Monthly Archives: July 2023

Listserv Posts

Dickcissel in Payette County

Terry Rich found a Dickcissel this morning. He thinks there might be a second bird about 50 yards past this bird.

There is a dickcissel on Big Willow Road. My Ebird checklist is at the spot where the bird is being seen.

The bird is actively singing from the top of sunflowers. It’s about 50-60 feet or so from the road.

Denise Hughes
Caldwell, Idaho
Any day might be a special one-you just had to go outside and see if it was.—-Kenn Kaufman

Listserv Posts

More Rufous Hummingbirds

The push southward of Rufous Hummingbirds continues. Today, has been adult males & females at about 3:1 Rufous to Black-chinneds. Definitely, a change at my immediate location for July. But, I’ll take it!

Only other birds of note were a few Solitary Sandpipers along the Snake River, seen while I was fly-fishing this morning. Since the trout were laughing at me, settled for another cool sighting. A mink working through ever nook & cranny along the opposite bank. I know, no feathers, but it was still neat to see!

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

Listserv Posts

Intermountain West Shorebird Survey: Fall is Coming! Help Count and Conserve Shorebirds

Howdy birders
Some of you are already involved in this effort but some sites are in need of survey coverage during the August survey window.  Especially if people plan to bird any of these sites anyway, this is a great way to contribute to an important regional project.

See below for details and feel free to pass this on to any shorebird-savvy birders. 

Thanks!!

Jay

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Malmquist, Max <Max.Malmquist@…>
Date: Fri, Jun 30, 2023 at 6:21 PM
Subject: IMWSS: Fall is Coming! Help Us Count and Conserve Shorebirds in the Intermountain West
To:
Cc: Blake Barbaree <bbarbaree@…>

Dear Shorebirders,

August is just around the corner, and the Intermountain West Shorebird Surveys are gearing up for fall migration! Last April –with your help – over ~300 volunteers
and biologists surveyed more than 179 sites in 11 western states. Please consider helping us advance wetland and water conservation across the west by
signing up
for fall (August) surveys here

Key Dates

Monday, August 7th, 4:00-5:30 p.m. –
IMWSS Training Webinar and Protocol Refresher

August 9th-22nd – Fall Migration Window – Get out and Count Shorebirds!

August Survey Sign up

All new, returning volunteers and biologists – please take a few minutes to
fill out this form
to sign up for fall surveys. Ideally returning surveyors will survey the same site(s) that they surveyed in the spring. If you have questions about your site or a new site, please contact
max.malmquist@… and
bbarbaree@…

Preliminary Survey Totals Below – see attached for shorebird totals by site.

Season

AZ

CA

CO

ID

MT

NM

NV

OR

UT

WA

WY

Sites

Fall 2022

2

21

0

15

0

3

38

10

4

0

0

93

Spring 2023

8

33

8

13

17

9

46

18

4

13

10

179

Shorebirds

Total

Fall 2022

456

93,154

0

1,832

0

469

21,356

31,490

217,902

0

0

366,659

Spring 2023

504

25,388

417

396

2,514

940

4,191

3,971

84,664

380

678

124,043

 

What is the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey?

Migratory shorebirds are key indicators of environmental health. They can tell us about the health of an individual ecosystem and the broader wetland networks
upon which they rely.

Wetlands and saline lakes of the Intermountain West are oases for migrating shorebirds each spring and fall. Much has changed since the last comprehensive shorebird
survey of the region in 1989-1995, and this program is replicating that census so we can better manage shorebirds today and into the future.

The goals of the Intermountain West Shorebird Survey aim to sustain shorebird populations by empowering and inspiring stakeholders to take actions that conserve
wetlands and water. The surveys will:

  • Document shorebird populations at sites using synchronous surveys at 200+ sites during spring and fall migrations for at least 3 years.
  • Compare shorebird populations today to those from 1989-1995 and identify factors that influence shorebird distributions.
  • Communicate scientific results to participants and conservation stakeholders including land and water managers and policy makers.

Ideal shorebird surveyors:

  • Have a passion for birds and time outdoors,
  • Can commit to one survey day in the spring and one survey day in the fall, and allow some flexibility for scheduling around bad weather,
  • Will be safety conscience and cooperate with field partners,
  • Can collect high quality data in the field,
  • Can identify shorebirds in breeding and non-breeding plumage.

Please pass this information along to anyone who might be interested in participating!

 

Questions?

Reach out to:

 

Max Malmquist

Project Coordinator, Saline Lakes Program

(801)-554-8574

 

National Audubon Society

231 West 800 South, Ste. E

Salt Lake City, UT 84101

audubon.org/westernwater

 

Listserv Posts

Re: Northern Bobwhite

Looks like a Coturnix Quail to me. They are a little smaller than
Bobwhites and are kept for all the same reasons.

Lisa

On 7/5/23 06:48PM, Ken Miracle via
groups.io wrote:


Many quail and partridge species are raised domestically in South
West Idaho in back yards etc.. The are raised for a variety of
reasons, eggs, food, dog training. Also falconers use them for
training falcons and hawks.

The images are somewhat over exposed but the breast
looks white with no markings unlike a Northern Bobwhite. But
with the variety of birds you can buy or breed it is hard for me
to tell for sure.

On Jul 5, 2023, at 5:34 PM, Yvonne Motherwell
via groups.io <birdnerd_motherwell@…>
wrote:


Last week while on our morning
walk in our neighborhood, Hillsdale Creek, in southeast
Meridian, we heard a bird that made us both stop to
listen closer. I had no idea what it was. We heard it
the next morning again and always at Hillsdale Creek
Elementary. I tried to use Merlin to ID the sound but it
wouldn’t pick it up. So yesterday I walked over to the
school with binoculars and my camera determined to find
this mystery bird. Again, I heard it several times and
very clearly but Merlin wouldn’t ID it. At one point I
saw a head peek out of the bushes and was gone again in
an instant. My first thought was, Bobwhite. But I’ve
never actually seen one or heard one for that matter. I
watched and waited and finally was about to give up and
started to walk away and suddenly there was a bird
sitting just outside of the brush. I got several
pictures and this definitely looked like a Bobwhite. I
got home and listened to every recording I could find
for the NOBO, but nothing matched what I had heard. 

I heard the bird again this morning on our
walk, so I feel like this bird is definitely hanging
out. 
If anyone goes to chase it I’m curious to
know your thoughts on her call. Maybe it’s very normal
after all for a NOBO but like I said, I didn’t hear
any recordings that were similar to what I heard. 
My eBird checklist with pictures is here:
 https://ebird.org/checklist/S143615363
Or perhaps I got it wrong all together!
Let me know your thoughts!
Yvonne Motherwell
#worldsokayestbirder
Meridian, ID

Ken Miracle
chukar28@…
208-570-2780
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything
as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” 2COR 3:5

-- 
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@...
Listserv Posts

Re: Northern Bobwhite

Many quail and partridge species are raised domestically in South West Idaho in back yards etc.. The are raised for a variety of reasons, eggs, food, dog training. Also falconers use them for training falcons and hawks.

The images are somewhat over exposed but the breast looks white with no markings unlike a Northern Bobwhite. But with the variety of birds you can buy or breed it is hard for me to tell for sure.

On Jul 5, 2023, at 5:34 PM, Yvonne Motherwell via groups.io <birdnerd_motherwell@…> wrote:


Last week while on our morning walk in our neighborhood, Hillsdale Creek, in southeast Meridian, we heard a bird that made us both stop to listen closer. I had no idea what it was. We heard it the next morning again and always at Hillsdale Creek Elementary. I tried to use Merlin to ID the sound but it wouldn’t pick it up. So yesterday I walked over to the school with binoculars and my camera determined to find this mystery bird. Again, I heard it several times and very clearly but Merlin wouldn’t ID it. At one point I saw a head peek out of the bushes and was gone again in an instant. My first thought was, Bobwhite. But I’ve never actually seen one or heard one for that matter. I watched and waited and finally was about to give up and started to walk away and suddenly there was a bird sitting just outside of the brush. I got several pictures and this definitely looked like a Bobwhite. I got home and listened to every recording I could find for the NOBO, but nothing matched what I had heard. 

I heard the bird again this morning on our walk, so I feel like this bird is definitely hanging out. 
If anyone goes to chase it I’m curious to know your thoughts on her call. Maybe it’s very normal after all for a NOBO but like I said, I didn’t hear any recordings that were similar to what I heard. 
My eBird checklist with pictures is here:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S143615363
Or perhaps I got it wrong all together! Let me know your thoughts!
Yvonne Motherwell
#worldsokayestbirder
Meridian, ID

Ken Miracle
chukar28@…
208-570-2780
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” 2COR 3:5

Listserv Posts

Northern Bobwhite

Last week while on our morning walk in our neighborhood, Hillsdale Creek, in southeast Meridian, we heard a bird that made us both stop to listen closer. I had no idea what it was. We heard it the next morning again and always at Hillsdale Creek Elementary. I tried to use Merlin to ID the sound but it wouldn’t pick it up. So yesterday I walked over to the school with binoculars and my camera determined to find this mystery bird. Again, I heard it several times and very clearly but Merlin wouldn’t ID it. At one point I saw a head peek out of the bushes and was gone again in an instant. My first thought was, Bobwhite. But I’ve never actually seen one or heard one for that matter. I watched and waited and finally was about to give up and started to walk away and suddenly there was a bird sitting just outside of the brush. I got several pictures and this definitely looked like a Bobwhite. I got home and listened to every recording I could find for the NOBO, but nothing matched what I had heard. 

I heard the bird again this morning on our walk, so I feel like this bird is definitely hanging out. 
If anyone goes to chase it I’m curious to know your thoughts on her call. Maybe it’s very normal after all for a NOBO but like I said, I didn’t hear any recordings that were similar to what I heard. 
My eBird checklist with pictures is here:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S143615363
Or perhaps I got it wrong all together! Let me know your thoughts!
Yvonne Motherwell
#worldsokayestbirder
Meridian, ID