For some reason I believed the weather reports that said the snow today was only going to be a "smidge." But as I rode, the snow got heavier. So, I finally turned around about halfway through my normal route. It was when I went into the rest room at the Willow Lane athletic complex that I saw myself in the mirror—totally covered in snow—that I decided to turn around.
But the reward was great. I found a Bald Eagle, a Great Horned Owl and lots of water birds along the way. The most unique was a Red-breasted Merganser at Esther Simplot Park. I caught a glimpse of it a few days ago at Quinn's Pond, but he was far out, and I didn't feel confident enough to post. Last time I reported one it caused a bit of a stir because no one ever found the bird.
Final tally was 26 species in 7 (snowy) miles
Tom McCabe, Boise
