Gem Lake west

Kit Struthers
kit619@centurylink.net
Idaho Falls ID
Sent from my iPhone

Fun visitor, thanks for the update Cheryl!
Rich

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 29, 2019, at 1:07 PM, Cheryl Huizinga bchuizinga@cableone.net [ible] wrote:
>
> Thanks to Art/Sonja Wilson who let me know they had just seen an Indigo Bunting along Kingfisher Trail as they were walking out and I was walking in.. I found one maybe 2 Approximately in same area as last year’s INBU. They thought there were 2 also. Perhaps same birds as last year? Nice possibility which could indicate successful nesting last year.
> Also had at least 3 singing Bewicks Wrens along the trail.
> Cheryl Huizinga
> Bchuizinga@cableone.net.
>
> Cheryl Huizinga
> Caldwell, Idaho
>
>

Thanks to Art/Sonja Wilson who let me know they had just seen an Indigo Bunting along Kingfisher Trail as they were walking out and I was walking in. I found one maybe 2 Approximately in same area as last year’s INBU.. They thought there were 2 also. Perhaps same birds as last year? Nice possibility which could indicate successful nesting last year.
Also had at least 3 singing Bewicks Wrens along the trail.
Cheryl Huizinga
Bchuizinga@cableone.net.

Cheryl Huizinga
Caldwell, Idaho

Kelly Island Campground just now

Kit Struthers
kit619@centurylink.net
Idaho Falls ID
Sent from my iPhone

I enjoyed Memorial Day weekend in the northern Idaho panhandle, mostly in
Bonner and Boundary Counties. The trip produced ~143 species, and I was
able to surpass 100 species on each of the 3 days, including 114 across
both counties on Saturday, and 109 in Boundary County alone on Sunday. I
didn’t sample any particularly high elevation habitat. Migration (both
land birds and water birds) was mostly evident on Saturday, less so on the
other days.

I began on Saturday morning with my Bonner Co.-first AMERICAN WHITE
PELICANS (2) and a late TUNDRA SWAN at the Pack River Delta at Lake Pend
Oreille. A LEWIS’S WOODPECKER was near the regular area west of Hawkins
Point and migrant Wilson’s Warblers joined many other birds in the
Sunnyside Road/Oden Bay area. Sandpoint City Beach was fun and actually
produced landbird migrants including a YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT (one of just a
few Bonner Co. records), Yellow-headed Blackbird, Western Tanager, and
Lazuli Bunting. Waterbird wise, 2 FRANKLIN’S GULLS flew over, and a mixed
flock of mostly male Blue-winged and Cinnamon Teal were hanging around. I
continued around the NE side of Lake PO to the Clark Fork Delta Driftwood
Yard, where I found another flock of 14 FRANKLIN’S GULLS, 4 BONAPARTE’S
GULLS, and 2 BLACK TERNS (my first for Bonner Co.). BOBOLINKS, NORTHERN
WATERTHRUSHES, AMERICAN REDSTARTS, and LEAST FLYCATCHERS were in regular
areas near Clark Fork and a CANYON WREN (very local in north Idaho) was
near Cabinet Landing, on the Clark Fork River.

Continuing to Boundary County, thousands of Northern Rough-winged Swallows
(plus some others) were foraging over the wetlands of the Kootenai Valley,
and a VEERY was singing at Boundary Creek WMA before sunset. Otherwise,
birding was somewhat challenging in the funky wet weather. Returning to
Boundary Creek WMA on Sunday morning, I found 3-4 singing CLAY-COLORED
SPARROWS. Most or all of these were just barely north of the international
border, but at least one of them might have been on both sides. Otherwise,
there were a few N. Waterthrushes, up to 20 singing male LEAST FLYCATHCERS
(including the Smith Creek WMA Unit), and my only RED-EYED VIREO of the
trip (apparently they are still arriving). I DID NOT detect any singing
Alder Flycatchers, where Alec Hopping found one last year, but that species
may also still be arriving (Willow Flycatchers were also not in). In the
afternoon, I birded with Jon Isacoff and Roger Doucet, who showed us 2 more
singing male CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS and a LEWIS’S WOODPECKER on private
property near Crossport on the Kootenai River. The 3 of us proceeded to
nearby Perkins Lake and enjoyed numerous AMERICAN REDSTARTS, a couple of N.
WATERTHRUSH, and our FOY OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER.

Memorial Day morning I birded in the Moyie River Valley and found mostly
the usual suspects plus an interesting singing LINCOLN’S SPARROW at
relatively low elevation (possibly a migrant) and a nearby WESTERN
KINGBIRD, which are scarce in the northern panhandle. I made a second
uneventful trip to Kootenai NWR and then headed south. A group of 3
migrant Chipping Sparrows were the only notable thing at Sandpoint City
Beach. I made a final stop to walk the Rathdrum Prairie Trail (between
Huetter and Atlas), where I found 2 singing male CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS, a
pair of BREWER’S SPARROWS, and 3 VESPER SPARROWS.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID

sorry folks, not in Idaho, but this is the SNEG that grabbed a fish out out of our granddaughter’s hand at Sea World in San Diego yesterday….
she was lucky to not get injured, eh?

Larry

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: “Missy Arnold”
To: “Larry Arnold”
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2019 3:02:59 PM
Subject: Snowy egret

[image/jpeg:IMG_4272.jpg]

Sent from my iPhone

Missy and I just now watched the JAY atop the tallest roof of the fire station, for several minutes…. =)

From: “Diann Stone dstoneak2id@gmail.com [ible]”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2019 2:29:44 PM
Subject: [IBLE] California Scrub Jay

Just saw it near and across from Eagle Fire Station No. 1 as others have reported on ebird. Four other birders besides my friend and I. 1418-1428.

Diann Stone Boise Depot Bench

More important than the bird was RL’s assistance guiding us to the site, along with other helpful advice, I forgot to say this. Thank you, Sir!!!

Also this – It’s Official, we’re Geezer Birders!
whereas, we thought this would be a State Bird for Missy, when we got home and checked eBird we “learned” that she already had this species in Idaho (Cory Lane in Boise, 2013)

eeeeeek !!

From: “Larry Arnold”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Tuesday, May 28, 2019 10:03:13 AM
Subject: Re: [IBLE] California Scrub Jay

Missy and I just now watched the JAY atop the tallest roof of the fire station, for several minutes…. =)

From: “Diann Stone dstoneak2id@gmail.com [ible]”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Sunday, May 26, 2019 2:29:44 PM
Subject: [IBLE] California Scrub Jay

Just saw it near and across from Eagle Fire Station No. 1 as others have reported on ebird. Four other birders besides my friend and I. 1418-1428.

Diann Stone Boise Depot Bench

Well, I believe mother nature is reminding me it’s good that I don’t have to make a living off my land. Seems everytime I try to venture into “farming”, mother nature has a way of laughing at me. This spring, I cleared, prepared an area, then purchased & assembled a small hobby greenhouse. Yesterday, the greenhouse was flattened by an EF-0 tornado that started about 1-1/2 mi away, crossed the Snake River, took down some trees back in our Riparian woods & disassembled the greenhouse. (It was losing its appeal anyway, given our persistent SE ID winds).

In previous years, my start of an apple orchard literally became a beaver dam one night in the Snake River spring channel that goes through our place. An attempted garden provided vegetables to resident deer for several summers. And, one summer pasturing steers, I ended up reimbursing sev neighbors for their gardens that my cows consumed. So, sticking with birding & fly-fishing as my hobby pursuits.

Today, while clearing trees off my fence line, did do some birding & found a MacGillivray’s Warbler. Also, more Wilson’s. And, one each Chipping & Lincoln’s Sparrows. A surprise was a lone DE Junco, usually have gone to higher elevations by now. The BH Grosbeaks & Lazuli Buntings still persist.

“Not-a-Farmer” Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Highlights, Valley County Birding 5/24-5/26: Cassin’s vireo, warbling vireo, Williamson’s sapsucker, N Pygmy owl, Pileated WP, ruffed grouse drumming, hermit thrush, black headed grosbeak; warblers: Townsend’s, orange crowned, y-rumped, yellow, Nashville, calliope, rufous and black chinned hummers. Also big surprise when a wood duck flushed from my “screech owl” nest box, probably about 600+ meters from Cascade Reservoir!
(Pics of some of these I will post later.)
The latest thunderstorm is lifting, headed back out,
Happy Trails!
Rich Rusnak, in Cascade

Sent from my iPhone

> On May 25, 2019, at 10:40 PM, ‘Tom McCabe’ tmccabe9@cableone.net [ible] wrote:
>
> Wow! I am so envious. If I send you my address, could you post it where all the birds can see it? My lists seem quite mundane by comparison.
>
> Tom
>
>
>
> From: ible@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Susan Patla susan_patla@hotmail.com [ible]
> Sent: Saturday, May 25, 2019 9:49 PM
> To: Ible
> Subject: [IBLE] Teton Valley-Packsaddle
>
>
>
>
>
> Birds are really hammering feeders in our area. Today saw FOY Gray Catbird. Also yesterday and today, observed a few sub-adult Ferruginous hawks foraging on the valley floor.
>
>
>
> Here is list for my morning walk:
>
> Packsaddle Estates, Teton, Idaho, US
> May 25, 2019 9:32 AM – 11:16 AM
> Protocol: Traveling
> 2.0 mile(s)
> Comments: walked from home on the upper loop
> 41 species
>
> Ruffed Grouse 1 drumming
> Eurasian Collared-Dove 1 vocalizing
> Mourning Dove 2
> Broad-tailed Hummingbird 7
> Calliope Hummingbird 7
> Sandhill Crane 1 calling from valley floor
> Turkey Vulture 2 perched in Douglas fir
> Northern Harrier 1
> Red-tailed Hawk 1 heard calling from bottom of subdivision
> Downy Woodpecker 1
> Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 1
> American Kestrel 1
> Hammond’s Flycatcher 1 heard in dense forest patch
> Dusky Flycatcher 1 heard a “duhic” call
> Steller’s Jay 2
> Clark’s Nutcracker 1
> Common Raven 1
> Tree Swallow 2
> Violet-green Swallow 2
> Black-capped Chickadee 4
> Mountain Chickadee 3
> House Wren 10 all singing
> Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3 singing
> Mountain Bluebird 1
> American Robin 7
> Gray Catbird 1 FOY for neighborhood, first heard and then saw
> Evening Grosbeak 29 Saw one large group perched by feeders, others near other feeders in subdivision
> Cassin’s Finch 18
> Pine Siskin 15
> Chipping Sparrow 5
> Dark-eyed Junco 1
> White-crowned Sparrow 1 singing
> Green-tailed Towhee 5
> Bullock’s Oriole 1
> Brown-headed Cowbird 8
> Orange-crowned Warbler 1
> Yellow Warbler 1
> Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) 2
> Western Tanager 1
> Black-headed Grosbeak 8
> Lazuli Bunting 1
>
> View this checklist online at https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fview%2Fchecklist%2FS56741875&data=02%7C01%7C%7C8e29a45d2aa243e6520f08d6e18908cf%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636944376002406781&sdata=GffHvh%2FdWm1i%2B77c%2B9ADnHWE7CboPTsdJHas4Dm4dvM%3D&reserved=0
>
>