Checked these 2 southern Bannock County waterbodies. Hawkins had a common
loon which is hard to get in the county. I’m sure AFR gets many, but the
Bannock County shoreline is all in the Fort Hall Reservation. There were
also 4 common goldeneye, hooded merganser, pied-billed grebe and gadwall. A
very high flock of snow geese flew due south overhead.

Not a waterbird was on Wiregrass but it’s very small. I was surprised by a
flock of 6 American tree sparrows hanging with about 8 Oregon juncos.
There was another flock of 165 snow geese flying due south, so high I
couldn’t see them with the naked eye.

2 northern shrikes were on Hawkins Rd.

An immature sharp-shinned hawk seems to be making my yard and feeders part
of its temporary territory. I have seen it perched here three days in a
row. A merlin blazed through the yard this morning too.

Sent from my iPhone

Howdy,
This afternoon I drove around the reservoir. The swans and geese that Brian has been posting were sitting on the water just out from Bower Rd. bluffs, which are NE of Sterling. There were several hundred of both TRSW and TUSW, as well as several thousand SNOG. At Aberdeen’s Big Hole there were two COLO, and one flying Pacific Loon. At the Willow Bay marina there were 22 TRSW as well as four Hooded Mergansers, and a few Bonaparte’s Gulls. Migration is happening!
Good Birding,
Chuck Trost

Always forward, never straight…

This AM, have enjoyed watching & listening to flights of Trumpeter & Tundra Swans, plus Snow Geese. Including one group of 8 Trumpeter Swans & 10 Snow Geese flying in unison, with the Snow Geese forming the left side of a perfect “V”. I heard them before sighting the group & couldn’t quite figure out the mixed calls until seeing them fly directly overhead.

Close estimates, so far, are 300 Snow Geese, 100 Tundra Swans & 35 Trumpeters.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

0945 this morning a flock of about 10 white gulls zoomed past our house in the foothills of the Big Hole mountains. Just caught a glimpse but overall impression was Franklin’s gulls. I also saw a gull near highway 33 between Victor and Driggs yesterday about 1:30 pm when snow was falling and again I thought Franklin’s after just a very brief view. I have not seen gulls here near our home over the past 20 years. The Teton River is about 4 miles to the east.

Is anyone else in Idaho seeing movements of Franklin’s this weekend?

Thanks, Susan Teton Valley