I’m in the North End of Boise, and I have a ton of birds coming to the feeders. House Finches, Lessers, RB Nuthatches, BC Chickadees, Mourning Doves, and yes, American Goldfinches. Our Hummers are still substantial,
sometimes fighting over the feeders. Plus, we have a roving band of Wild Turkeys in the North End, but they have yet to visit my yard. 🙁
Tom McCabe
Agree with your identifications of species & Louisa’s comments as to molting, etc.
On the east side of Idaho, I spend a lot of time along Main Snake River riparian regions & a fair amount on Henry’s Fk & South Fk of the Snake. Overall, I would have to say, bird numbers seem decreased to me. In my backyard, the only exceptions would be Black-headed Grosbeaks & House Finches, numbers of which are still solid. But, as you’ve noted for your area, my hummingbird numbers are visibly decreased. Compared to this time last year, 75+% fewer. I can’t necessarily chalk it up to the heat & wildfire smoke, as in 1988 (yr of Yellowstone Fires), we had record numbers of hummingbirds. I was filling three 8 oz nectar feeders daily.
Now, I’m only filling one feeder with 6 oz (to prevent waste), as I’m cleansing & re-filling the feeder daily, because of the heat. And, I don’t want the sugar to turn to alcohol. Even with filling only 6 oz, I’m still wasting 2-3 oz daily. Suspect, many factors are at play which are not necessarily good for our feathered friends.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
First bird is a Say’s phoebe, second looks like a western wood-pewee, and the third is a molting lazuli bunting.
My wife and I were walking with friends in the Hidden Springs area this morning and came across some birds we need help identifying.
I believe these are an immature Says Pheobe, an immature Lazuli Bunting and a Western Wood Pewee. Any corrections would be welcome.
Also wondering if any of you in the Boise area that feed the birds noticed a major decline in birds coming to the feeders this spring and summer. We are down about 90% from last
year. American Goldfinches disappeared completely by mid-March and have not returned. We saw one on our hike today and one a few weeks back north of Eagle. Made for a very boring year in the yard, although we have saved a few hundred dollars on seed. Humming
birds were very late in arriving and their numbers are down significantly, as well.
Thanks,
Tom Soniville
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Tom Soniville
Boise. West Bench
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
