Rudeen Ranch Hummingbirds

This weekend was one of the most memorable Memorial Day weekends to date. 

When was the last time you felt a heartbeat of 250 times per minute in your hand?

Buck and I drove though snow, rain, and a LOT of mud to visit Rudeen Ranch where 6 licensed hummingbird banders gathered for their annual hummingbird banding day.

As we approached the home, we could see swarms of the birds zipping from feeder to feeder 

through the front yard. 

We stood still next to a feeder for a few minutes 

and watched this Black-chinned hummingbird perch nearby. 

And observed these eager double dippers

And an all angle attack 

Some of the feeders are encaged,  the door held open with a kite string. A few kids had the pleasure of trapping the birds, placing them in a small mesh bags, and bringing them to the banders.

The Calliope male hummingbirds have vibrant fuchsia throats while the females are pretty... 

dull, but cute.  

 After the birds are banded and weighed,

they are still enough to hold until they de-stress and take flight. 

They weigh as much as a penny (2.5 grams) and to feel their heart 

beat 250 times in a minute is amazing.

She was very pleased to hold her hummingbird

The tiny bands that are placed on their claws

 This little fellah rolled in my hand until he buzzed off

She had an interesting hairstyle thanks to a raindrop

 The swarm

 Buzzing the tower

 Nosedive

 The long and muddy road home to...

(Buck's fly tying materials are gaining an ever increasing number of uses around the house)

A Blustery Boondoggle

We have had a recent run of good luck with the warm weather, productive fishing and overall successful excursions until... last Saturday.

That morning we loaded up the Midge and drove north to Blackfoot, planning to drift 10 miles down the Snake on a stretch of the river that was new to us.

While stopping to pick up boat snacks and kill time waiting for the wind to die, we enjoyed “Customer Appreciation Day” at a nearby Sinclair.

Sipping complimentary root beer floats while roaming the antique car show led us to believe our day was panning out well.

After dropping my car 10 miles downstream at the takeout, we drove and unloaded the Midge at the put-in. The wind was blowing 12-15 mph upstream at this point, but we were confident we could cover the 10 mile stretch before dark to find the takeout. 

Boy, were we wrong.

As we watched the motor boats fly by, Buck paddled hard against the wind, making little progress. An hour and a half in, the wind now was blowing 30 mph, we were only 1/4 of a mile downstream and could still see the boat ramp...yikes. 

Surely the day could be salvaged if we just dropped the anchor, fished this stretch and then used the wind to drift us upstream to the boat ramp...wrong again.

As Buck was pulling the anchor rope in, snap! I looked over the stern and watched the anchor sink and disappear... crap. Time to reevaluate our plan.

I suggested we paddle to the bank of the river, walk to the car, drive it back to the boat, load up, and cut our losses. I sat with the boat on the shore, sipping on a Sierra Nevada and eating Sun Chips while Buck walked back to the car. 

Twenty minutes later I see him walking back down the bank, looking defeated, only to find out we are on private property and he had been cornered by 8 German Shepherds. 

We loaded up and paddled to the opposite bank where we gave in to our last resort. Buck jumped out and waded, dragging the boat up the shallow bank. I wasn’t making it easier by sitting in the boat so... land ho! Now I was wading too.   

We couldn’t blame the passing motor boat passengers who laughed at the couple who were stumbling up the bank dragging their pram while they swamped us with their wakes.

It was one of those boondoggle days where you're just glad to be headed home alive.

Momma

Dear Mom,

It is an honor and a privilege to be your daughter.
Thank you for showing me what unconditional love feels like;
you challenge me everyday to love others better

Thank you for fostering my creativity; you have led me to find personal gifts

Thank you for encouraging me to be playful, it sustains my curiosity

Thank you for forgiving me, you have showed me the gift of grace 

And thank you for teaching me how to see beauty in everything.

I love Him more because He blessed me with you.

Overwhelmed with gratitude for the love you show me, 

I pray my heart has the capacity to love a child the way you love me.

Thank you for your joy, creativity, patience, and most of all, your love. 

I love you
Happy Mother's Day

Spring Fishin'

With the sun setting past 9, Buck and I have taken advantage of the extra daylight by sitting in the backyard after work, walking the pups during sunset, or heading to the Fort Hall Indian Reservation to float and fish.  This week I caught my first 20 inch trout!

 We often see beavers the size of Otis too!

Migrating trumpeter swans, pheasants, and wild horses are some of the everyday sightings at the reservation. We even saw a juvenile male moose as we were driving the dirt road home.