Monday, May 31, 2010

Idaho Birder: Fred Bassett

Fred Bassett
Montgomery, Alabama
(bands hummingbirds in Idaho from mid-May to mid-August)

How did you get into birding?  Did you or do you have a birding mentor and can you tell us about that person?  Did you have a “spark bird”?

I was casually interested in watching bird while I was an Air Force pilot but a more serious interest developed after retirement.  I was lucky to meet Bob Sargent who taught me to band and ignited my interest in studying birds in general and hummingbirds in particular.

Were you interested in birds and birding prior to getting into hummingbirds?

I started just trying to identify birds.  Starting to band all types of birds made me want to learn more about them.  That led me to start banding hummingbirds.

What got you into the hummingbird banding?

I started banding all types of birds at a large migratory banding station we have on the gulf coast where I continue to band each April and October.  After a couple of years, I started banding hummingbirds which doesn’t require a crew and lots of equipment like general banding.  I started traveling in the winter to identify and band hummingbirds in the Southeast, and doing that kind of hummingbird research pretty quickly became a full time passion.

Where and how many places do you travel to to do the banding?

In the winter, I am the hummingbird bander for south Alabama and Florida.  In  April, I band all types of birds during spring migration banding at Fort Morgan, AL.  Then I head west for summer banding.  I normally band in several states on the way to Idaho.  This summer I will band for a month in Texas, New Mexico, and Utah before getting to Idaho in mid May.  I band hummingbirds all over Idaho for three months from mid May until mid August.  I go back to Texas to band at several locations on the way home to Alabama.  In October, I band fall migrants at Fort Morgan before starting winter hummingbird banding.  I have banded hummingbirds at more than 1,000 locations from south Florida to California.

How many times have you been to Idaho for banding?

I have banded in Idaho for the past nine summers.



Do you have any fascinating tidbits of data related to Idaho’s hummingbirds you could share with us?

Hummingbird migration is a focus of my research.  Three years ago in Northfork, ID I caught a Rufous banded two years earlier near Victoria, BC.  Last summer in Inkom, ID I caught a Black-chinned banded in the winter of 2007 in New Orleans, LA. 

What percentage of banded hummers are recaptured in subsequent years?

The percentage of returns depends on where and when I band.  When I band during nesting season or on wintering grounds, I get about a 5% return rate.  It is much higher in some cases.  I have a 20% return rate for female Rufous wintering at homes in the Southeast.  Return rates for birds banded during migration are lower.



How often do you go birding? And where do you regularly go birding?

I don’t consider myself much of a birder anymore.  I spend so much time banding that I seldom go birding. 

Where is your favorite place to bird?

I enjoy going to new places to find rare birds or birds that weren’t known to be there.  That can happen anywhere.

What is your favorite bird or hummingbird experience?

This winter in Alabama and Florida, I recaptured two Rufous and a Black-chinned hummer back at homes for the eighth winter.  It is a real privilege to get to know individual birds like that.  I beg them to tell me where they go in the summer, but they won’t tell me.

Any funny or embarrassing birding or hummingbird experiences you would be willing to share?

Trying to catch hummingbirds for multiple times can be funny and exasperating.  Some get to know me and all my tricks.  I match wits with creatures with a brain the size of a BB and get beat often.  Once in awhile, a hummer will fly up the line I’m holding to close the trap door.  They will hover right in front of me as if to let me know I can’t catch them.

Which birding publications, websites, blogs do you read and recommend?

Hummingbirds.net is a web site that is a great introduction to hummingbirds. Most publications I read are technical guides which wouldn’t be of interest to most birders.

Which is your favorite field guide and why?


Which bird-related books in your home library do you recommend to other birders?

The book I most often recommend to birders is “Living on the Wind” by Scott Weidensaul which is about bird migration.

What future birding plans do you have?

I’m starting a new research project this summer to study the size of Black-chinned hummingbirds on their nesting grounds.  I want to see if the increase in size from south to north is gradual or if there are different populations.

Are you involved with any birding organizations?

I volunteer with the Hummer/Bird Study Group which does most of the winter hummingbird banding in the Southeast and runs the migration banding station at Fort Morgan, AL. Web site is hummingbirdsplus.org.  I also have started a non-profit organization called Hummingbird Research, Inc. to help with my research.  Web site is hummingbirdresearch.net.  The site is incomplete.

If one were interested, how would one go about joining the authorized hummingbird banding fraternity?

The Bird Banding Lab controls bird banding permits, and they have tightened requirements to get a permit.  They require banders to have a research project that adds to the knowledge of birds rather than just putting bands on birds.  You work with a master bander as a sub to develop the skills needed to band.  To get a master permit, you have to submit a research proposal to the Bird Banding Lab and have recommendations from three master banders.



Do you have a nemesis bird (a bird you have sought after, but it continually escapes being seen by you)? If so, which species?

I’m always trying to band a new hummingbird species.
 
Anything about your family you’d like to share with us?

My daughter lives in Boise which is how I got started banding in Idaho.

Which species of hummingbird is your favorite?

I find all of them to be fascinating.  The one in my hand is my favorite.

What amazes you the most about birds?

How tough hummingbirds are always amazes me.  They appear to be such delicate creatures, but they are tough as nails.  They are real survivors.

Anything else that you would like to humbly brag about?

Nothing to brag about.  Hummingbirds keep me humble. The more I learn about them, the more I realize how little I know.

Total life list?

No lists.  I’m more interested in studying birds than checking off new species.


Most exotic place you’ve gone birding?

Ecuador. 150 species of hummingbirds there blew my mind.

Your mission in life as birder?

Do original research that adds to what we know about hummingbirds and share it in hopes of making life easier for them.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Idaho Birding Hotspots: Camas NWR & Market Lake WMA

Sandhill Crane in the field along the road at Market Lake WMA

Owing to the wondrous reports of migration birding in Eastern Idaho, and of course the regular reports of Idaho rarities seen there, I had to check it out for myself.  I was not disappointed.  I was also anxious to meet some of the Eastern Idaho hotshot birders and bird/nature bloggers like Bill Schiess, Cliff Weisse, Darren Clark, and Steve Butterworth.  Again, I was not disappointed.  Harry Krueger from Boise also joined us in the birding bonanza.  I had a blast birding with these guys.  They were good people and they were so concerned about me seeing every bird that they often went out of there way to make it possible.  My tally had 113 species.  Five life birds.  Sixteen first-of-year birds, eleven of which were state-birds for me.  Had it not been for overcast weather and a chilling windy downpour Saturday afternoon, it might have even been better.

The birds that made my list of highlights include:  Olive-sided Flycatcher, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Common Grackle, American Redstart, Swainson's Thrush, Black, Common, and Forester's  Terns, a Black-and-White Warbler, and a Northern Waterthrush.  The numbers of Wilson's Warblers blew me away, and the locals tell me that usually there are more this time of year.  The locations are fabulous for birding and worthy of annual pilgrimages, especially during spring and fall migration.

Male and female Ruddy Ducks at Market Lake WMA - I just love that blue bill!

Both Camas NWR and Market Lake WMA both have vast marsh lands with some open water right along the roads for easy access for birders of all physical abilities.  The numbers of birds in the air and on the water gave me a bit of sensory overload and I had to calm down my rapid heart beat and my darting eye balls to focus on one bird at a time.

Common Grackles on the side of the road in Hamer, ID near Camas NWR 
life birds for me and not very "common" in Idaho

Both locations also have clusters of trees and shrubbery which is an oasis and a magnet for birds migrating across the southern Idaho desert.  Another cool feature about both birding hotspots are the human-planted windrows.  They are made up of straight lines of cottonwoods, russian olives, willows, and pea bush, usually with space in between each row of trees/shrubs which makes for easy walking.  We'd split up and each slowly walk down the path at the same pace between the tree and shrub types, with a couple guys on the flanking the outsides of the windrow.  Some birds would gently move in front of us, while others paid us little attention as we passed by.  When we saw something special, we could alert the group and all enjoy the bird.  This method insured that we didn't miss much either.  If you go to these locations and only look at the marshes, you are missing out.  Don't forget to walk the windrows!  The area around the Camas NWR headquarters is really good too.  Lots of large trees just full of birds.

To get an idea of what a great place for birding these locations are, check out eBird.  Go to the "View and Explore Data" tab, click on "Bar Charts", Select "Idaho" and click on the "Hotspots" button, then click "continue".  This brings you up the entire list of Idaho eBird hotspots.  Check the boxes for Camas NWR and  Market Lake WMA.  You might even throw Mud Lake into the mix as it is also close by.  This generates a frequency of occurrence bar chart showing that 247 species have been reported to eBird.  I didn't even see half of what is possible!  I'll bet there are 50 more species that have not yet been reported to eBird for these locations.

My focus on birding rather than photography, combined with the poor weather and lack of light prevented me from getting many photos.  I only ended up taking 20 shots of three birds there.  Oh, well.  All the more reason to go back!

Some nice birding tools that helped me enjoy this trip include:  the Idaho Birding Trail website from the Idaho Fish and Game, The Idaho Bird Guide: what, where, when; and my DeLorme Atlas of Idaho.

Thanks again to Bill, Cliff, Darren, and Steve for showing us a great time birding in Eastern Idaho!

Gray Partridge


Avimor is a pretty good place to find Gray Partridges.  The Chinese Well Riparian Area is a place I see them 50% or more of the times I visit.   Last summer we had about three dozen of them including all the recent hatchlings.  Local game bird hunters often refer to them as "Huns", short for Hungarian Partridge, giving us a clue that they were imported birds from Eurasia.


I felt pretty lucky to get these photos because usually I only see them when they flush and I catch a glimpse of their orange face and tail feathers.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Chipping Sparrow


I remember my first time seeing Chipping Sparrows was in March of 2006 when my father-in-law Lynn Davenport and I were sitting at Marion Paton's backyard in Patagonia Arizona.  They were feeding on the ground on the seed that had been scattered.  (I recently read that Marion passed away in 2009 for which I am sorry to hear.  I hope that the caretakers of her home will continue to feed the wild birds.)

Pine forests in Idaho and eastern Oregon have been good places to see them.  I have seen and heard them trilling from the tops of sagebrush in my own neighborhood and on the Mayfield loop just outside of Boise. Listen to them here.  Recently I had a large flock moving through the tree-lined Avimor Drive and took a few photos.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Idaho Camera Birding Photo Competition - The Field of Entries


Check out all the wonderful bird photography entries from around the great state of Idaho!

Horizontal lines separate the one to three submissions by each photographer with the photographer's name appearing in a large font above their entries.  The numbering system is for the convenience of the judges and only represents the order in which I received the entries.

Click on Images to Enlarge

Andy Crabtree
1.  "Mourning Dove in Winter", taken on 13 Dec 2009 in Nampa Idaho, using Minolta Dimage Z1 from Idaho Camera. Auto mode and 10X zoom.

Linda Milam
2.  "Meadowlark in Spring" taken May 9, 2009 at Camas National Wildlife Refuge


3.  "Just Singin' my Song" Courting Canada Geese, taken March 17, 2010 at Market Lake WMA


4.  "In a Scolding Mode" Marsh Wren, taken June 6, 2009 at Market Lake


All three photos taken with Nikon D40, 70 - 300 zoom lens, auto setting, brightness and color saturation enhanced with camera software. 

Bob and Robin Young
5.  Great Blue Heron along Boise River Greenbelt, taken 20 April 2010.

6.  "Surprise!" - Peregrine Falcon in Downtown Boise, taken 27 Jun 2009

7.  "Columbia in Flight", Peregrine Falcon in Downtown Boise from Idanha parking lot, taken 16 July 2009

All three photos taken with Nikon D40X with 300mm lens.

Michael Morrison
8.  Western Screech Owl at MK Nature Center 6-9-2009

9.  Osprey and Eastern Kingbird at Montour Wildlife Refuge 6-19-2009

10.  Cedar Waxwing at Montour Wildlife Refuge taken on 06-19-2009

All photos were taken with a Nikon 80-400 5.6 zoom lens. Aperture priority on the Nikon D300.

Bob Davis
11.  Spotted Towhee at Mink Creek taken on 5-25-09

Digiscoped with Sony Cypershot 8.1 via Zeiss Diascope 80 mm spotting scope. Camera set to 3x and scope at 20 power. Taken at Mink Creek area south of Pocatello.  No digital enhancements.

Debbie Courson Smith
12.  "Oregon Junco Amid the Leaves" taken 12-21-09 on my leaf covered gardening bench at my home in Boise.

13.  "Bald and Beautiful in Boise" taken 12-09-09 along Boise River in Garden City.

14.  "Join me for lunch?" American Goldfinch eating black-eyed Susan seeds outside my office window in NW Boise taken 4-01-10

All photos were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel/xsi 55mm lens for the Junco and Goldfinch and 52-250 lens for the Bald Eagle.

June Gempler
15.  Young Bald Eagle - Taken on January 10, 2010 near Mores Creek Bridge on Hwy. 21.

This immature bald eagle was frequenting this area for several weeks over the winter months as there was a plentiful food source available for him.  Another overcast day and taking the photo into the snow.  This was a hand held shot at 400mm, which was totally amazing that I could hand hold at that focal length.


16.  Ring-Neck - Taken on February 7, 2010 at the Hagerman WMA
This beautiful pheasant was sunning himself on a rock when I drove up and snapped this shot. He's a beauty. I didn't have much time to plan this shot, as is the typical scenario with birds.  This was taken with my Canon 100-400mm lens at 400mm, resting on the back of my car.

17.  Resting Woodie - Taken on February 21, 2010 in Ann Morrison Park.

This was also taken at 400mm, it was a dreary over-cast day so the photo is a bit soft but I had to try the shot (used a monopod) and was somewhat pleased taking into consideration the circumstances I was given. 
Tips: If at all possible always use a tripod (tough to do with birds), especially with long focal lengths.  I've recently made myself a bean bag pod and always have it in my car and available for spur of the moment shots.

Shauna Robinson
18.  "Webbed Site" taken in Nov 2009 at the Snake River near Auger Falls with a Nikon D50 400mm 1/500s f5.6 - photo has been cropped.

19.  "Welcome Home" taken 13 Feb 2010 - American Kestrel in my backyard on Rim View Lane in Twin Falls with a Nikon D50 400mm 1/800s f5.6 - photo has been cropped.

20.  Chubby Chukar on 18 Mar 2010 from my backyard on Rim View Lane in Twin Falls with a Nikon D50 400mm 1/1000s f5.6 - no computer enhancements or cropping.

Michael Weeks
21.  "Hawk Eye" taken at Silver City, Idaho 8-1-09

22.  "Proud" taken in Stanley, Idaho on 12-30-09

23  "Out on a Limb" taken on the way to Silver City on 12-30-09

Photos taken using a Nikon D70 ISO 500 f/9 or f/11

Conservation Seeding and Restoration Inc

24.  "Who me?"

Northern Saw-whet Owl taken Feb 22, 2010 at the World Center for Birds of Prey using a hand-held Kodak EasyShare DX7590 digital camera with 10x optical zoom, 5 megapixels.  The original photo was a bit blurry, so our Design Dept. Manager, Julie, played in Photoshop to create the image.

Nathan Hall
25.  "By Your Side"


26.  "Wait"

27.  Wood Duck

Images taken at Julia Davis Park on 4/10/2010 with a Canon 30D and Tamron 75-300mm telephoto zoom lens.  ISO 200-250.


Rex Blau
28.  "These poles get cold at night"  Wilson's Snipe taken on 6/30/09 along the river in Emmett, ID.  


29.  Cooper's Hawk taken 11/23/09 from the blind at Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge at 1/2000 sec.

30.  Sleeping Northern Flicker 

Taken on 3/31/10 in my hay barn on the Emmett Bench using a Canon EOS Rebel, 250mm, with flash, f/5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO 400.  


Dan Leavell
31.  House Sparrow - 

Taken at MK Nature Center with a Sony A700 and Tamron 70-200mm 2.8 on 30 Mar 2010.


32.  Wood Duck

Also taken at MK Nature Center with same camera and lens on the same date.  I generally shoot outside with a +1 exposure and ISO 200 on Aperture Priority mode. This enbles the camera to select the shutter speed. I double check on the LCD and if I like the shot I continue if not I will change to Manual and select my own shutter speed while keeping an eye for proper "to the right" exposure.

33.  Red-tailed Hawk

Taken at the Deer Flat Wildlife Refuge (Lake Lowell) on an overcast day, on 28 Dec 2009. I adjusted the WB to correct the blue tinge and shot my Sony a700 Tamron 70-200 2.8 combo. I have since switched my wildlife camera to Canon and bought the 300 f4L IS USM. I love it and it keeps that shutter speed up to freeze the action. Like metioned in my other entry I keep ISO at 200-400 to ensure noise free adjustments in RAW.

Louinda Huston
34. "Bringing Home Dinner" 

35.  "Suppertime"


The two of the Red-tailed Hawk photos were taken at Horseshoe Bend, Idaho with a Canon 40 D, 200 to 400 Tamron lens.  Aperture Priority 5.6 ISO 250 390mm. They were taken on 5/14/2010 around 4:35pm.

36.  "Do you thing my hair looks ok?"


The Black-crowned Night Heron was taken in Emmett, Idaho with the Canon 40 D. 200 to 400 Tamron lens at 390mm. ISO 400 5.6. It was taken 5/3/2010 around 6:30 pm.


Arenett Grant
37.  "Everyone needs a little hug"  

This was taken with a Canon 50D, ISO 100, f/8 1/640. Avocets. Photo was taken on 5-9-2010 at Indian Creek Reservoir.

38.   "Don't mess with me I'll whip both of you"  

Canada Geese Fighting Taken 4-10-2010 in Garden Valley on the Project Patch pond with Canon 50 D, Tamron lens 28-300 at 300mm, Iso 500, f/8, 1/400.


39.  "Do you think it is easy keeping these wings dry?"

Long-billed Curlew - Photo taken at Indian Creek Reservoir on 5-9-2010, with a Cannon 50 D, Lens Canon 55-250 set on 250mm, ISO 100, f/8, 1/500.  I changed the color in Photoshop and added a frame.

Bob Whitlatch
40.  "I'm seeing red"  Spotted Towhee taken 26 May 2009 at City of Rocks National Reserve


41.  "It's crisp!" Great Blue Heron taken on a cold crisp morning 21 Feb 2010 at Kathryn Albertson Park


42.  "We're nestled" - Great Horned Owlets taken 26 May 2009 in Pearl, Idaho.

Terry Gray
43.  "What are you doing here?  This is my hunting area." - Northern Pygmy-Owl

Photo was taken on the south side of Moscow Mountain approximately 5 miles north of Moscow. Photo date is September 25, 2009. The bird was less than 10 feet from me when I took the photo. Photo taken with a Sony Cyber-shot DSC H9 with a ISO setting of 400


Karen Lahr
44.  Warbling Vireo - taken 19 May 2010 at Mountain View Reservoir

45.  Wood Duck and babies - taken 13 May 2010 at Kathryn Albertson Park, Boise

46.  Great Horned Owl - taken 19 May 2010 at Mountain View Reservoir


Kathleen Cameron
47. Bohemian Waxwing - taken March 5, 2010 in Bellevue, Idaho

48.  1st-year male Bullock's Oriole's fence party with an orange - taken 23 May 2010 in Bellevue, ID

49.  Western Tanager Aglow - taken 23 May 2010 in Bellevue, ID

ISO 400 with a AF-VR Nikkor 80-400 lens - Nikon D200 camera

Terry Maley
50.  Yellow-headed Blackbirds taken 5/09/09 in a marsh along the east side of Cascade Lake.

51.  Great Gray Owl about 2 to 2.5 months old.  Photo taken 8/01/09 on Loomis Lane, Donnelly.

52.  Osprey taken on West Mountain side of Cascade Lake. Photo taken 6/14/09.

Nikon D-300 camera with 70-300 mm zoom lens.

Kathleen Bowman
53.  Burrowing Owl-Taken on 5/7/10 -1/160 at f/5.6, ISO 400


54.  Twitterpated Doves-Taken on 5/7/10 -1/800 at f/5.6, ISO 800 


55.  Above the Clouds-Taken on 1/1/10 -1/1600 at f/7.1, ISO 400


All three images were taken in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey NCA and were taken with Canon EOS 20D, Canon 75-300mm lens with circular polarizing filter.

Shelly Moody
56.  "In Plain Sight" - 

The photo was taken in the ash tree in my front yard in SE Boise on Monday May 24, 2010  (I.D. help requested for this Empidonax Flycatcher!  This blog host is leaning toward Dusky, but I'm slow to rule out Least.)


Kay Asher
57.  Curious Falcon Fledgling - taken June 27, 2009 in downtown Boise 

58.  Boise Foothills Great Horned Owl - taken May 20, 2009

59.  Party! - House Sparrows and a House Finch taken in my west Boise backyard on Jan 17, 2010


Bonny Johnson
60.  Red-winged Blackbird - male

61.  Red-winged Blackbird - female

My photos were taken at Kathryn Albertson Park on May 3, 2010.  We bought our Olympus 510 from Idaho Camera a few years ago.  We invested in a 70-300mm lens so I could capture more bird photos.


Nicki Bowden
62.  Great Horned Owl, taken on June 14, 2009 near Ririe, Idaho

63.  Great Gray Owl, taken on April 16, 2010 near Ashton, Idaho

64.  Robin, taken on May 13, 2010 near Idaho Falls, Idaho

Images taken with a Nikon D80 and Sigma 150-500mm lens

Denise Hughes
65.  "What is there to say?" - Snow Geese - Fort Boise WMA 13 Mar 2010

66.  "After the bath" - Yellow-headed Blackbird - taken at Centennial Marsh 28 June 2009.

67.  "Must collect mud.  Must collect mud."  - Cliff Swallows - Hells Canyon 15 May 2010


Kathy Eklund
68.  Great Egret - taken May 6, 2010 in Burley ID

69.  Downy Woodpecker - taken May 8, 2010 in the Rock Creek Area, south of Murtaugh, ID

Both photos were taken with a 35mm film camera.  Prints were scanned in Photosmart and cropped.


Kevin Walker
70.  "Quail on a fence post"

There were 40+ birds in my Nampa backyard feeding on last year's berry seeds. A few were resting on the fence post apparently keeping an eye out for predators.  Taken: December 13, 2009

Camera: Nikon D300
Settings: f/5.6 - 1/500th - ISO 200
Digital Edits: Sharpened and the head brightened due to the dark feathers surrounding the dark eye. Background darkened to isolate the bird better.


Kim Brandt
71.  Burrowing Owl - Ada Co. 4/24/10

72.  Western Grebe - Black's Creek Reservoir 5/13/10

73.  Western Kingbird - Prairie, ID 5/13/10

All photos were taken with a Nikon 80-400mm 5.6 zoom lens on a Nikon D700 set to aperture priority.


Leo Miller
74.  Ring-necked Pheasant - taken 5-1-2010 at Marsh Creek, ID - 500mm+ 1.4x f8.0 1/1000 ISO 400


75.  Hawk - taken 16 Oct 2009 at Victor, ID - 100-400mm f8.0 1/500 ISO 100


76.  American Goldfinch - taken 25 July 2009 at Cherry Springs, ID - 500mm+ 1.4x f8.0 1/1600 ISO 800

All photos taken using a Canon 1DIIN


Shellye Lindsay
77.  "I'm NOT on a diet, I'm Not on a diet!" - Western Tanager

Canon 30D telephoto lens Canon IS 100-400 1/500 F8 May 23, 2010 near Pearl, Idaho

78.  "Who dat?" - Western Bluebird -

Canon 30D telephoto lens Canon IS 100-400 1/1000 F 4.0 Near Prairie, Idaho on Al Larson's Bluebird Trail - May 19, 2009

79.  "Just posin' " - Lazuli Bunting

This was the first EVER lazuli to land in our yard. My kitchen window was open and waiting for this bird to reappear! He could hear the camera's shutter though and flew off shortly thereafter.  Taken May 23, 2010 in my backyard near Centennial High School in Boise.  Canon 30D with IS 100-400 at focal length 400 1/125 at F8 ISO 200


Jim Jenkins
80.  "Breakfast with the Tanagers"

Taken 5/28/2010 at 7:30 AM in SE Boise with a Pentax K20D and Pentax 18-250 lens,  ISO 1600 -  f6.3.  I had cropped the shot and noise reduction.

Gene Halberstadt
81.  "Reflections" - f5 1/200 second ISO 200 225mm

82.  "Splashdown Landing"  - f5 1/200 ISO 200 180mm

83.  "Final Approach" - f 7.1 1/200 ISO 200 300mm

All photos taken with a Canon 50d and a Canon 70-300 mm lens
at Kathryn Albertson Park, Boise on 13 Feb 2010 


Jennifer Hall
84.  Swainson’s Hawk - taken in Roberts, Idaho August 2009 Shot at F5.6, 200 ISO

85.  Western Grebe - taken in Roberts, Idaho June 2009 - f8


86.  Short-eared Owl - taken near Idaho Falls, ID May 2010 - f6.3 ISO 200

All photos taken with a Nikon D80 camera and Nikon 80-400mm lens

Maria Halberstadt
87.  "Mother's Love" - taken on 16 May 2010 Kathryn Albertson Park using a Canon 50d at f7.1, 1/125 sec

88.  "Family Outing" taken may 15th 2010 at Kathryn Albertson Park
f14, 1/125 seconds and 70mm focal length

Art Robertson
89. Great Blue Heron - Oct 2009

90.  Mallards in flight - Nov 2009


91.  American White Pelican - April 2010

All of these were taken along the Boise Greenbelt between Eagle and Garden City with a Nikon D200 with Nikor 70-300 mm zoom lens  mostly at 300 mm.  All pics edited in Photoshop.

Ryck Tanner
92.  "The Gleam" - Great Horned Owl

Date Taken: 5/13/10 - Where: Boise Greenbelt - Specs: Canon 400mm lens at f5.6 - Post work: Slight burning and dodging

93. Snow Migration" - Snow Geese

Date Taken: 3/19/10 - Where: Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area - Post work: Enhanced effect of motion on wings to attempt to capture what it was like to experience first hand.

94.  "Gosling"

Date Taken: 5/1/10 - Where: Julia Davis Park, Boise - Post work: Slight color correction.