My backyard and a trip to Henrys Lake made Thanksgiving enjoyable during COVID isolation

“We spent two and a half years dodging Covid only to catch it just before Thanksgiving,” commented my wife as we observed our positive test strips. “Now we will have to spend the holiday alone; again.”

We had an extremely busy week before — a Miss Madison pageant that brought our family together, two days of holiday craft fairs, two fishing trips, three church activities, pre-Christmas shopping and two rock collecting meetings. Who knows where we caught it. But we were not alone. Family, friends (including wildlife friends) did not leave us alone – at a distance, yes, but not alone.

One of our favorite birds, a beautiful Steller’s jay showed up at my feeders and was soon joined by another one along with three flickers. The five birds spent the week entertaining us by stealing each other’s food while trying to chase each other off. The jays have a raucous call as they feed and as the flickers would drop some of the feed from the suet cakes, the jays would stuff their mouth full and fly off to the evergreens to feast on it.

When the flickers were not present, the jays would hunt the loose bark on the large poplars looking for sunflower seeds that the Black-capped and the Mountain chickadees had hidden in the cracks.

A new neighbor that moved in recently brought with her four large, domesticated geese and it did not take long for the house sparrows and house finches along with some European starlings to find the easy pickings. Along with the drab winter dressed American goldfinch at the thistle seed sacks, it did not take long for a Sharp-shinned hawk to discover them. By Thanksgiving Day, there were two hawks feasting on the heavy bodied songbirds. It seemed like everything was in the mood for easy meals.

By mid-morning on Thanksgiving, a flock of 21 wild turkeys had left the South Fork of the Teton river bottoms working a stubble field to get their brunch. It was a mixed bunch of several toms with three or four hens and their young of the year feeding on scattered oats, which were a second growth after harvest.

Due to marvelous medicines as well as a doctor friend, my illness was very light with a slight congestion for a couple of days and my taste buds making for some strange flavors, I was able to enjoy most of my time. Between watching and photographing birds, my wife made me go fishing because she wanted to eat one. So I spent Thanksgiving Eve during a snowstorm at Henrys Lake. Three friends isolated from me far enough to enjoy the day.

Thanksgiving Day was spent not only observing the happenings at my bird feeders, but also gave me the opportunity to tie 14 dozen fishing flies and cut 14 slabs of rocks out in my shed. It would take the saw to cut through a beautiful seam agate rock about the same time as it took me to tie a dozen flies.

By the early afternoon, we were hungry, and a full Thanksgiving feast was furnished to us by our loving family. Even my taste buds had settled down and everything tasted great even though my wife and I ate alone and were grateful for friends and family. A few more days of isolation and we should be free to go about our natural lives.

According to my wife, it won’t be much different with me because it is my nature. I isolate myself most of the time, but I usually share rides with friends and family. Hopefully by next Wednesday, I will be able to go fishing with a friend before Henrys slows down again. In the meantime, I will be enjoying the birds in my backyard.

I’m tying more flies now so when Ririe freezes over I can spend more time chasing Kokanee and maybe even get some pictures of migrating large game.

I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving holiday. If you are given a load of crap, make fertilizer with it. Know that the sun is always shining even if it is above the clouds. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving week.