Monthly Archives: May 2020

Listserv Posts

Re: Damp birding

Tom,

 
You impressed me with 10 miles and 45 birds (or species?). The farthest I ventured out was to the end of the driveway to retrieve trash bins. I prefer to be a fair weather birder. Sadly, I have not seen any Western Tanagers on my walks between the Boise Depot and Hillcrest. Guess I need to shift to the Greenbelt.
Thanks for putting a name to that “disorder” (BADD). I like to think of it as a more positive trait of heightened auditory and visual awareness. HAVA or BADD, many of us are afflicted. 
You’ll have continued success meeting your daily goals, because you’re out there every day. Keep on keepin’ on!
Diann Stone Boise Depot Bench

Listserv Posts

Still Missing W Tanager

Reading with envy the numbers of Western Tanagers from west side of state. Keep looking, scanning & listening &, so far, zero for me. I’m down to a pr of Evening Grosbeaks, from a hi of 35. They were, indeed, fun to watch & listen to for 3 wks. But, a silver lining, I’m back down to feeding my 1lb of black oil sunflower seeds/day, instead of 3! Saves a few bucks.

They have been replaced by Black-headed Grosbeaks, a high of 15, at present. 4 Pine Siskins coming in & at least 7 Lazuli Buntings at a time hit the feeders. Numerous Am Goldfinches around & a fair number of House Finches. Yellow Warblers are setting up territories throughout the woods. And a pr of Black-chinned Hummingbirds is hitting the nectar. 

I haven’t seen nor heard the Blue Jay since last wkend, but did overwinter. Perhaps, the same one as last year? Like to think so. Other yard sightings are: 5-6 Bald Eagles, 3-5 Swainson’s Hawks, 2 Red-tailed Hawks & 1 ea Am Kestrel & Sharp-shinned Hawk on avg, daily. Lots of White Pelicans this yr & a good number of DC Cormorants. Just need a W Tanager to make spring…complete. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Listserv Posts

Damp birding

If you live anywhere near Boise, you know that today was a little “damp.” For some reason, I thought maybe the birds would just ignore the rain and parade around for me. As it turns out, I had to repeatedly find dry places (few and far between on the greenbelt) to clean my bino lenses and even my glasses. Eventually the water wore me down and I headed home, but I managed 45 birds in about 10 miles. Highlights included my FOY Willow Flycatcher and FOY MacGillivray’s Warbler. Western Tanagers were EVERYWHERE. My conservative estimate would be 40 to 50 individuals that I actually saw, plus others that I heard.

As some of you are aware, I am afflicted with a condition that is probably familiar to all of you: BADD, better known as “Birders Attention Deficit Disorder.” This is when any motion in the trees, in the sky, on the ground, attracts your undivided attention, even when you’re in the midst of a serious conversation. Because of my BADD, I was constantly swiveling my head today, but only because every leaf in Boise was being hit by water and therefore moving. It was sensory overload. Plus, every swallow in Idaho was flying around my route, overwhelmingly dominated by a gazillion VG Swallows. It was like being inside a snow globe that someone was constantly shaking.

Of course, I can’t wait to get out again tomorrow.

Tom McCabe, Boise

P.S. The various weather reports indicate we set a new record for precipitation for this date in Boise. I believe it!

Listserv Posts

Re: Rose-breasted Grosbeak in Teton Valley

I’m from Michigan and miss the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks I’d commonly see there. I used to band them in Minnesota as well. I hope they continue to march west! 

By the way, thank you for including where you live in Idaho. Often people fail to do that here on IBLE, and because I don’t know everyone contributing, I’m often left wondering where they have sighted their birds. It’s helpful when people put down their town or city name on their post somewhere. Thanks.

Kerry Fitzharris
Boise 🙂

Listserv Posts

spring migration rocks !!!

I can echo recent sentiments expressed on IBLE by Tom, Jay, and others, maybe add a few of my own…….

 

I wasn’t expecting this little shift in weather I woke up to this morning, and it was awesome to get back to some of my routine…  WinCo for groceries at 0515 hrs, followed by my first visit to the gym in months, if only briefly, it was great to be back, moving, again… 

 

BIRDS were popping EARLY this morning, all across the spectrum (of taxonomic orders and families and such), this hormonal thing is intense, and with a little clear sky, orchestrations were in crescendo, like everywhere.  Here in the wild wild west we are blessed with dramatic elevation changes and their associated habitats…  when birds go quiet while nesting here in the valley, we can go up a few thousand feet and get a whole ‘nuther

intense dose of song!   =)     I “matured with birding” at elevations ranging from 2K to 13K+, and I can tell you that tundra is an exciting place to bird in mid-summer !!

 

I always figure that birders with an interest, or those who care, already know our usual “alpha codes” but if not, again, the ones I rely on are these…  https://www.birdpop.org/docs/misc/Alpha_codes_eng.pdf

For me, easiest to remember birds by are their vocals, next are these codes, and last are their many specific field marks per se, maybe a geezer thing?

 

Yes, WETA are recently everywhere, but in our little patch of the Boise Greenbelt, others have ramped up in numbers and in “tra-la-la” as well, e.g., WAVI, HOWR, WWPE, BHCO everywhere YEWA are of course,

can’t even name them all

So many chattering / sputtering SPSA, BUOR, BHGR

Chats in strange places

A nervy YEWA caught me by surprise with a convincing WIFL call

Layers and layers of swallows on the wing above so many ponds, and lining overhead utility wires

Constant motion of herons and cormorants to / from local rookeries

Our local screaming SWHA(s)

Neither of the adult BAEAs were at their nest for the first time this season

Occasional flybys of EVGR, and a small noisy group of RECR caught me off guard

A couple of CAFI still using our feeders

Hummingbird wing-song of flight displays

A silly LOL moment watching a smallish doe foraging with 7 WITU   

And finally =)   my FOY WIFL at 0725 hrs this morning, whereas (absent one outlier) my recent FOY dates have ranged 22-29 May.

 

Meanwhile, the yard needs mowing, weeds need pulling, and my ornithophilous (pollinated by humbirds in particular) seedlings of salvia and stache need TLC…..

 

This is your lucky day, because the above words are a condensed version of what I really wanted to post    ðŸ˜‰   


Good boid’n !!

Larry