Tumbleweed Road

I found this rather impressive sight along a road south of Kuna. A couple of miles of tumbleweeds piling up against a fence, at least twenty feet deep. A month ago they actually covered the road like a crunchy, brown snowdrift. More wind and some traffic has revealed the road more evenly since then.

Thousands of acres of old farmland and burned off sagebrush has created an invasive plant species nightmare out there on the edge of the Birds of Prey area. Efforts to protect and restore what natives are still hanging on ,are greeted with this bullet-holed statement from some of the locals.

Zone what ?

Photos show burned stand of "Hardy Bamboo",

Weeping giant Sequoia
and Photina fraseri hedge.

So the debate goes on about what USDA cold hardiness zone Boise is really in. Anyone who has been here since the seventies knows what winter can bring to the area. Zone 5 regions can experience periods of close to twenty below zero degrees F. It has actually been, since 1991, I think it was, when we had any serious arctic cold to contend with. That makes eighteen or so years of zone 7 temperatures, never dropping below zero degrees F in Boise proper.

Well this winter, we had a week in December (2009), where the night-time low hit 5-10 below each night. I suspected that we would see some damage to the numerous plant varieties that have been planted here over the last two decades, as if we had suddenly joined Seattle as a coastal community.

Deodar Cedars, Bamboos, Photinias, Sequoias and other evergreen trees and shrubs have been planted with great gusto around Meridian, Eagle and south Boise and for the most part have thrived for a good long while.

I have been seeing some cold burn showing up around town lately and went out to take a few pictures of examples. Being a nursery saleman, I just know I will be talking to lots of people about their exotic landscape plants that are suddenly all rusty brown. "Is it dead?"many will ask. "Will you replace it if it does not recover ? We bought it from you ten years ago."? Yeah, right. Well those along Eagle road, on the island, are so beautiful. we just had to have some like those.

Most of what I am seeing will recover with time and spring growth. I think there is more damage that has yet to show itself on things like roses and grapes. It was just a little reminder that we are still in Idaho and hardiness zones don't change themselves over such short periods of time.

Flying Gyrfalcons

Felt like showing these flight shots of the Peregrine Fund's Gyrfalcons, performing for the public in October of 2008. Dave Wells, Archives of Falconry curator took these shots and more. I was there, waiting to fly my Prairie Falcon when these were taken.

People Scaring Birds

Bald Eagle Day at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival in late January has become somewhat of a Boise community event. It is put on by the Idaho Bird Observatory, a research group connected with BSU . The Idaho Falconers Association has been invited to participate for several years and we have a varied presence, at times having enough people and raptors to put on a formal presentation. This year, one of our long-time members who usually does the talking (thank you Jesse, you do great, but there are others among us who could this too)

Anyway, Jesse was recovering from foot surgery and couldn't come and therefore, no one in the club knew what to do. So, a few of us who kind of enjoy this sort of thing every now and then, showed up to loiter around the grounds and talk to people. We were invited to do this after all.

I don't know what got into me, but I got the idea to get dressed up in a Shakespeare period costume and play the role of a nobleman with his gyrfalcon. The Costume Shop in Garden City was quite an adventure the previous morning. I finally settled on what I learned was more renaissance

than Elizabethan. Close enough for this short time frame. The hat was big enough for my swelling head and I got a lot of comments about my official Shakespearean converse sneakers. ( costume boots were too much $$$$.)

Long story short, it was a good way to spend six hours on a otherwise unexciting winter Saturday (I am not a skier) and the attendance seemed pretty good, with a lot of smart, inquisitive kids. There was not much happening in Barber Pool, wild bird wise, only two eagles flew by. Maybe I scared them off with my get up. For the most part, I think people enjoyed seeing it and of course, a white gyrfalcon is always popular. At least no one burst into laughter at the sight of me (except my son when I left the house dressed up). Who knows, I may have started something. Or, more likely Jesse will send out a club e-mail asking me not to come back as King Eric of drama and attention grabbing.

Multi-tasking in the desert again

Epic mud was everywhere from snow melt, hastened by recent rains. I don't think there is a soil type anywhere that can become so muddy, or as dry and dusty as those of the Snake River Plain. I was not complaining too much mind you, knowing how hard a grip winter still has on much of the country.

Forty degrees and no wind I can take.

Duck season just ended but upland game birds are still open to falconers.

My eyes were peeled for any kind, from Grey Partridge to Sage Grouse, to hunt with Skula, my young Gyrfalcon. This has been a particularly poignant year, to think that Sage Grouse may be declared an endangered species soon and therefore placed off limits to hunting. We ended up getting a decent flight on pheasants. I saw no grouse. The soggy desert was keeping them safe and isolated from the prowling vehicles of falconers.

Not far away, down Hammett Hill, sits Cold Springs winery. Since my professional game plan is to visit such operations in the region and introduce myself and my bird control service, I decided to stop by and see if anyone was around to talk to. Cold call at Cold Springs it was.

Usually I see this vineyard while shooting by on the nearby interstate. Nestled down among lava cliffs, the undulating rows of grape vines lead to a hilltop where the winery sits. A huge sign, painted on an enormously long metal shed, points out the location to passers by, who at this point will have to go another few miles to the Glenns Ferry exit to turn around, if coming from Boise.

No one was around today, not that I blame anyone for not wanting to be outside on this chilly, dreary-skied day. I left a calling card in the door and drove slowly through the vines on my way out. I noticed that they all had trunk guards on them. With the expanse of healthy sagebrush all around, I wondered if rabbits were a problem with their nocturnal nibbling. The thought occurred to me that these folks might appreciate a little rabbit culling around their place. I happen to have the perfect rabbit abatement bird, my big red-tail "Morrigan", who would just love to help out here if needed. I had not even considered that she might be used in my pest control work.

I tried to imagine big flocks of Starlings, swirling up from the river, checking out these vines in the fall. A peregrine could drive them right out of here in a hurry. Today, there was not a bird in sight. I would like to come back. Hope I get a call.

Land of the Free, home of the regulated

This is a shot of a Bald Eagle at Dollywood, a tourist attraction inspired/created by Dolly Parton in Tennessee. I think this is the same eagle that is being flown at the opening of big football games lately. I saw it at the Fiesta Bowl (on TV) and just yesterday before the Saints/ Vikings NFL playoff game.


It is a very adroit, obviously very healthy and fit baldy that seems to enjoy doing it's thing in front of thousands. If you squint your eyes, you can just imagine him maneuvering around to pluck a fish from the water, Not !


Now what I want to know is who is profiting from this birds talent and beauty. Seems like quite a racket someone has going there. I thought it was illegal to possess Bald Eagles for "Falconry" .














Maybe the fee is being donated/generated for eagle conservation. If it is for someones profit, all I have to say is good for the enterprising falconer, finding a loophole to make a living.

But whats fair is fair, there are lots of us around who could do this and need some income to support our hawking habit.

It may not even be the right bird. I just thought I caught something about it on a News show awhile back. Could be some Canadians, coming down with one of "our" eagles to rub it our faces, eh ?