Boise to Salt Lake City
My husband and I flew into Boise for the first of a 10 day trip out west. I started the trip at 160 species for the year and had a goal of breaking 200. We spent two days driving from Boise down to Salt Lake City making stops along the way. Our first stop was only a couple of minutes away from the Boise airport to Blue Lake Sewage Ponds. In less than 30 minutes, I had seen 7 new species for my list including the American Avocet which was an absolute thrill to start off the trip. We drove down through Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. It was mid-day but we did spot some birds of prey and added Swainson’s Hawk and Western Meadowlark to my list of new species. The billowing of the grass in the wind was reminiscent of the Everglades as I stood and watched it, listening to the wind and meadowlarks calling out to each other. It was a peaceful moment after a long day of travelling as we made our way down the state to our hotel for the night.
The next day we had an early start at Massacre Rocks State Park. This was my favorite stop of ours in Idaho, the early morning light made the views absolutely breathtaking. As the sun came out, the sagebrush started to buzz with life as we spotted many songbirds along the trail. We made our way to American Falls Fish Hatchery and explored around American Falls. Trenner Park was not on our original list, but after checking eBird, we made our way down to the water and spotted a bunch of waterfowl enjoying a beautiful sunny day. As tranquil as this place was, we had to make our way to Utah because I wanted to stop at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge before we checked into our hotel.
BEAR RIVER MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE was hands down the most incredible birding place I have ever been to!!!!! We went through the visitors center (which is an absolute must) and walked the trails next to it before we hopped back into the car to drive the scenic loop trail. I saw over 30 species while there, and couldn’t go more than a minute without having to snap a photo. While there, we were also lucky enough to see a Stoat (member of the weasle family). I added quite a few new species to my list, but the sheer amount of Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets was an absolute thrill to me. I WILL be back to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and recommend it to anyone passing through.
The next day was a planned rest day. We met up with one of our best friends and explored Utah with him. We started at Antelope Island and hiked up toward Frary Peak as we saw Bison, Long-billed Curlew, and Cliff Swallows along the way. The views were incredible but the amount of bug bites we received encouraged us to head into the city early and take a time-out from nature. We ended our day with walk on the City Creek Hiking Trail and drove past the capital building to notice the cherry blossoms in full bloom which was a nice little cherry to top of the day. Next stop: San Juan, Washington.
