You know it’s going to be a great day when you get a half block from your house and there’s a Spotted Towhee in a neighbor’s bushes. While he was not FOY, he was the first I’ve ever seen in the North End of Boise.

Then, at Esther Simplot, I saw a Kestrel gliding down from a tree. I followed his trajectory and he went UNDER a car, scaring up a Song Sparrow that was his apparent target. After going under the car and missing, he just kept on going to another tree.

Next treat at Esther was a mixed raft of ducks: N. Shovelers, Canvasbacks, and FOY Cinnamon Teal. Twenty-two birds in less than 2 miles, a good start.

At 6 miles I already had 36 species, so of course I had to go further. At the GH Owl’s nest, I had a flyover of Sandhill Cranes. That’s when I ran into my first birder, Missy Arnold. Shortly after that I ran into Jason Talbot. Thanks to the two of them, I was able to add a few more birds, including a pair of N. Harriers that seemed to be doing a “pas de deux” over the large open field at the end of the paved path. Right after that, I spotted something quite large moving through that field. Thinking it was a deer, I got out binos and found a Wild Turkey moving through the brush.

I’ve attached the full list. Final tally was 57 birds in a little under 22 miles.

Tom McCabe, Boise