Scotty Lake was frozen solid.

Not really surprising, given the time of year, but our spring had been so unusually warm, I had thought it might be clearing off. The ice was certainly getting soft.

We had been checking strutting grounds far to the east, in Eagles Nest Draw, when I had turned north and west to check out the roads.

The heelers got a break at the cabin at Hadsell Crossing, snooping around the old building and tall greasewood while I checked the raven's nest inside. No one home, but the nest has had a few sticks added this spring. But right now, it was dusted with snow from the Saint Patrick's Day blizzard.

We came across a lot of small drifts as we headed along Cyclone Ridge, moving west to pick up the Continental Divide. But nothing we had to worry about. In 2-wheel drive most of the way. The massive dump of snow north and east of this country had managed to miss most of the desert.

With nothing but ice at Scotty, I wasn't sure it would be worth the effort to continue on to Picket Lake, but scouting roads in the desert is certainly more fun than going home. So we turned west again.

Most of Picket was ice, but there was probably 30-50 meters of open water along the north shores.

Full of ducks.

Near as I could tell, most along shore and on the closest ice were pintails.

But with the sun glaring into my optics, I couldn't identify most of the birds out on open water. Scaup, maybe, and mergansers?

One bird, as far from land as possible, had the profile of a loon. Wife's favorite bird.

Heard loons here before, but they're a pretty uncommon migrant through this desert.

And one other bird, sitting on the ice, far from open water or land, far from any ducks.

I had my suspicions, and a quick peek through the scope confirmed it.

A bald eagle.

An adult bald eagle, to be exact, since the immatures would lack the white head and white tail. Politely ignored by its prey species, until my approach made it flush.

In their direction.

We continued north past the lake, checking the roads to a strutting ground just a few miles north. A little drifted, and frozen mud in places, but passable. Tracks of someone else driving out here this spring, coming from the north. Before Monday's blizzard.

Kinda ruins this excursion, knowing someone else has already been here this spring.

Quick game of hide-and-seek with the heelers in the usual stand of tall Basin sage. Quick, because I floundered in the snowdrifts up to my knees and they just ran along the top.

And then south, and home.

Passing the Oregon Buttes as we went

and one of my favorite places, just a tantalizing three miles away.

Too muddy to try today, but I'll be there soon. Within a month, or so.