It’s not on the order of a Common Crane, but today I had a Merlin perched in a tree a half block away. Still not seeing them every day, so still a treat.

On the other hand, an OSPREY along the Boise River was a bigger treat. I had just finished scanning Silver Lake and was heading upriver when I saw a large bird perched overlooking the river. This is an area where I frequently get Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles, so I stopped to glass him. Since I kept getting an impression of white on his head, but he wasn’t big enough to be a Bald, I had to wade into the shrubbery to get closer to him. I started into the brush across from the entrance to the Lake River gated community, and I quickly discovered that there’s a pretty defined trail system between the greenbelt and the river. Once I got close enough to get details, it was clearly an Osprey, my first in many weeks. We’ve had them stay late before, but this is the first I’ve seen this late in years.

So if you live in the Boise area, keep your eyes peeled.

Tom McCabe, Boise