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

I tried to send the message below after noon today (Sunday), right after getting the photos loaded to my computer, but I just now found it still in my Outbox – it didn’t send for some reason. So, I will limit the email to one photo and see if it fares better this time…sorry for the delay…
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This morning, between 11:30-12:00, I decided to check out a flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers that were coming through my yard, and then noticed one in my rock garden that was constantly flicking it’s tail, and spending more of it’s time near the ground. After getting my binoculars on it, I realized it was a Palm Warbler, so I ran and got my camera. Attached are a few shots. Sorry they aren’t better. The bird was moving around a lot, and I was just trying to capture something quick to prove what I was seeing. Anyway, during my photo-shoot, the flock disappeared and I haven’t seen them since, but it would be a good bet that they will move through Boise or Emmett. Fyi…Jonathan Barnett, Horseshoe Bend

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

This AM’s birding started with a Hermit Thrush, its rusty tail evident. A handful of Yellow-rumped Warblers were working through the trees & a RB Nuthatch was calling. When I got to our sagebrush/rabbitbush area, sparrows erupted from ground level in every direction. A conservative count of 200 DE Juncos (Oregons), 100 White-crowned Sparrows with one lone White-throated Sparrow, 2 Lincoln’s, a couple of Chipping Sparrows & 2-3 Brewer’s were present.

30 minutes later, a lower temp & scattered showers in the same area, found only the juncos remaining.. A fast-moving storm system to the north must have been pushing the sparrows, fast & furious, ahead of its arrival. Also, I had 2 or 3 House Wrens push through, which is a late date for my home. There were a couple of Spotted Towhees working with the sparrows & a few Towhees will stay as winter residents.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot