Centennial Marsh in the Camas Prairie is now in full bloom! It's not one of
it's best blooms, but it is one of the best in about 4 years. If you've
never seen the Camas Lily in bloom now would be the time to go. To get
there take Hwy 20 from either Arco or Mt. Home and drive to Hill City (a
very small town) you can enter the Marsh from Hill City on the west end
(turn south just past the little store and haybales) or there will be a sign
just past Corral (mm 145) on the east end. Follow it back towards the hills
and you eventually come to the center where there is a small group of trees
and a porta-potty (put there by F&G). The road goes in one end and out the
other, kind of a "U" shape, Delorme map page 26. Definitely take a
camera....and...oh yeah!....the birds in there are amazing! Check out the
heron rookery(?!)...I couldn't believe it...one nest in the lone pine tree
way out in the middle above the outhouse! A quick list....
GREAT BLUE HERON, RUDDY DUCK, AM. COOT, CINNAMON, GREEN & BLUE-WINGED TEAL,
LESSER SCAUP, PINTAIL, N. SHOVELER, SANDHILL CRANE, AM. AVOCET, BLACK-NECKED
STILT, WILSON'S PHALAROPE, SNIPE, LONG-BILLED CURLEW, WHITE-FACED IBIS,
YELLOW & RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, DOWITCHER (of which my choice is
short-billed although long-billed is more common, the breast was quite
clear).....need I go on! Evenings in there are beautiful but take bug
juice.
I also tried some "moonbirding" two nights ago after reading about it in
the book "LIVING ON THE WIND". I set up my scope on the full moon to see if
I could catch the night migration. In a half hours time I saw 4 birds cross
the moon! ID is close to impossible unless you're REAL quick on shapes, but
what a thrill to see what goes on in the night. I don't know about you,
but, for me it was a triple WOW!!! The book talks about seeing many more
than that when it's at peak migration and between about 10 and 12pm. The
moon is just past full now and the skies are finally clear here so try it
and see what you can find. Just another way to bird!

Poo
Wood River Valley

ps the book calls it "moonwatching" but my friends immediately renamed it
"moonbirding" after I explained it to them.