Just a quick heads up to those in the Boise area. This morning, on my
regular bike ride, I encountered 2 Clark’s Nutcrackers in the vicinity of
Veteran’s Pond (VP). I was biking to the downstream end of Esther Simplot
Park (ESP), where it butts up against VP. The first one flew out of some
trees between VP and the river and flew off over the back pond of ESP. I
started down the dirt road along the side of VP, hoping to get another look,
when a second one called out and then flew over in the same direction. Susan
and I got great looks at the birds in flight.

I went back later in the day, on the return leg of my ride, but I couldn’t
find either bird. But I also couldn’t find many of the other birds that had
been in the vicinity earlier (including at least 2 Barn Swallows).

Needless to say I intend an early ride to the same location tomorrow.

Tom McCabe, Boise

I spent the weekend birding the northern Idaho panhandle starting at
Sandpoint City Beach Saturday morning, where nothing unusual was present.
Along Sunnyside Road, south of Highway ID-200, I had my first BLUE JAY of
the fall and some small migrant flocks dominated by Yellow-rumped Warblers
and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. The Sandpoint Fish Hatchery produced a
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. I continued around to the Driftwood Yard in Clark
Fork, where a youth hunt event was wrapping up. After they mostly cleared
out, I walked the parking lot and grass fields kicking up a flock of 9
American Pipits.

That afternoon I birded the Kootenai River Valley in Boundary County, where
shorebird habitat was unusually good and being unusually well utilized
(though diversity was low). Kootenai NWR had a flock of 8 early-ish SNOW
GEESE, 16 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and about 14 Long-billed Dowitchers.
Continuing north along Westside Road, the Ball Creek Ranch Preserve had 3
SANDHILL CRANES, at least 28 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and 70+ Long-billed
Dowitchers. A Merlin was working the 2015 Parker Ridge Burn scar.

Sunday morning, Boundary Creek WMA had a SWAMP SPARROW, another
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, still 4 Lincoln’s SPARROWS, 4 SANDHILL CRANES, a
Merlin, and 40+ Yellow-rumped Warblers including at least 5 Myrtles.
Working back down the valley, Ball Creek Preserve had even more dowtichers
(~90) and still good numbers of Pectorals, and the Snow Geese were still at
KNWR with more Pectorals. The rest of the afternoon, including a second
stop at Sandpoint City Beach, were uneventful.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID

I believe a flock of about 22 red crossbills came through this afternoon. I didn’t see most of them up close but heard the kip type call in the top of conifers and then as the flock flew away. One with finch shape was on wire close to house.
Nancy miller
Viola ID

Sent from my iPhone

I was interested to see Brian’s post this morning on the flocks moving through the sage/grassland.

Yesterday when wet snow and rain was falling intermittently , I saw 3 Pink-sided Juncos and one Yellow-rumped warbler behind our house feeding on the ground in the cover of tall grass in a remnant wood pile. They then all stopped for a while and appeared to be resting but I could see their bills open and close so suspect they were making soft calls. The day before flocks of yellow-rumps, juncos and sparrows were feeding and moving through the aspen stands in our neighborhood. The aspens are just starting to turn now in the valley..very late this year. Still plenty of berries on the serviceberry, chokecherry and Hawthorne bushes. This morning a few robins, Cassin’s finch and pine siskin hanging out in the front yard. Plus one magpie.

Susan, Packsaddle Estates

I was at the Portneuf Wellness Complex (Chubbuck) Saturday morning and saw
a distant flock of large birds. I immediately thought Canada goose, but
when I got my binoculars on them I knew right away that the flock formation
was all wrong for this species. The birds were not in any version of a V,
more like a broad U with multiple tendrils of varying lengths. They then
started molding into 2 large condensed flocks and started to behave like a
starling murmuration – the boiling, rolling movement of many birds acting
as one when a predator is nearby.

I immediately began to worry that I would get a good enough look at the
birds to identify them. They were far too large to be starlings. They
were fortunately were drifting my way. It appeared to be about 700-1000
birds, sometimes splitting into 2 large flocks and a third small one.
Sometimes all gathering in one flock.

I was very fortunate that the birds came in directly over my head and I was
able to ID them as Franklin’s gulls. I am pretty new to the west. Is this
unusual for this species? They continued this behavior until they drifted
out of sight to the west. I looked around for something like a peregrine
to cause this behavior, but the closest thing I saw to a predator near them
was an osprey.

I was able to get pictures and will get a more accurate count for my eBird
checklist.

Pretty neat!

Steven F. Kahl
Deputy Project Leader
Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
Chubbuck, ID 83202
P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
F (208) 237-8213