Idaho Wildlife

A small sampling of wildlife in Idaho.

I've spent years frustratingly searching for my first cougar sighting in the wild. They had become my "white whale," and while we captured them multiple times on game cameras, I'd never actually seen one in the wild, let alone had a camera with me. Finally, in the spring of 2023, the stars aligned, and I finally saw my first mountain lion in Hailey, Idaho. I'm still glowing...hope you enjoy!
Blaine County Cat Cougar Ghost Cat Hailey Idaho Lion March 2023 Mountain Lion Puma Snow Steve Dondero Photography Wildlife Winter Wood River Valley
Moose Crossing
A classic moose sighting at the Silver Creek Preserve.
Silver Creek Moose August Idaho Ketchum Silver Creek Preserve Wildlife Summer Sun Valley Wood River Valley
Flyby
A gorgeous Rufous Hummingbird passes through Silver Creek on it's migration south.
August 2014 Birds Idaho Silver Creek Stalker Creek Summer Wildlife Hummingbird Flowers Rufous Hummingbird
Pronghorn in the Spotlight
This gorgeous pronghorn buck looks up right when a quickly moving sliver of light passes over it at the foot of the Boulder Mountains outside of Ketchum, Idaho.
Pronghorn Antelope Boulder Mountains Boulders Idaho Ketchum May 2015 Spring Sun Valley Wildlife Nature Animal
Sandhill Crane at Last Light
Affectionately dubbed "Sandy" by my daughters, this Sandhill Crane catches the last rays of daylight as it hunts through a field in the Stanley Basin.
Blaine County Idaho June 2021 Nature Stanley Basin Steve Dondero Photography Summer Wood River Valley Wildlife Sandhill Crane Bird
American Avocets at Centennial Marsh
A healthy pair of American Avocets stop to feed at the birding mecca of Centennial Marsh on the Camas Prairie.
American Avocets Birds Blaine County Camas Prairie Centennial Marsh Fairfield Idaho May 2022 Nature Safari Spring Steve Dondero Photography Wildlife Wood River Valley
Idaho Traffic Jam
A classic Idaho traffic jam unfolds as recently sheared sheep pass through the colorful streets of Ketchum, Idaho.
Sheep October 2010 Aspens Fall Fog Idaho Ketchum Leaves Sun Valley Trailing of the Sheep
Great Horned Owl
April 2020 Black Magic Canyon Blaine County Canyon Idaho Safari Spring Wildlife Wood River Valley
August 2014 Birds Idaho Silver Creek Stalker Creek Summer Wildlife
Ketchum Rush Hour
The annual Trailing of the Sheep passes through Ketchum, Idaho, creating just another Idaho traffic jam.
Ketchum Rush Hour Animals Blaine County Ketchum October 2017 Traffic Jam Sheep Sun Valley Trailing of the Sheep Festival Trailing of the Sheep Wood River Valley Idaho
Safari Sept23 2016 354 Autumn Blaine County Boulder Mountains Boulders Fall Idaho Ketchum Lake Landscape Leaves SNRA September 2016 Sun Valley Wood River Valley
Sandhill Cranes at Fish Creek
A pair of Sandhill Cranes hunt a flowered meadow at The Nature Conservancy's Fish Creek Ranch in Idaho.
TNC The Nature Conservancy Fish Creek Ranch Sandhill Cranes June 2017 Idaho Pioneers Spring Wildlife Birds
SBG Humming Birds August 2014 Bird Birds Flowers Gimlet Humming Bird Idaho Ketchum Sawtooth Botanical Garden Summer Sun Valley Wildlife
Sheep River
Animals Blaine County Ketchum October 2017 Parade Sheep Sun Valley Trailing of the Sheep Festival Trailing of the Sheep Wood River Valley
Kitty Kitty
Blaine County Cat Cougar Ghost Cat Hailey Idaho Lion March 2023 Mountain Lion Puma Snow Steve Dondero Photography Wildlife Winter Wood River Valley
Owl on the Creek
A Great Horned Owl sits near its chicks at the Stalker Creek Ranch, upstream from the fabled Silver Creek Preserve south of Sun Valley, Idaho.
Stalker Creek Great Horned Owl May 2010 Owl Silver Creek Spring Stalker Creek Ranch Wildlife Bird