Different Terrain and Additional Species
Eastern Idaho consists mostly of rural farm land and sagebrush covered flats. Rivers like the Henry’s Fork, South Fork, Teton River, flow through the region. Menan Buttes, seen here, are just north of Idaho Falls. Mixed in, Idaho set aside numerous refuges and wildlife preserves including Camas – National Wildlife Refuge, Market Lake Wildlife Management Area, and numerous other Wildlife Management Areas. Click the link for a complete list. While the Jackson Hole area and Eastern Idaho areas share many of the same animal species, a few additional species are more common there than here. If you are driving through the area—either coming or leaving JH—or if you just want a different look at the region, check out some of the other possibilities! Nikon D4 and Nikon 70-200mm lens.
Canada Geese: Young goslings can swim soon after birth, but cannot fly for a while. At any danger, they move from the banks to the channels of water. Idaho typically warms sooner than the Teton area and some species nest earlier. Canada Geese are commonly seen along Flat Creek here in the Tetons. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Great Horned Owls are Common to both areas. I haven’s seen many this year in our area, but I’ve heard of a few random sightings. A pair raised some owlets in the Gros Ventre Campground a couple of years ago, but I couldn’t find them this year. They can occasionally be seen in the trees near the Gros Ventre and along the Moose-Wilson Road. I’ve also seen them as Schwabacher Landing. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Yellow-headed Blackbirds can be found in numerous areas of Jackson Hole, including the ponds just north of the Visitor’s Center and in the South Park Elk Feed Ground. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Porcupines live in both areas, but are not easy to spot in the dense trees they prefer. They feed mostly at night and hunker down most of the day. I’ve seen a few along the road to the Shane Cabin this year. Farmers and ranchers typically kill them outside the parks. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Night Heron: I don’t recall ever hearing anyone saying they’ve seen a Night Heron here in the JH area. When I was on Sanibel Island, I photographed similar looking Yellow-crested Night Herons. Interestingly, I saw quite a few in both places feeding in bright sunlight. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Ruddy Duck: Last fall, I saw a male Ruddy Duck along Flat Creek, but his baby blue bill was turning brown at the time. I’ve seen a few of them at Christian Pond across from the Jackson Lake Lodge. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Jackrabbit: Cottontails and Shoe Shoe Hairs are more common in the JH area than Jackrabbits. With that said, I spent a lot of last winter looking for Snow Shoe Hairs and never found one. I am not sure if that’s because they are scarce or if it’s because they blend in with the snow. Jackrabbits are also common east and south of our region. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Long-eared Owl: I’ve never seen a Long-eared Owl in the Tetons, but I’ve heard reports of people seeing them in Yellowstone. They are very elusive and live in thick cover. It’s easy to walk right under one without ever seeing it, only to have it spook and fly to a different tree. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Long-eared Owl: This shot illustrates again why they are so difficult to spot. While this one is fluffed out slightly, they tighten their feathers to make themselves much slimmer when they feel any sort of threat or pressure. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Short-eared Owl: I’ve never photographed a Short-eared Owl until this recent trip. In fact, I’d never even seen one! They hunt very early and very late in the day and tend to stay either on the ground or on low perches and mounds. I captured this one within the first 10 or 15 minutes of morning light. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Great Blue Heron: I’ve seen these magnificent birds at Schwabacher Landing, along Flat Creek, along the Moose-Wilson Road and a few other random areas of the Park. They were also common on our trip to Sanibel Island. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Northern Saw Whet Owl: This is a young fledgling. Cindy Johnson, an Eastern Idaho photographer, showed me it’s location or I would have definitely never seen it. It was in dense cover, but wasn’t at all concerned about our presence. I’ve heard of people spotting them in the Tetons and Yellowstone. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Parting Shot of a Flock of Geese: I have to wonder how well each of these goslings know to find their specific parents once they get jumbled up like this. Nikon D800 and Tamron 150-600mm lens.
Other Birds: I was only in Eastern Idaho for a few hours one Friday afternoon and again the next morning before heading to the Fort Henry Mountain Man Rendezvous 2015: While I was in “wildlife mode” I was mostly interested in photographing owls, so I didn’t have much of a chance to focus on any of the other birds in the area. I saw both Eastern and Western Kingbirds, at least one Norther Shrike, lots of White-faced Ibis, Osprey, Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, White Pelicans, and numerous other species of waterfowl—many of which I couldn’t have identified at the time. Maybe another day! I also spent some time trying to find some Burrowing Owls. With the sandy soil, they are more common there than here, but I was told many of the babies in the area didn’t survive the heavy rains that flooded their dens this year.
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