagiStream

Me and my mom went out today, so we drove by them again and actually got out for a closer look, but before my mom got close enough to hold up something for size comparison (though I can say they're about the size of my hand, if not a bit bigger), she noticed fins so we think they're fish skulls =D Here are some close up shots I took;
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
My mom thinks they're catfish, but we don't know for sure, and one of them even had an old bee/wasp nest in it OwO

Also, as we were heading out, we spotted a pair of Cinnamon teals =D

We also had an egret in our yard yesterday, hunting gophers. My mom wants it to come back and catch more xD

Brynmala wrote:Well not as exciting as seeing a peregrine, but we have a blackbird nesting in the pony's stable. Silly thing has chosen right behind the door post and directly above where we usually put the water bucket, so that will have to move. Currently she's sitting on 5 eggs. I hope we don't scare her enough with going into the stable to make her abandon them. Anyone know how long its likely to be before they begin hatching?

Since I'm not sure which species you have there, I looked up the red-winged blackbirds, since they are probably the most common all across the us.
Incubation Period - 11–13 days, Nestling Period - 11–14 days
I also looked up a couple of other 'blackbird' species, and pretty much a month to a month and a half is all the time spent at the nest between hatching the eggs and fledging the babies.

fawnfur13 wrote:Me and my mom went out today, so we drove by them again and actually got out for a closer look, but before my mom got close enough to hold up something for size comparison (though I can say they're about the size of my hand, if not a bit bigger), she noticed fins so we think they're fish skulls =D Here are some close up shots I took;
First
Second
Third
Fourth
Fifth
My mom thinks they're catfish, but we don't know for sure, and one of them even had an old bee/wasp nest in it OwO

Also, as we were heading out, we spotted a pair of Cinnamon teals =D

We also had an egret in our yard yesterday, hunting gophers. My mom wants it to come back and catch more xD

I think I have to agree with the catfish assessment. I see a dried out, curled up whisker on photo #3. That's SO WEIRD AND GROSS!!!!

Very nice Great White Egret.

I've only seen Cinnamon Teal once, and that was up in the farms near(ish) to Sage Hen Reservoir

It sure was weird seeing them up close, that's for sure xD

This is the second Cinnamon teal I've seen around here, but we see all sorts of interesting birds around summer when the fields around us are flooded 'w'

So today we saw some interesting stuff, like this fella in our yard, chewing on a gopher an egret left behind, shooed him off after a few pictures but he came back later in the evening and snagged one of our roosters, can't say my mom is sad about it xD

Then when we were on our way home from shopping, we saw a burrowing owl sitting in a shrub, it's the first wild one we've ever seen so that was cool =D

TNHawke wrote:

Brynmala wrote:Well not as exciting as seeing a peregrine, but we have a blackbird nesting in the pony's stable. Silly thing has chosen right behind the door post and directly above where we usually put the water bucket, so that will have to move. Currently she's sitting on 5 eggs. I hope we don't scare her enough with going into the stable to make her abandon them. Anyone know how long its likely to be before they begin hatching?

Since I'm not sure which species you have there, I looked up the red-winged blackbirds, since they are probably the most common all across the us.
Incubation Period - 11–13 days, Nestling Period - 11–14 days
I also looked up a couple of other 'blackbird' species, and pretty much a month to a month and a half is all the time spent at the nest between hatching the eggs and fledging the babies.

lol, we have blackbirds, they are black (or brown depending on sex) I wasn't even aware that there was more than one species, which just shows how much I know about it. Having looked it up now they'll be the Common or Eurasian Blackbirds, but I'm sure the figures hold good, within a day or so. Thank you.I'll report on their progress in due course

Yikes. I hope Mr. Foxy doesn't decide to stick around and nom on any more chickens!

I haven't seen burrowing owls in forever. I used to go driving out in Gowen Field and see them all over the place out there. Burrowing owls, and horned larks. I don't think I've ever seen either one anywhere else!


@Brynmala - I keep forgetting that you're not in the US. Lol.
Yeah, in the nest is not a safe place for birds, so most species try very hard to get their kids hatched and fledged as quickly as possible, so they can be spread out, instead of a lovely meal at a single sitting. Also, less blood sucking parasites once they aren't in the nest any more.



I saw a wren today! Other than the Canyon Wrens that I hear far more often than I see, this is only the 2nd wren I have EVER encountered. The first was a rehab house wren... who was so small she fit through the bars of the finch cage I had her in, and my cat got her. O.O I felt SO horrible!
And after a bit of searching, I have determined that this wren was also a house wren! Happies!

Well, it's still hanging around, we think it has a den not far away, though we're not positive, it's snagged a few more roosters (my mom doesn't seem mind as long as it's not a hen ) and one of my ducks, possibly a hen but I think she disappeared before foxy showed up, so who knows xD

We actually have seen a horned lark on Willow creek, the same road where we saw the owl, though a little farther away X3

Also, saw this lizard at the Botanical garden the other day, I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's an Eastern or Western fence lizard?
It's a bit hard to see, but it has two blue patches on its neck and I think I see a hint of blue on it's belly

But the real surprise was this little frog, we didn't expect to see one of those xD

I'd be mad that a fox was taking my chickens, even if he was taking roosters! But I would work to secure my chickens, I wouldn't do anything to the fox.

Must be western fence lizard, we don't get easterns here in Idaho.

I heard my first frogs of the season today! Probably two different species, but I couldn't begin to tell you what. One made a deeper "ribbit", like cartoon sounding, perfect 'ribbit', the other made a higher pitched "squeekit" sound.

Also saw a baby yellow-bellied marmot today. SO CUTE! And the dogs wanted to chase it, but they were attached to the bike and I wouldn't let them.

I think I also caught a glimpse of that side-blotch lizard today. same spot as before, hence my suspicion of same lizard. I mostly just saw movement and couldn't stop in time for a better look.

I guess it's a bit annoying but we have so many roosters and they bother the hens so much that I don't think my mom really cares too much xD We are making sure to keep them locked up in the coop though and the ducks are all secured as well (though I can tell you that that was no easy task xD)

Ah, I see, they looked pretty similar so it was hard to tell (and I didn't know we didn't get the easterns though I feel that should have been obvious X3) 'w'

I've been hearing frogs out in our yard as well, couldn't say what they are though X3 I do know we have a small toad that hangs around, though I don't remember what it is and I haven't seen it recently.

I remember seeing a bunch of baby marmots at Shoshone falls a few years back, they were cute I also recall the time one of the dogs chased a marmot into the house 'w'

I actually looked up the lizards' range, just to see, because I wasn't certain, myself.

"Eastern" and "Western" aren't the best of range determinations. Where is the line drawn? Do they overlap?
Some animals, like the Eastern and Western Kingbird, we get both in Idaho. The Eastern lives across most of North America, but not so much farther southwest of Idaho, but doesn't live in eastern Canada. And the Western's range extends east past the rockies.

I've got those kingbirds on the mind because I saw my first one of the year yesterday!
Also got a nice close up view of a low flying red-tailed hawk
And saw a flock of pelicans flying over the Snake river!


I know, 1st hand, the descruction of a terrified squirrel in houses and cars, I can only imagine a marmot in the same situation!!!

It didn't do much thankfully, and wasn't there for long, we had tried to get it into a crate so we could carry it outside but instead it tried to climb up my moms leg xD In the end it ran back out the front door and off to who knows where


Ah, also yesterday at a McDonald's we saw a Downy woodpecker =D It's the second one I've seen around that particular McDonald's, though last time it was a female :3