Yesterday I decided to do a longer ride, in the hope that some FOY birds
would pop up. I wasn’t disappointed. I started in Hulls Gulch and found 32
species before leaving. Mostly what you’d expect, including my FOY Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher (always a treat).

I then started my usual route along the greenbelt, but I wasn’t satisfied
with my results. So I decided to go to Hyatt Reserve, but only found a few
new birds and nothing spectacular (YHBB, AMCO, PBGR). So on my way back to
the greenbelt, I spied a pair of Arnolds, Larry and Missy to be specific.
They gave me some clues on where to find some birds I needed, not all of
which panned out. What did pan out was my FOY Willow Flycatcher. I also
checked out the Bald Eagle’s nest, hoping there were still occupants.
Fortunately, there were 2 full size immatures, both very dark, moving around
the nest. Once they start flying, I’m sure we’ll be hearing from non-birders
that they saw a Golden Eagle along the greenbelt. 😉

Final tally was 53 birds in 30 miles, not a “Big Day” but a fun “bigger”
day.

Tom McCabe, Boise

P.S. Today I found a Franklin’s Gull at Quinn’s Pond. I believe this is the
first time I have ever seen this species along the Boise River. I’ve seen
thousands elsewhere in Idaho, but this was quite a surprise. And just to be
sure it wasn’t a Bonaparte’s, I was able to get quite close when the bird
hung out along the shore next to the Whitewater Apartments. Only when I got
really close could I see the red of the beak. Ironically, I found almost as
many birds today (39) as yesterday, in half the miles (15). Go figure.