Given the fact that Tuesday’s bike ride was longer than usual, I was
thinking about a shorter one for yesterday. Fortunately, the birds didn’t
get the word and they came out in force. The neighborhood Red-tails started
me off, then I found my GH Owl again (sadly, his/her nest tree got blown
over on Tuesday night’s storm). And just downstream from Willow Lane, on the
Boise side, I found an immature Northern Goshawk-what a treat!

My decision to shorten my ride came when I got back to the Garden City side
at Veterans Parkway and headed back upstream instead of my usual downstream
run. My reward was a Merlin across the river at the upper end of Veterans
Pond, and while I was stopped for the Merlin, a Bald Eagle did circles above
me and then took up his usual perch overlooking the river and Veterans Pond.

I finished the ride with 39 birds in a little over 11 miles. But then on our
usual walk after dark, the Western Screech Owls were calling from all around
us. Forty birds (I like round numbers) and 6 of them were raptors.

Tom McCabe, Boise

P.S. The W. Screech Owls woke me up around 5 this morning to remind me to
start my day list for Thursday. They were followed after daylight by the
Red-tails. 😉