Watch for Wildlife on the Idaho Centennial Trail

By Wayne Melquist, retired nongame wildlife coordinator
Idaho Department of Fish and Game

From the cool forests of the Idaho Panhandle to the sagebrush plains of the Snake and Bruneau Rivers, Idaho’s diverse landscape is home to an equally diverse group of wildlife. In their book, Mammals of Idaho, Earl Larrison and Donald Johnson wrote, “. . .the state of Idaho ‘borrows’ faunas and floras from neighboring physiographic provinces. A taste of the North country may be found in the caribou and bog lemming of the Northern Panhandle. The mountain goat and elk remind us that the Bitterroot and Salmon River Mountains are a part of the Northern Rockies. The Columbian ground squirrel relates the Palouse country to the Columbia River Plateau, while the strong influence of the Great Basin may be felt in the desert regions of Southern Idaho with such species as the antelope squirrel, kangaroo rats, and pocket mice.”

Photo courtesy of Idaho Department of Fish and Game

For a variety of reasons, including questions on historical records for some species and the accidental visitations by many bird species to the state, the exact number of vertebrate species in Idaho will never be known. The best estimate of wildlife officials is that there are 589 species, including 83 fishes, 15 amphibians, 23 reptiles, 360 birds, and 108 mammals. Up to 10 percent of these species are introduced or non-native; the majority of which are fish. Distributional information on Idaho’s birds is best obtained from field guides, regional checklists, and the databases of the Conservation Data Center of the Idaho Department of Fish and Game. These and other publications and leaflets about Idaho’s wildlife have been produced and are available at area bookstores and from State and Federal agencies.

I won’t devote time to the estimated 30 million species of invertebrates, including 290,000 of which are beetles! You can rest assured that you’ll be accompanied by insects and other invertebrates during your entire trek!

Approximate number of vertebrate that occur in Idaho

	Fish	Amphibians	Reptiles	Birds	Mammals	Total
No. of species	83	15	23	360	108	589
No. of introduced species	41	1	0	12	6	60
No. of game species	38	1	0	48	24	111
No. of nongame species	45	14	23	309	77	468
No. of protected nongame species	4	3	0	309	11	327
No. of endemic species	6	0	0	0	1	7

People who journey along parts or all of the Idaho Centennial Trail are likely to encounter a wide variety of critters. The greatest variety of reptiles may be found in the deserts of southern Idaho, where the trail begins at the Nevada border. Many of the 23 species of reptiles may be encountered here, including (keep your eyes and ears open) the rattlesnake. Be especially alert for a host of other species in riparian areas – the strip of vegetation associated with streams. In the desert, a riparian area acts as an oasis for wildlife. Where there’s water and associated riparian vegetation, there is bound to be a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and an occasional amphibian. Look for owls, lazuli buntings, and yellow-breasted chats in the riparian areas; ravens, golden eagles, prairie falcons, jackrabbits, Townsends ground squirrels, and the ever-present magpie throughout the desert trek.

	Photo courtesy of Idaho Department of Fish and Game

No matter what part of the ICT you’re on, you’re bound to be greeted by a squirrel, chipmunk, or some other rodent. Chipmunks and golden-mantled ground squirrels can often be found begging for handouts along the trail or in camp. The noisy red squirrel will surely escort you through pine and spruce-covered forests. While they occur throughout Idaho’s forests, don’t expect to see a northern flying squirrel, unless you’re nocturnal like them.

Leaving the desert and ascending into the diverse forests along the Centennial Trail will expose hikers to a big variety of common and not-so-common wildlife. Idaho’s forests, streams, meadows, and mountain tops will be a treat for all wildlife watchers. The drier ponderosa pine forests are home to the Harris’ woodpecker – the only woodpecker that forages for insects on the wing – pileated woodpecker, and others of the wood-pecking variety. The more moist montane forests of higher elevations are home to the gray jay (often referred to as the “camp robber”). Sooner or later, you’re bound to be visited by these delightful birds, in camp, or along the trail, especially if you leave food out. Watch for the brilliant blue Steller’s jay as you travel the forests and the Clark’s nutcracker in coniferous forests near timberline.

Idaho’s forests are also home to a host of forest carnivores, most of which you’re unlikely to get a glimpse of. Marten, fisher, and wolverine, all members of the weasel family, inhabit the coniferous forests of central and northern Idaho. A glimpse of one of these creatures would surely be a rewarding experience. You may see spawning salmon or a family of otters as you travel along the larger rivers and tributaries. And don’t forget to keep your eyes open, and ears tuned, for the dipper or water ouzel – a bird that “walks under water” in search of aquatic insects, or the spectacular Harlequin duck. Both birds nest and raise their young along Idaho’s clear, pristine mountain streams.

Photo courtesy of Idaho Department of Fish and Game

Mountain meadows, lakes, and forest edges are good places to look for Idaho’s state bird--the mountain bluebird, or a moose. However, keep your distance, because a moose with a calf can be a very dangerous animal! And if you miss the opportunity to see one of Idaho’s wolves, listen for their lonely howl, which is much deeper and mournful than the “yapping” coyote. High-elevation forest edges are also good places to listen for the olive-sided flycatcher singing its “quick, three beers” song from high atop a large fir tree.

Talus hillsides and rocky areas are good places to spot mountain goats, pikas (rock rabbits) and the hoary marmot. Pikas build their nests and store hay in the boulder-strewn hillsides, where they are more often heard then seen.

Meadows, old burns, and huckleberry hillsides in the Selkirk Mountains of north Idaho are the domain of grizzly bears and a small herd of woodland caribou. Hughes Meadows has long been known for grizzlies in spring. In winter, when the grizzlies sleep, caribou can be found at the high ridges of the Selkirks, feeding on arboreal lichens 10-30 feet above the ground. The deep winter snows make this food source accessible to the caribou, commonly referred to as “bigfoot of the north” because of their large hooves which allow them to walk through deep snow.

	Photo courtesy of Idaho Department of Fish and Game

If you have heard the call of the osprey, or seen its nest perched on top of snags and tall pine trees before you reach Priest Lake, you will surely see them here. Lakes Pend Oreille and Coeur d’Alene and their tributaries are home to a large population of osprey, or the “fish hawk.”

I wish you a great journey on the Idaho Centennial Trail.