RUPERT

Idaho

Lake Walcott

Located in south central Idaho: 

Lake Walcott is a reservoir which was formed by damming the Snake River in 1909, forming an 11,000 acre lake.  

The dam is an important element of the modern ecosystem, providing much needed water for farmers, hydroelectricity and thousands of miles of irrigation canals throughout the state.

A small island inside the reservoir is called Bird Island and reported has been over 235 different species of birds in the area.

Anglers enjoy the lake but also the mouth of the Snake River, below the Dam.

Some of the fish species found here are trout, catfish, steelhead, white sturgeon and small and large mouth bass.

This angler catches a bass just below the falls

White Sturgeon

They can live over 100 years and are the largest freshwater fish in North America.   Adults grow to 19 feet long and can weigh as much as 1,800 pounds.  They are like sharks, in that they do not have bones but a skeleton of cartilage.   On the outside, instead of scales, they have five rows of bony plates, called scutes.

Commercial fishing around 1900 depleted sturgeon throughout their range.  Idaho has strict fishing restrictions since the 1940s.     Today, any sturgeon caught must not be removed from the water and released immediately.  April 1925 a 15 foot sturgeon was caught that weighed 1,800 lbs.

This web photo is of two biologists who caught and released three 500 lb sturgeon in the Snake River.   

A favorite hang out for the American White Pelicans is where the fisherman come - the mouth of the river, below the falls from the dam.

Pelicans share their resting spots with the double-crested cormorants.

Landing gear in place!

Cormorants are known for their bright blue eyes and orange markings around the chin & base of the bill.

An egret stops by

Walking along the lake, I hear splashing in the reeds - sounds like a dog running and splashing in the water.   This huge carp appears!!!

Non-native species, they can reach up to 30 lbs.   In spring they rise from the depths of the lake and feed on insects, small fish and crawfish in the reeds.    They wreak havoc on the waters of the reservoir.   They are prolific in numbers, stir up the bottom and make the waters murky.     In 2014 a commercial carp processing plant was established for carp to be sent to Asian and Indian markets.   These bottom-feeders are not popular with most American fishers and markets.  The plan is to keep the population down to 10-15 %.

Bullock's Oriole

At one time,  this species and the Baltimore oriole were considered to be a single species, the northern oriole.   This bird is named after William Bullock, an English amateur naturalist.

The only difference between Bullock's and Baltimore oriole's is the male bullock has orange (not black) faces and a larger white patch in the wings.

As I'm viewing the falls and watching pelicans and cormorants, I notice swallows in a huge swarm along this ditch.

A swarm of cliff swallows are collecting mud from the banks for nest building.  

Cliff Swallows swarm around bridges, overpasses and here, building nest along the dam.  These social birds are almost always found in large groups, chasing insects.

These two have gathered mud to add to their nests.  Although they sometimes nest solitarily, they usually nest incolonies.   These colonies tend to be small in the East, but further west they can number up to 3,700 nests in one spot.

The main difference between a barn swallow and cliff swallow is the tail:   Cliff swallows have a short tail whereas the barn swallow has a long forked tail with white spots.

Barn Swallow

A yellow warbler shows up for a very brief moment

Clark's Grebes. (Western Grebes have  a deeper black cap that extends down to surround the eye)

American Goldfinch

On our way back to the RV Park is this gorgeously, restored truck in the middle of nowhere!   It is a photo shoot spot opportunity for a graduate from high school.

 A sad, dilapidated building