Sheep move up the valley.

 The weather went on to hot for a few days, 88f.
 Mornings have been to die for,
before the traffic starts on the highway, it heats up and dries out.
 A little rainstorm this evening, probably undoing most of the knapweed spraying I did today.  Yesterday morning, I was out in the field and saw a dust cloud high on the hill on the East side of the valley.  Sheep had arrived, moving up the valley.

They will head up valley all Summer, foraging and fertilizing.  That's why it's generally not safe to drink the water from any mountain stream. In the Fall the sheep will turn down valley  ending up in the South valley, and loaded on trucks.
 Ketchum used to be the sheep capital of the West. The train shipyard and holding pens were where the new YMCA stands today.

 
   That's the "Last Chance Ranch", owned by the late Steve Mc Queen.
 The hillsides have been terraced by the CCC, or civilian conservation corps, back in the 1930s.  The terracing was to prevent erosion due to the number of sheep traveling through.

 With the adorable nickname of "mountain maggots", more of Idaho's Summer visitors have arrived. 
  All attended by the shepherds and sheep dogs, 

  some will make it into the Sawtooth Valley, beneath the awesome Sawtooth Range.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

  A little off nature today, but it feels so good

 I got a comment from a real birder, who thinks that the scratch nest and eggs are a Killdeer also.
 Larry also put a link in his comment for more info and video of Killdeer and young.
 Read the comment, or
  Here is the link.     Killdeer and young.

  And for some Happy news, an elk in the Pocatello, (Idaho)  zoo, rescued a marmot that couldn't get out of the elks water tank. Simply amazing. The picture links to the  story and video.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Also good news today,  an Idaho bum, er, politician, gets busted trying to squirm his way out of prosecution for poaching an elk and ignoring officials requests. As a wolf hating activist, he's supposed to be protecting not poaching. Evidently the laws were made for someone else.

 Picture links to the story and video.
And an earlier report, here      
                                                                                                                             Rex Rammell to be charged with poaching elk.

 Ah yes, a Beautiful day in the neighborhood.

  Tribute to Mr Rogers.  RIP

  Ciao, Y'all

Nest in the Road

  Now thankfully I didn't stumble across this nest.
It blended in quite well in the gravel.

        4 eggs , oriented tip to center in the "scratch nest" in the middle of the gravel road.

                                             My guess is a Killdeer nest.

   Please add your speculation as to the id  of these speckled eggs. 

Oregon gulch volunteer trail work day

Oregon gulch volunteer trail work day

                                            
         Thursday, June 16th, 2011
         Oregon Gulch Trail head
          17:00                                   

                                               
The new trail up Oregon Gulch gained momentum today with the volunteer work day.
Members of the Northwest Youth Corp trailcrew started connecting the trail over the new bridge circumventing the old trail taken over by aggressive beaver action.

The Sawtooth Backcountry Horseman provided a cookout  with healthy portions for all volunteers.

  So after a bit of thankfulness for the weather, 
                     
The Mule Skinner demonstrated amazing adeptness controlling the team with verbal commands and reign actions.

    After the log was delivered to the clearing, the Youth Core began peeling the logs to dry for a future project up the gulch.

          































  The skinners headed back for another log for the project.

And the last log brought in
  to be used on the project .

      Amazing kids the youth corps are. Spending a month plus out in the woodlands clearing trails.



  Will update on progress on the trail.

Kitchen Swallows

 Well today is the first really warm day since last Fall.
 Was actually sucking shade today  .At 6000 feet the sun gets intense rather quick.

Tree Swallow

 I rebuilt a bird house on the telephone pole, and had new tenants within days.

 So, I had the kitchen door open and was at the sink, when I thought a butterfly flew in,
but it was actually a swallow. It flew around once and the alighted inside on top of  the open door.    (directly above
where the kitchen fox used to sit).
 Now this type of swallow I didn't recognize. The usual are metallic blue/black top and a white breast.


 It was Black and sort of reddish, rust colored breast.
 It sat for a short bit, and I suggested it should leave before the fox shows up.
   Looked up on "eNature", it is the common barn swallow.

   Barn Swallow   

 No picture, as I didn't move quickly and scare it, but the link above has one.
I also learned that ll these "sparrows", around always eating gravel, are actually finches.
   Well I'm off, and see what tomorrow teaches.