Cheryl and I are so grateful for the people who participate in the Nampa CBC. This is our 8th year of compiling this bird count and we really appreciate everyone’s participation. It’s always a fun day and now we get to coast through the remainder of the local CBCs.

The total count for count day is 107 species (not including 1 species that needs to be verified). There are also 2 additional species for count week.

Thanks also to the fantastic people who provided food for dinner. It was great!

Denise Hughes
Caldwell, Idaho

I’ve figured out a pattern to my Blue Jay visitor. His first arrivals to my feeders are within 30 minutes of sunrise, and at these visits, the jay shells up to a dozen seeds (with a couple of well-placed strikes of its beak) and swallows those. Then, he’ll top off with up to 20 more whole black-oil sunflower seeds.

I believe those first visits, where he shells seeds, is to get them into the digestive system as quickly as possible to replace calories lost from simply surviving single digit night temps. Then, he collects more whole seeds for his cache.

After trial & error over the years, I now exclusively feed: black-oil sunflower seeds, thistle seed, berry-blend suet & whole corn (for Wild Turkey & Pheasant). Interestingly, the Blue Jay also takes whole corn. This AM, his visits are averaging: 11 shelled seeds, 12 whole seeds & 10 whole kernels of corn, all taken at a single visit. I can actually see the distension of his crop as he flies away. A Blue Jay is a reasonable-sized bird but he’s no Raven, size-wise. Amazes me how much he can sock away in his crop!

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Another use for binoculars is visible tonight. 46P/Wirtanen Comet is visible with binocs as a green smudge, a fist width down & to the right of the Pleiades, after the Moon sets in the Southern sky. Will peak Dec 16. Finally found it, Google a sky chart to help locate.

More impressive tonight were the Geminid meteors. Saw 5 streak across the same Southern sky East to West in 3-4 minutes. One went across nearly the full length of the night sky. Supposed to peak tomorrow night at 100 meteors/hr. They’re mostly a greenish color as they flash by. Our Idaho skies with high altitude, clear, dark & cold (tonight & also forecast for tomorrow) make for ideal viewing conditions.

Not birds. But up in the sky & another use for your binocs!

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Late to the conversation here, but last winter in Mackay, we had a Blue Jay come to the feeder on Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year at Thanksgiving another one appeared. I won’t be back there until January, but I’ll send an update. The bird didn’t seem to be caching as many seeds, but it definitely was taking seeds somewhere (black-oil sunflower seeds).

On Sun, Dec 9, 2018, at 08:53, lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible] wrote:
> Just got home from Island Park & filled my feeders. Before I could even
> get back into the house, my Blue Jay flew in & immediately started
> filling his crop with seeds. So, in spite of single digit lows the past
> week, he’s still here. Nice to know at least 2 are in SE Idaho.
>
> Also, at Osborne Bridge crossing Henry’s Fk, I counted a total of 35
> Trumpeter Swans yesterday. This AM, at the house, I had a group of 20
> fly over. I’ve seen as many as 150 in a single group in the area where
> Chuck reported his sightings. So, depending on the winter, can get such
> numbers in the surrounding fields. Seems that early single digit cold
> temps with snow, will concentrate them, esp in winter wheat & alfalfa
> fields.
>
> Brian Carrigan
> Blackfoot

—
Kyle – Boise/Mackay

Just wanted to make sure everyone who has photos on Flickr is aware of
this issue.

Cliff

——– Forwarded Message ——–
Subject: eBird Flickr Importer: quickly transfer your images into the
Macaulay Library

From: Team eBird
Reply-To: Team eBird
To: Cliff Weisse

eBird Flickr Importer: quickly transfer your images into the Macaulay
Library
On 8 January 2019, Flickr may delete your eBird-embedded Flickr photos.
We have a solution!
Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser
.

Add your photos to join the other top images from this December in eBird
and the Macaulay Library!

Dear Cliff,

Happy holidays and thanks for using eBird. As you may have heard, Flickr
is changing its policies
 on 8
January 2019 and may remove your photos if you don’t have a paid, Flickr
Pro account. We’ve build a tool to help preserve your images in eBird
and the Macaulay Library so that they don’t get deleted from your
lists! We recommend that you try this tool as soon as possible to make
sure it works for you.

Since November 2015, photos uploaded to eBird have been securely
archived in the Macaulay Library. Only these Macaulay Library images are
used for media stats that appear on your eBird profile page
.

Before Nov 2015, the easiest way to add documentation to eBird was to
embed images in your checklists using Flickr links. We estimate that you
have *3* photos embedded from Flickr in your checklists (please note
that this total may not be exact; shared checklists with Flickr links
from other birders could be counted as well).

We are very pleased to introduce the new *eBird Flickr Importer* tool.
This tool is very easy to use—just visit the instructions here:

https://ebird.org/flickr

Before you run this importer, we recommend checking your media stats on
your profile page

so you can see how they change after the importer runs. Once it is
complete, you will get an email that lets you know what checklists were
successful and which were unsuccessful, as well as possible reasons why.
Enjoy!

Best birding wishes for the new year from Team eBird,

Chris
,
Brian
,
Ian
,
and Marshall
 —
for Team eBird

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I found 3 continuing BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS at the University of Idaho’s
Sheep Farm in northwest Moscow, this morning. Today is the first day of
the Moscow-Pullman CBC Count Week, and based on a quick glance at Audubon
data, Cowbird appears to have only been detected on one prior count.
Cowbird is also a review species during winter in North Idaho, so I’ll be
making a report to the IBRC. Photos in eBird:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50616196.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID

That is correct. Also, Red Rock Lakes Refuge in Montana was authorized to
use a similar collar. This color and alpha-numeric system was developed as
part of a broader monitoring/research/conservation effort for the Rocky
Mountain Population of Trumpeter Swans. However, we’ve all been in
communication to prevent use of duplicate numbers between locations.

Steven F. Kahl
Deputy Project Leader
Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
Chubbuck, ID 83202
C (208) 252-0805
P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
F (208) 237-8213

*Like and follow us on Facebook
!*

On Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 8:48 AM Tim Teynolds wrote:

> Trumpeter swans released in Teton Valley (Driggs Area) as part of a
> reintroduction program over the past 4 or 5 years also (unfortunately) have
> green collars w white lettering, and, too, the alphanumeric code starts
> with R.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Dec 12, 2018, at 6:32 AM, ‘Kahl, Steve’ Steve_Kahl@fws.gov [ible] < > ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Very cool, Chuck! If the green collar had white letters/numbers, the bird
> was collared by our staff on Two-way Pond at Camas National Wildlife Refuge
> on July 25, 2018. The collaring is being done as part of a study we are
> engaged in to determine the cause of low reproductive success of Trumpeter
> Swans at refuges in the Complex.
>
> Steven F. Kahl
> Deputy Project Leader
> Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
> 4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
> Chubbuck, ID 83202
> C (208) 252-0805
> P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
> F (208) 237-8213
>
> *Like and follow us on Facebook
> !*
>
>
>
>

Trumpeter swans released in Teton Valley (Driggs Area) as part of a reintroduction program over the past 4 or 5 years also (unfortunately) have green collars w white lettering, and, too, the alphanumeric code starts with R.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 12, 2018, at 6:32 AM, ‘Kahl, Steve’ Steve_Kahl@fws.gov [ible] wrote:
>
> Very cool, Chuck! If the green collar had white letters/numbers, the bird was collared by our staff on Two-way Pond at Camas National Wildlife Refuge on July 25, 2018. The collaring is being done as part of a study we are engaged in to determine the cause of low reproductive success of Trumpeter Swans at refuges in the Complex.
>
> Steven F. Kahl
> Deputy Project Leader
> Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
> 4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
> Chubbuck, ID 83202
> C (208) 252-0805
> P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
> F (208) 237-8213
>
> Like and follow us on Facebook!
>

Today starts the count week for the Nampa CBC. If you live in the Nampa count circle (most of Nampa and Caldwell and north to the Boise river) or if you happen to be visiting or birding in the area please let Cheryl Huizinga or I know of any unusual or uncommon birds that you see. The count week starts today and runs through next Tuesday. (Owls are also a good bird to know about).

Saturday is the CBC. We are meeting at the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge visitor center at 8 AM.

Denise Hughes
Caldwell, Idaho

Very cool, Chuck! If the green collar had white letters/numbers, the bird
was collared by our staff on Two-way Pond at Camas National Wildlife Refuge
on July 25, 2018. The collaring is being done as part of a study we are
engaged in to determine the cause of low reproductive success of Trumpeter
Swans at refuges in the Complex.

Steven F. Kahl
Deputy Project Leader
Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
Chubbuck, ID 83202
C (208) 252-0805
P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
F (208) 237-8213

*Like and follow us on Facebook
!*