I recently visited the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area near Boise, Idaho. It was mostly a family outing, but I was also scouting for a new place to take bird/wildlife photos.
As it turns out, Fort Boise WMA is a great place for birds, but not so great for bird photography.
The main entrance road splits two wetland areas. You can see them clearly on this Google Map:
During the spring months, there are thousands of birds joining in a cacophony of squawking and honking. And they are fairly antsy… not staying in one pool for very long.
The problem is, these areas are closed to visitors and they are both (mostly) hidden from view. There is no way to get elevated high enough to be at eye level with the birds. So you have to wait for them to flock to a different pond and catch a few belly shots as they fly overhead.
There are other areas further back towards the river that allow exploring year-round. We saw several raptors and a wide range of field birds.
It’s a fun place to explore and there are several geocaching opportunities in the area.