Large Format Field Trips

For the historical processes class I teach we've been going on short field trips and using large format cameras. We've been taking out 8x10, 7x17, and 4x5 cameras. The students are making nice images and seem to be enjoying the experience. It's nice to get out of the classroom and lab.


Leah, Maddy, and Melissa Using the 7x17 Camera, Rexburg, ID 2009

Green Drakes / Brown Trout

I've been pretty busy lately and the weather has been terrible, but things finally worked out and I managed to go fishing for a few hours today. It's been far too long. I wouldn't say the fishing was fantastic, but there were a few green drakes (by far my favorite mayfly) hatching and I caught a few fish including this big brown.



Brown Trout Before and During Release, Fremont County, ID 2009

Teton Vu Drive-In

The Teton Vu Drive-In is open again after a couple of years of being closed. When they were open a few years ago we went a couple of times. It was noisy, you couldn't really hear the movie, and the movies last until 1 in the morning. It was fun though.


Teton Vu Drive-In, Rexburg, ID 2009

Common Yellowthroat

Common Yellowthroat, Egin, ID 2009

Kevin's Baseball Team

Kevin finished up his baseball season yesterday. They had fun even though they didn't win one game. I don't think Kevin's ever been on any good teams. We had fun watching the games. There's no break though because Ethan started T-Ball today.

Brown Trout - Jon finally bought a boat

My good friend Jon bought a drift boat and we were able to catch a few fish from it a couple of weeks ago.



Two pictures of the same trout (photos by Jon Long)

Fisherman's Breakfast

Every year they hold a free fisherman's breakfast in St. Anthony to celebrate the opening day of fishing season. We stood in line for two hours for some decent pancakes.




Jacob enjoying syrup soaked sausage (photo by Jon Long)


Jacob behind the fish and game display booths at the breakfast


Baloons in Willows at the Fisherman's Breakfast, St. Anthony, ID 2009

New Website

For the last month or so I've been working on revamping my website. I think most of the bugs are worked out. You can view it here, or go to www.darrenclarkphoto.com (for some reason typing the www is necessary, at least on our campus computers).

Lorenzo Boat Launch

Lorenzo Boat Launch (High Water), Lorenzo, ID 2009

Yellow-headed Blackbird

When people hear that I'm interested in birds, they often ask me to identify a bird they've seen. One of the most common bird query goes something like this: "I saw this really cool bird the other day it was a black bird with a yellow head, do you know what that is?". When I tell them it's a Yellow-headed Blackbird they think I'm joking. It is a really descriptive name for a bird, and it is a really cool bird. Yellow-headed Blackbirds might be one of my favorite birds. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures I took the other day of this really cool black bird with a yellow head.




Yellow-headed Blackbird, Burton, ID 2009

S.E. Arizona Birding

Saguaro Cactus, Phoenix, AZ 2009

For a while now (15 years or so), I've been wanting to get down to SE Arizona to do a little birding and experience that landscape. Susan was kind enough to let me go over my short break between semesters. My friend Steve Butterworth and I drove down early Friday morning and spent five days birding around Phoenix, Tucson, Patagonia, and Douglas. It was a really neat place and I managed to get 34 life birds out of the trip. I missed a few, but not many. I guess that means I'll need to make another trip, hopefully sometime in the next 15 years.

I'm posting a loose itinerary, some highlights, and some pictures.

Day one was mostly driving. We left Idaho Falls at 6 and got to phoenix at around 8. We didn't see a lot bird-wise, but we drove through some neat country.

Day two was when the birding began. We got up early (really early, because Arizona isn't on daylight savings) and drove forty-some miles west of Phoenix to search for Thrashers. It was rainy and sort of miserable (this was the first rain the Phoenix area had in 52 days according to the local news). After a couple of hours of fruitless searching we began to see and hear a few birds. First we heard and saw Bendire's Thrasher, then we had a Curve-billed Thrasher (neither were life birds for me or Steve). After a bit more searching we began to find numerous LeConte's Thrashers and Steve managed to find us a Crissal Thrasher (life birds for the both of us). We got back to town and birded The Gilbert Water Ranch in Gilbert. I managed to find my first Gila Woodpecker and several other typical Arizona birds. In the afternoon we began our trek to Tucson. We decided to bird along the way. We found a Bronzed Cowbird (new bird for Steve), and at dusk we found several Lesser Nighthawks flying around some farms.


Rainy Road, near Phoenix, AZ 2009


Farm Field, near Tucson, AZ (Lesser Nighthawk Spot)

We began day three East of Green Valley in Florida Wash. This was a really neat spot. The main draw was a pair of Rufous-capped Warblers that had been discovered earlier in the year. We hiked up the trail a half mile or so and found a lot of cool birds, including Costa's Hummingbirds, Summer Tanager, Rufous-winged Sparrow, Canyon Towhee, Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet, Painted Redstart, and eventually the Rufous-capped Warblers. We then drove over to Madera Canyon, one of the most famous birding locations in the country. While there we found Magnificent Hummingbird, Blue-throated Hummingbird, Arizona Woodpecker, Hutton's Vireo, Greater Peewee, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Hepatic Tanager, and many others. Madera was really crowded though, so we decided to get out of there and come back another day. We drove down towards Nogales to try to get Steve some Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, we found them along with my first Cassin's Kingbirds and several good looks at Vermillion Flycatchers. We then drove a backroad towards Patagonia. Along the way we found Gray Hawks at a couple of different stops. We stopped at some hummingbird feeders in a private residence. The homeowners welcome birders and we had a good time and ended the day with fantastic looks at Violet-crowned Hummingbirds.

We got up the next morning and came back towards Patagonia. At daybreak we found a singing Sinola Wren that has been present there for several months. This is the first record of Sinola Wren in the U.S., so it was a pretty cool bird (coincidentally another Sinola Wren was discovered in another location while we were down there). Another birder was kind enough to show us some nesting Zone-tailed Hawks in the general area as well. We decided from there to head back to Madera Canyon to try for some birds we missed there the day before, particularly Elegant Trogon. We arrived at Madera fairly early and birded its lower reaches. We were fortunate enough to find a pair of Black-capped Gnatcatchers as well as some Montezuma Quail in this area. We then drove up to the top parking lot of Madera to try for the Trogon. We parked and I hiked about 3/4 a mile up the trail. I found my first Yellow-eyed Junco and several other good birds. After enjoying looks at the Junco I continued hiking and saw a bright red and green bird sitting on a small tree right next to the trail. The Elegant Trogon allowed close long looks. I sat down and observed the bird for about five minutes before it flew down to the ground for a bit and then I left (of course my camera was in the car). The Trogon was definitely my favorite bird of the trip. I could have had unbelievable photographs.. oh well. We then decided to drive up Mount Lemon, which is a tall mountain NE of Tucson, to find high elevation birds. We drove up the steep winding road until we reached 7,100 feet in elevation and began our search. We found Olive Warbler and Graces Warbler, but missed Red-faced Warbler. After enjoying these birds we drove back to Madera to try for Owls at dark. We got there just at dark and found Elf Owl, Western Screech Owl, and Whiskered Screech Owl.


View from Mount Lemon, Tucson, AZ 2009

On Day Four we drove to Sierra Vista to visit a hummingbird feeder and to try again for a few high elevation birds up Carr Canyon. We arrived at Mary Jo Ballator's hummingbird feeders in the morning. The specialty bird here is Lucifer Hummingbird. We spent quite a bit of time watching her feeders and waiting for the bird to arrive. She has a lot of feeders and we enjoyed looks at Orioles, Buntings, Goldfinches, and several species of Hummingbirds. After 90 minutes or so we got great looks at male and female Lucifer's Hummingbirds. We then drove up Carr Canyon. The road up Carr Canyon is a well-maintained gravel road that climbs up above 7000 feet. It's a little scary at times, but we made it just fine. We enjoyed looks at Grace's and Olive Warbler, but again couldn't find Red-faced Warbler. Steve found us a pair of Buff-breasted Flycatchers as well.


Scott's Oriole, Sierra Vista, AZ 2009


Hooded Oriole, Sierra Vista, AZ 2009


Lucifer Hummingbird, Sierra Vista, 2009

Lucifer Hummingbird, Sierra Vista, 2009

Lucifer Hummingbird, Sierra Vista, 2009

On Day five we drove over to Slaughter Ranch, near Douglas to try for a Blue Mockingbird. A rarity that was discovered a couple of months ago. The wind was howling when we woke up and we wondered if it was worth the drive, but we went for it anyway. Along the way we drove some back roads through Sierra Vista hoping to find Scaled Quail. After a few minutes of searching we saw one cross the road. After a bit of persistence he allowed for close looks and a photograph. We then proceeded to Slaughter Ranch. We arrived just before they opened and began our search. After about two hours of searching somebody located it. There were probably 35-40 birders in the area, so it was no easy task getting a look at the skulking bird. It was really hanging tight, probably because of the wind, but also because of all of the birders. Steve and I both managed decent, if brief looks at the bird. We then got out of there, the wind and heat were really wiping us out. We then drove as far as Mesquite, NV. We arrived in Mesquite at 2:30 and crashed.


Scaled Quail, Sierra Vista, AZ 2009


Along the road to Slaughter Ranch, Douglas, AZ 2009


Birders Trying to Glimpse the Blue Mockingbird, Slaughter Ranch, AZ 2009

On the way home we birded Lytle Ranch, near St. George, UT. It was ok, but we couldn't find any of our target birds. It was snowing and raining. I think we had both had enough, so we drove towards home and arrived at about 9 pm in Rexburg. It was quite a trip, but I had a blast. Below is our complete list of birds. The birds marked with an asterisk were life birds for me.

Pied-billed Grebe
Eared Grebe
Neotropic Cormorant
Double-crested Cormorant
Cattle Egret
Great Egret
Green Heron
Great Blue Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Canada Goose
Black-bellied Whistling Duck
Mallard
Shoveler
Cinnamon Teal
Green-winged Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Lesser Scaup
Ruddy Duck
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Harris's Hawk
*Gray Hawk*
*Zone-tailed Hawk*
Swainson's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
American Kestrel
Gambell's Quail
*Scaled Quail*
*Montezuma Quail*
Wild Turkey
American Coot
Killdeer
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Lesser Yellowlegs
Least Sandpiper
White-faced Ibis
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove
White-winged Dove
Mourning Dove
Inca Dove
Common Ground Dove
Band-tailed Pigeon
Roadrunner
*Whiskered Screech-Owl*
Western Screech-Owl
*Elf Owl*
*Lesser Nighthawk*
White-throated Swift
Anna's Hummingbird
Broad-billed Hummingbird
*Violet-crowned Hummingbird
*Blue-throated Hummingbird
*Magnificent Hummingbird*
Costa's Hummingbird
*Lucifer Hummingbird*
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Rufous Hummingbird
Calliope Hummingbird
Black-chinned Hummingbird
*Elegant Trogon*
*Gila Woodpecker*
Acorn Woodpecker
*Arizona Woodpecker*
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
Dusky Flycatcher
Hammond's Flycatcher
Gray Flycatcher
*Buff-breasted Flycatcher*
Western Flycatcher
*Cassin's Kingbird*
Western Kingbird
Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet
*Greater Peewee*
*Dusky-capped Flycatcher*
Brown-crested Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Vermillion Flycatcher
Loggerhead Shrike
Bell's Vireo
*Hutton's Vireo*
Warbling Vireo
Common Raven
Chihuahuan Raven
Steller's Jay
*Mexican Jay*
Horned Lark
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Bank Swallow
Barn Swallow
Cliff Swalow
Canyon Wren
Cactus Wren
*Sinola Wren*
House Wren
Rock Wren
Bewick's Wren
Verdin
Bushtit
*Bridled Titmouse*
White-breasted Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
*Black-capped Gnatcatcher*
Western Bluebird
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Northern Mockingbird
Bendire's Thrasher
Curve-billed Thrasher
*Crissal Thrasher*
*LeConte's Thrasher*
*Blue Mockingbird*
Cedar Waxwing
Starling
American Pipit
Phainopepla
Orange-crowned Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Lucy's Warbler
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Townsend's Warbler
*Painted Redstart*
Black-throated Gray Warbler
*Rufous-capped Warbler*
Wilson's Warbler
*Grace's Warbler*
McGillivray's Warbler
*Olive Warbler*
Virginia's Warbler
Summer Tanager
*Hepatic Tanager*
Northern Cardinal
Pyrrhuloxia
Lazuli Bunting
Black-headed Grosbeak
Abert's Towhee
*Canyon Towhee*
Spotted Towhee
*Rufous-winged Sparrow*
Black-throated Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Lark Sparrow
Song Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
*Yellow-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Yellow-headed Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
Great-tailed Grackle
Bronzed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Bullock's Oriole
Hooded Oriole
Scott's Oriole
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch
House Sparrow

*34 life birds
172 species total

Spring Snow Shoveling

Shoveling snow is an activity that you get pretty used to in the winter in Rexburg. We also do a little snow shoveling in the spring. When spring hits and it gets pretty warm (it was 60 today), you want to see your yard. So, a pretty common activity (I did a little spring shoveling yesterday) in Rexburg is to shovel the remaining snow from the shady part of your yard into the street or driveway to speed up the melting process. Here are a couple examples I found today.






Spring Snow Shoveling, Rexburg, ID 2009

Jumping Fish

The other day when I took students to Clyde Keefer Park in St. Anthony, I noticed a few Rainbow Trout trying to clear the diversion dam on the river. I went back on Thursday and tried to photograph the action. I managed to capture a few. I would just put the camera on continuous and shoot forty frames or so, delete the ones that didn't have any fish, and then do it again. I think in 45 minutes or so I captured a few decent images of jumping fish. I only saw two fish make it, the rest came crashing back down. I'm including a grid of the best of the jumping fish, an image that shows a pair of jumping fish from a little further back, and a panoramic image of the dam. Enjoy.


Clyde Keefer Diversion Dam, St. Anthony, ID 2009



Jumping Rainbow Trout, St. Anthony, ID 2009


Jumping Rainbow Trout Grid, St. Anthony, ID 2009

Market Lake Pano

I took Kevin and Ethan out to Market Lake this evening for a little early spring birding. It was a great evening. It was warm, there was no wind, and the boys didn't fight. There were Short-eared Owls displaying over the marsh, Tree Swallows had arrived, and waterfowl filled the air. I can't believe spring is finally here. I'm a happy boy.

Here's an image I took after sunset.


Market Lake Wildlife Management Area, Roberts, ID 2009

Clyde Keefer Memorial Park Pano

For my historical processes class I'm taking students out in small groups with big cameras (4x5, 8x10, and 7x17). This afternoon we went to Clyde Keefer Memorial Park in St. Anthony. It's a great little park on the Henry's Fork. I was disappointed to see that some of the big old willows were cut down, but it's still a great place. I made a panorama that I like quite a bit and here it is.


Clyde Keefer Memorial Park, St. Anthony, ID 2009

Henry's Fork Rainbow Trout

I haven't fished much this winter, but I did catch some nice ones after work this evening. Here are four pictures of three different fish.

Grain Silo Panoramas

Here are a couple of horizontal panoramic images of tall vertical structures. These are two of my favorite buildings in the area. Both are within 25 miles of Rexburg. I'll give 50 cents to the person who first correctly names both locations.

What I did on my Indiana Vacation

My Dad, my sister Carrie, and I flew out to Crawfordsville, Indiana last week to see my brother Mike's family, and to celebrate my niece Camilla's baptism. It was a lot of fun. I wish we lived closer. My sister posted a pretty detailed account of the trip on her blog, which can be found here. Anyway, here are a few photos of what we did on our vacation.


My neices Courntey & Camilla, my Brother Michael, and his Aunt Theresa Playing Rock Band - a Nightly Ritual


Geo-caching with Camilla and Courtney



Alex (who became my new best friend) and Me Watching Television


Camilla and her Cousin (I forget her name sorry) after the Baptism


The Whole Gang Watching the Super Bowl Commercials in 3-D


Carrie in the Chicago Airport


My Dad Asleep on the Airplane Coming Home

Sledding Pano

Yesterday after the snow stopped flying I drove out to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes. It's a great place for sledding in the winter. If you know my Brother Curtis ask him about sending his 7 year-old nephew down the hill to make sure it was safe before he would go down. Anyway, here's an panoramic image of the sledding hill. The panorama contains 15 separate images in all. Theoretically I could print it 130 inches long.


Sledding at the St. Anthony Sand Dunes, Fremont County, ID 2009

Foggy Night

We rarely get fog in Rexburg, but we had fog today. I went out after dark to see what I could find to photograph. I ended up walking in the city golf course, which borders the airport. The light was extraordinary.


Industrial Tank at Night, Rexburg, ID 2009



Tree with Airport Lights, Rexburg, ID 2009


Spruce Trees at Night, Rexburg, ID 2009


Spruce Trees at Night (further away), Rexburg, ID 2009

St. Anthony Excursion

We had been stuck in a miserable weather pattern of bright blue cloudless sky days for over a week now, but today we finally got a change. It was overcast and sort of foggy and slightly snowing, it was great. Anyway, I had a couple of free hours this afternoon so I took a photo drive and ended up in St. Anthony where I found a couple of gems. Enjoy.


Deer Head Hanging in Front Yard, St. Anthony, ID 2009


Art Trailer, St. Anthony, ID 2008