Hi Everyone,
My name is Jeff Fleischer and I am project coordinator for the Winter Raptor Survey Project sponsored by the East Cascades Audubon Society chapter based in Bend, OR. Our 17th season of survey work, 10th in Idaho, is about to begin and the reason for this message is to offer a chance to participate in this project if you have an interest. Last winter we ended up with 392 active routes throughout OR, WA, ID, and extreme northern CA covering nearly 25,000 miles of transects each month and surveyed by a cadre of over 300 primary volunteers, it is an extensive citizen science project!
Following is a list of routes in Idaho that are currently available for ownership, they average between 50-70 miles in length and designed to be completed in one day:
1. Winchester
2. Nezperce
3. DeSmet – Tensed
4. Churchill – Oakley
5. Rupert North
6. Rupert East – Minidoka.
7. Burley SW
8. Burley SE
9. Paul
10. Minidoka NW
11. Heyburn
12. American Falls SW
13. American Falls – Rockland
14. Arbon Valley
15. Pocatello – Inkom
16. Inkom – McCammon
17. Virginia – Downey
We ask our project volunteers to commit to one survey per month during the primary months of December through February, additional opportunities are available in November and March, both optional months with usually a 50 % coverage. You can select the day that you want to do your surveys based on your own life schedules. Volunteers should have a good working knowledge of at least the more common raptor species in your area and of course be willing to learn more about this great family of birds :). You should have at least a pair of binoculars and if you have a spotting scope even better but not required. You should also be comfortable with winter driving conditions, our project has a super driving track record.
If this sounds like you would be interested in becoming a part of, please get back to me as soon as possible with your route choice, I will be filling them first come first served. I will provide you with pertinent materials, including a survey protocol, to get you prepped for what you will be doing this winter on these surveys. For a more detailed account of the project, I prepared a power point presentation that can be found on the ECAS website at: ecaudubon.org that will provide a comprehensive history of all aspects of this project. It is a large program with 227 slides most of which have audio information tracks. It is chock full of hundreds of wonderful photos of the 31 species of birds of prey that have been found on our surveys to date, check it out 🙂
Okay, hope to hear from you soon, this is a wonderful way of spending some time in the field during the winter months while helping gather extensive wintering data for these birds. I might add that all of our data is provided to The Peregrine Fund for inclusion in their large international data base of birds of prey in hopes of being used for research by various scholastic and governmental agencies. Thank you,
Jeff Fleischer
Project Coordinator
Winter Raptor Survey Project
East Cascades Audubon Society – Bend, OR
My email address: raptorrunner97321@…
5:30 water was calm below dam group of 13 ruddy ducks small bunch red breasted mergansers 9 horned grebe 2 ear grebe another group of 6 ruddy 3 w. Grebe 1 Clark’s have not seen the loon last 3 trips
OVERDOSE !!!
Geeze, Carl, I wouldn’t be able to sleep after all this excitement,
like seriously !!!!
LA
Extreme Thank You Mr. Tom, Missy and I found them all, your birds in caps, woohoo-hoo-hoo !!! (our 1st bird this morning was GHOW)
YOU ROCK !!!
On Saturday October 24 and following Friday’s early winter storm, I birded in Latah and Nez Perce Counties. My first stop was at the UI Dairy Ponds in Moscow, where the most notable bird was a late PECTORAL SANDPIPER. More exciting was a LONG-TAILED DUCK at the Genesee Sewage Lagoon (
https://ebird.org/checklist/S75295461), a first for this well-birded location, with a Marsh Wren (uncommon here, mostly in fall). Next, I easily refound a group of 6-8 BLUE JAYS, a long-time Nez Perce County nemesis for me, adjacent to Jewett Park in Lewiston (
https://ebird.org/checklist/S75298697). Mann Lake had about 100 TUNDRA SWANS, some Snow and Cackling Geese, Bonaparte’s Gulls, at least 2 DUNLIN, and at least 2 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS.
In the late afternoon, I came across 2 LAPLAND LONGSPURS on Dry Creek Road, east of Troy in Latah County (
https://ebird.org/checklist/S75361173). Longspurs are very tough to locate in North Idaho, and this will be only the second eBird record for Latah County. Kas Dumroese was later able to relocate them with 3 Snow Buntings!
Also yesterday afternoon, Ben Meredyk of Moscow discovered an AMERICAN BLACK DUCK at the West Levee Pond in Lewiston (
https://ebird.org/checklist/S75359854). Ben and Mason Maron relocated the Black Duck late this morning and had it in view when I arrived. It even flapped its wings a few times, providing nice views of the uniquely violet-blue speculum without any white lining. Thanks, Ben, for finding a great state bird (pending acceptance by the IBRC) and to both of those guys for making it easy on me.
Two PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were back at the UI Dairy Ponds in Moscow, this morning, and I relocated 5 GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES that Neil Paprocki found yesterday on Darby Road, northeast of town.
On Friday, I had a single SURF SCOTER, at the St Maries Sewage Ponds in Benewah County, and Kas and Neil both observed 3 White-wigned Scoters (the first record for Latah County) yesterday at a now-frozen pond near Potlatch.
Some really great storm-facilitated October birding in North Central Idaho!
Carl Lundblad
Moscow, Idaho
After falling on an icy patch on the boardwalk through the marsh at Esther Simplot Park (ESP), my ride improved incredibly. After getting all the usual suspects along the way to Silver Lake, I was surprised by a RED-NECKED GREBE out in the lake. Further out was a WESTERN GREBE, but the RNGR was a first of year bird. (Maybe first in several years).
Then when I got back to Lander St., I took a little tour around the pond that is between Lander St. and the Greenbelt. This has been great for my first A. Wigeons of the season, along with Wood Ducks and an occasional Gadwall. But today, as I cruised the length of the pond on the concrete path, I discovered a EURASIAN WIGEON, a bird I haven’t seen in years. He was in with a flock of AMWI’s, but he was red where they were green. Way cool.
Final fun bird was an immature SNOW GOOSE, at ESP, on the main pond nearest Quinn’s Pond. There’s a shallow area there with a yellow rope to keep the little kiddies safe, and the bird was in that vicinity.
Gee, I wonder what I’ll find tomorrow!
Tom McCabe, Boise
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
