Violet-green swallow

The light doesn't do this female justice. These are quite lovely birds, but it was a cloudy day and I, obviously, took the photo from underneath. Nonetheless, a beautiful bird.

Chipping Sparrow

I found this male Chipping Sparrow on the same fence line as the female Mountain Bluebird. 

Mountain Bluebird

Gosh, these shy birds are tough to photograph. Here is an adult female I spotted alongside the road. I will be posting more Mountain Bluebird photos as I gather them. This bird is also the state bird of Idaho. The females are pretty; the males are stunning. 

Hairy Woodpecker

Here are a couple images of a female hairy woodpecker I took on my sister's property out in Sagle. These were tough shots to take, partly because of the shadows and party because of the angle -- shooting up into the trees from the ground. 

American Robin

Here are some nice pictures of an American Robin male. I especially like the one of the bird craning his head to better see me. Also, note the white markings around the eye. These are unique patterns for each bird and can help to identify individual birds. Accordingly, robins tend to have more and brighter white markings as one travels east, with the farthest eastern birds having the most white. These were also taken in Sagle.

Osprey

During the summer months osprey are very common here. There seems to be a nesting pair every second or third mile you travel near the lake or the river. Here is one I encountered out

 near Gypsy Bay.

Black-capped Chickadee

Here is a frequent visitor to my backyard, but a tough one to photograph since they are so busy. Of all the photos I took of this little fella, only the one below was decent enough to post.

Cedar Waxwings

These Cedar Waxwings were stripping a serviceberry bush of its fruit.You can clearly see the namesake "wax" on the wingtips in the third image.

Killdeer

Here is one half of a mated pair. I will later try to upload an image of one acting with its "broken wing."