Nevada - Idaho - Wyoming - Utah Trip ~ August 7, 2019

Since Tuesday's looks at the Himalayan Snowcock weren't that great, I asked Jason whether he'd mind climbing back up to the spot to try and get better looks and maybe even the chance for a photo or two. We had originally figured on having to hike up in the dark to get there at first light, but since I had definitely seen the bird, we agreed that we would head up the trail at dawn instead.

We got there about the time the sun starting lighting up the peaks. We were searching for a long while with no luck. A few times, we heard birds calling as they flew from one spot to another, but it was tough to tell what direction the calls were coming from, especially for me since I have some hearing loss in my right ear, causing everything to sound like it's coming from my left. Once again, we heard some birds calling and Jason saw the section of the bowl that they landed in, which was just left of the two snow patches near the right center of this photo.

There were at least two birds. It was amazing how well these good-sized birds blended in with the rocks. It was a "Where's Waldo" situation. One of the birds is in the center and facing left in each of these photos.

Eventually, the one bird worked its way up the slope. It was a lot easier to see when it was in the grassy background.

The views that we got were definitely worth the second climb back up. On the way back down, there were hundreds of Sphinx Moths buzzing around and checking out the wildflowers.

The parking lot came into view when we got about two-thirds of the way down the trail.

Northern Flicker, Cordilleran Flycatcher, American Robin, and Lesser Goldfinch were additional birds seen in the area. More photos from Lamoille Canyon can be found at my Nevada Adventures Photo Album.

We drove back out of the canyon, grabbed lunch in Elko and then headed north towards the South Hills of Idaho. We drove through rain on the Nevada portion of Route 93, but it stopped when we got into Idaho. Birds seen along the highway included Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Western Kingbird, Tree, Cliff, Barn, and Violet-green Swallow, Black-billed Magpie, Common Raven, and Brewer's and Lark Sparrow.

In the late afternoon, we reached Diamondfield Jack Campground in the Sawtooth National Forest and found a pair of Cassia Crossbills perched atop a dead pine.

Cassia Crossbills

We continued the short distance over to Porcupine Springs Campground. Just beyond the campground, Jason spotted another crossbill pair in a pine that allowed me to get a little better photos than what I got at Diamondfield Jack.

Male Cassia Crossbill

Female Cassia Crossbill (Note the blue band on its right leg.)

Other birds found in the area included Sharp-shinned Hawk, Common Nighthawk, Northern Flicker, Mountain Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, "Audubon's" Warbler, "Oregon" Junco, and Pine Siskin.

We stuffed ourselves at the Golden Corral in Twin Falls and stayed overnight at the Amber Inn Motel near Hansen.

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