Nestled beside the Selkirk Mountains of northern Idaho (and just minutes from Bonners Ferry), this 2,774 acre refuge provides diverse habitats for a large variety of wildlife including moose, elk, deer, bear, otter, bald eagles, and migratory waterfowl such as mallards, northern pintail, and teal.

When we left to explore this amazing nature park, I gave Steve only one job, "Find me a moose!"
Oh my gosh, almost instantly Steve spotted this big guy. He only appeared briefly and then was never seen again. Well done Steve!
Established in 1964 as a migratory waterfowl refuge, Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge provides habitat for more than 220 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, and 22 species of fish. Wetlands, meadows, riparian forests and cultivated agricultural fields (for producing valuable wildlife food crops: photos below) are interspersed in the valley bottom adjacent to the west banks of the Kootenai River. Interestingly, it is located on one of the FSA farms I mentioned in the previous post. Note the hip roof barn?
This was our first experience with a Photo Blind, a place to observe wildlife without being observed by them. So very cool. We changed the sign to indicate "Photo Blind in Use" and hiked out to the shore of a pond.
It was incredibly windy and the pond was void of birds but the trees provided some birding... I was happy.



We spotted these White Pelicans further along our explore.
What I found somewhat confusing is the fact that this Wildlife Refuge allows hunting.



I love all the crops reserved for wildlife.

Nature was the star of the show this day. What fun.