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Idaho

Sandhill cranes
Sandhill cranes
©Donna Ikenberry
Event: Sandhill Crane Migration
Where: Silver Creek Preserve
When: March through June
Each year, many sandhill cranes stop to rest in the Silver Creek Valley en route to their summer destinations.

Open to the public. Visitor's Center, facilities and hiking trails available.
Garden Creek Preserve
Garden Creek Preserve
©Harold E. Malde
Event: Prairie Plants Flowering
Where: Garden Creek Preserve
When: Mid-July through early September
Flowering occurs for Spalding's silene and palouse goldenweed. They often occur together in bunchgrass communities on the palouse prairie region of northwest Idaho.

Open to the public. There are no facilities at the preserve.
Sphagnum bog
Sphagnum bog
©Harold E. Malde
Event: Rare Wetland Plant Flowering
Where: Gamlin Lake Preserve
When: August and September
Flowering occurs for bulb-bearing water hemlock, often on margins of floating sphagnum islands in northern Idaho bogs.

Open to the public. There are no facilities available at Gamlin Lake Preserve.
Bald eagle
Bald eagle
©Michael Wilhelm
Event: Bald Eagles and Hawks
Where: Silver Creek Preserve
When: Mid-November
Each year, the snowy weather brings with it an influx of majestic bald eagles and rough-legged hawks that winter along Silver Creek.

Open to the public. Facilities available: visitors center, hiking trails. The Silver Creek Visitor's Center is closed in the winter.
Pintail ducks
Pintail ducks
©Harvey Payne
Event: Christmas Bird Count
Where: Thousand Springs Preserve
When: The weekend before Christmas
Each year, the birders at Thousand Springs are top contenders for the highest bird counts in the state. In 1994, 87 different species were spotted in one day, including 20 different duck species and a total of more than 56,000 birds.

Open to the public. Facilities available: gift shop, hiking. The visitor's center and gift shop at Thousand Springs preserve have irregular hours in the winter. Please call ahead: (208) 536-6797.
Waterfowl
Waterfowl
©Layne Kennedy
Event: Winter Birds
Where: Thousand Springs Preserve
When: December through February
Spring-fed, ice-free waters attract tens of thousands of waterfowl, while surrounding cliffs and fields host bald and golden eagles, harriers, kestrels, accipiters and other raptors. The Hagerman Valley Christmas Bird Count, usually the Saturday before Christmas, is one of the top three Christmas counts in Idaho.

Open to the public. Facilities available: scenic trails, gift shop.

For additional information on a particular location, click on the name of the preserve associated with the event or visit the Idaho site.