Location off stone breaker road to sugar loaf camp ground cascade .photo
submitted to Merlin app.and verified seen today Richard rusnack Bob
kiernan

Wow! What a fun birding day! Those ravens must have been fun to see!

Four of us from Golden Eagle Audubon birded Bruneau Duck Ponds Friday
morning after a crop duster disrupted our Wednesday morning group trip
there. Highlights included at least 70 great and 2 snowy egrets; a young
black-crowned night heron; western, least, and Baird’s sandpipers; 2
semi-palmated plovers and many killdeer; greater and lesser yellowlegs;
long-billed dowitchers; avocets mostly in winter plumage now; black-necked
stilts; and a lone marbled godwit. Other species included large numbers of
ducks – mallards, pintails, wigeons, all 3 teal species, gadwall, and
shovelers; California quail, Canada geese; white pelicans; barn, bank,
cliff, and northern rough-winged swallows; ring-billed and California
gulls; eastern kingbird, song sparrows, yellow warblers, house finches, at
least one hummer, and black-billed magpies with a turkey vulture thrown in
as we returned to the car.

Afterwards, we went to Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park for lunch. While we
hadn’t really intended to bird there it turned out to be a fairly birdy
spot Friday with yellow, Townsend’s, and Wilson’s warblers, collared doves,
black-chinned hummers (at least 7) and a probable calliope, common
nighthawk, red-tailed hawk, eastern kingbird, and barn and bank swallows.
But the most astonishing sight was a ribbon of ravens that stretched from
horizon to horizon running roughly east-west and drifting slowly southward,
including at least 2 kettles. We estimated there were at least 500 birds
and we probably missed many. While I’ve seen crows in this and larger
numbers wintering in downtown Portland, I’ve never seen ravens in such
numbers. What a sight!
—
Louisa Evers
elouisa603@gmail.com

Took a trip to the shoshone basin hummer stations Wednesday while camped in the south hills. Hundreds still there bulking up for the big migration. I can’t describe the feeling of sitting alone watching them flit about. So many thanks to the awesome folks who keep about 50 feeders filled for the public’s enjoyment.

Sent from my iPad

This afternoon there was a Great Egret foraging in a pond on the Teton
River at Hog Hollow Bridge.  I’ve only seen a hand full of Great Egrets
up here. There have also been quite a few Solitary Sandpipers around
here lately, including a couple today in the same area as the egret, and
a single Northern Waterthrush. this morning, also on the Teton River.

Cliff

—
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

Excellent report, Henry:
Sounds like it’s shaping up to be a great fall Warbler migration. When reports like yours start appearing, the birds usually show at my place within 3-4 days.

Did see a bit more activity at the nectar with 2 Black-chinneds, 1 Rufous & 1 Calliope today. But, certainly not draining the feeder as fast as the past 3 wks. Just took a walk around the place & found numerous imm Chipping Sparrows. The young Lazulis are still here & cleaning up on grasshoppers. Also, for the flyfishers out there, evening hopper patterns on the Snake have been deadly for rainbows!

Saw a new one. An adult female Lazuli Bunting working hard to keep her juv BH Cowbird fed! And Black-headed Grosbeaks, mainly juveniles, are cleaning up on my sunflower seeds. Also, am now finding imm Cedar Waxwings with their family groups.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Henry, it just occurred to me ( slow synapses here ) that we had tasted a bit of fallout this year at Henry’s Lake in E Idaho…..

[ https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S57577386 | https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S57577386 ]

these moments are dazzling! =)

L

From: “Henry Griffin trumpetswan@comcast.net [ible]”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2019 4:07:10 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Bald Mountain, Sun Valley

Today, my last day in Idaho this year, I hiked down Mt Baldy in Ketchum ID. I had two obvious highlights. First, was an absolute fallout of migrant passerines along the Bald Mountain Hiking Trail uphill from the Traverse Trail (the upper-elevation section). Highlights included multiple NASHVILLE, ORANGE-CROWNED, WILSON’S, MACGILLIVRAY’S, over 40 Y-RUMPED, & 26 (!) TOWNSEND’S WARBLERS. BROWN CREEPERS were prolific. DUSKY & HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHERS were present and common species such as nuthatches and chickadees numbered in the dozens, possibly up to a hundred individuals of a few species. It was INCREDIBLE — birds were just dripping off the trees! Secondly, near the lowest heavily-wooded switchback on the Warm Springs Bike Trail much closer to the base of the mountain, I had my best looks ever of a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER. I spent 45 minutes photographing the beauty. So if you are in the area, get up on Mt. Baldy! Today was truly one of those birding days to remember.
-Henry

Henry Griffin
▫️◾️◽️▪️

Henry, thank you – again – for your enthusiastic reporting from on high !!
reading about this fallout gives me goosebumps… =)

I always *always* enjoy your notes, and I’m looking forward to hearing from you again next year, eh? oui?

Larry

From: “Henry Griffin trumpetswan@comcast.net [ible]”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2019 4:07:10 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Bald Mountain, Sun Valley

Today, my last day in Idaho this year, I hiked down Mt Baldy in Ketchum ID. I had two obvious highlights. First, was an absolute fallout of migrant passerines along the Bald Mountain Hiking Trail uphill from the Traverse Trail (the upper-elevation section). Highlights included multiple NASHVILLE, ORANGE-CROWNED, WILSON’S, MACGILLIVRAY’S, over 40 Y-RUMPED, & 26 (!) TOWNSEND’S WARBLERS. BROWN CREEPERS were prolific. DUSKY & HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHERS were present and common species such as nuthatches and chickadees numbered in the dozens, possibly up to a hundred individuals of a few species. It was INCREDIBLE — birds were just dripping off the trees! Secondly, near the lowest heavily-wooded switchback on the Warm Springs Bike Trail much closer to the base of the mountain, I had my best looks ever of a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER. I spent 45 minutes photographing the beauty. So if you are in the area, get up on Mt. Baldy! Today was truly one of those birding days to remember.
-Henry

Henry Griffin
▫️◾️◽️▪️

Henry,

Your bird reports from Sun Valley are such fun to read. This one especially
conveys your excitement and enthusiasm for birding while hiking the trails.
That is quite a varied list of birds. Thanks for posting it.

Diann Stone. Boise Depot Bench

On Thu, Aug 22, 2019, 4:07 PM Henry Griffin trumpetswan@comcast.net [ible] < ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

>
>
> Today, my last day in Idaho this year, I hiked down Mt Baldy in Ketchum
> ID. I had two obvious highlights. First, was an absolute fallout of migrant
> passerines along the Bald Mountain Hiking Trail uphill from the Traverse
> Trail (the upper-elevation section). Highlights included multiple
> NASHVILLE, ORANGE-CROWNED, WILSON’S, MACGILLIVRAY’S, over 40 Y-RUMPED, & 26
> (!) TOWNSEND’S WARBLERS. BROWN CREEPERS were prolific. DUSKY & HAMMOND’S
> FLYCATCHERS were present and common species such as nuthatches and
> chickadees numbered in the dozens, possibly up to a hundred individuals of
> a few species. It was INCREDIBLE — birds were just dripping off the trees!
> Secondly, near the lowest heavily-wooded switchback on the Warm Springs
> Bike Trail much closer to the base of the mountain, I had my best looks
> ever of a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER. I spent 45 minutes photographing the
> beauty. So if you are in the area, get up on Mt. Baldy! Today was truly one
> of those birding days to remember.
> -Henry
>
> Henry Griffin
> ▫️◾️◽️▪️
>
>

Today, my last day in Idaho this year, I hiked down Mt Baldy in Ketchum ID. I had two obvious highlights. First, was an absolute fallout of migrant passerines along the Bald Mountain Hiking Trail uphill from the Traverse Trail (the upper-elevation section). Highlights included multiple NASHVILLE, ORANGE-CROWNED, WILSON’S, MACGILLIVRAY’S, over 40 Y-RUMPED, & 26 (!) TOWNSEND’S WARBLERS. BROWN CREEPERS were prolific. DUSKY & HAMMOND’S FLYCATCHERS were present and common species such as nuthatches and chickadees numbered in the dozens, possibly up to a hundred individuals of a few species. It was INCREDIBLE — birds were just dripping off the trees! Secondly, near the lowest heavily-wooded switchback on the Warm Springs Bike Trail much closer to the base of the mountain, I had my best looks ever of a BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER. I spent 45 minutes photographing the beauty. So if you are in the area, get up on Mt. Baldy! Today was truly one of those birding days to remember.
-Henry

Henry Griffin
▫️◾️◽️▪️