Re: Waiting on Western Tanager
Saw my first group of little yellow fluffy goslings sandwiched between parents at front & back, all in a line, down on the Snake this AM. Had gone down to check on fishing conditions. River came up a bit during the night. Did see a couple of good rises. Water’s supposed to drop again mid-week.
Brian
Re: Waiting on Western Tanager
We’ve got our usuals, but very few if any calliope hummers, many broad tailed.
I’ve looked at over a thousand goldfinches trying for a lesser. May be time to catch one and apply magic marker.
Sandhills may have a colt.
Bill Moore
Hoot Owl
Inkom
Waiting on Western Tanager
All my usual bird harbingers of Spring are now here (House Wren, Yellow Warbler, Bullock’s Oriole, BH Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Swainson’s Hawk, RW Blackbird, Black-chinned Hummingbird) except for Western Tanager. Tanager can be fickle along the Snake River Bottoms. Sometimes, passing through in large numbers, other times…one or two & have to be at right place at right time. If I miss at home, will head into mountains to a spot that never fails me to locate one.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
New Spring Arrivals
This evening, first Swainson’s Hawk of season came overhead. Others, over past week: Black-headed Grosbeak, female Red-winged Blackbird (males arrived over a month ago), numerous Chipping & White-crowned Sparrows pushing through, Red-naped Sapsucker, Tree Swallows & Violet-green Swallows. Best bird was a Black-backed Woodpecker pounding on a dead fir tree, near Island Park Reservoir, this weekend.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Re: Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
OK, Rich. I have two scopes if you change your mind.
Dean
Re: Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
Dean, that is incredibly gracious thanks for the offer. I think I’ll be OK. It’s only minimally opaque, like 95% perfect image. I’ll just get it repaired after I return from Malhuer. Take care, and have a great spring birding time. Cheers, Rich
Re: Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
II have a vortex spotting scope. You are welcome to borrow for your trip
Dean Jones
“A world of facts lies outside and beyond the world of words.” Thomas Huxley
208-859-0072
On Mon, May 11, 2026 at 8:54 AM Richard and Ann Rusnak via groups.io <rarusnak62=gmail.com@groups.io> wrote:
Warning/Alert cleaning optics with air can dust remover
I hope this never happens to any of you, beware.
See photo, and be very careful if you clean your optics lenses of dust using a can of compressed air, designed for PC keyboards. The issue occurs when the can is held flat or upturned, resulting in extremely cold moist air to be released.
My Vortex scope now has a damaged inner layer to the lens. Surprisingly the image viewing is not severely degraded and usable with only a tiny degree of opaqueness at all magnifications.
Huge freak out when this occurred as you can imagine, but Vortex customer support is sending me a postage paid label to return the scope for no cost repairs. This is exceptional news and worthy of the price for Vortex HD series scope.
Leaving for Malhuer tomorrow no less and this happens, LOL!😂
Cheers ya’ll, and happy lifer pursuits!
Rich Rusnak
See photo, and be very careful if you clean your optics lenses of dust using a can of compressed air, designed for PC keyboards. The issue occurs when the can is held flat or upturned, resulting in extremely cold moist air to be released.
My Vortex scope now has a damaged inner layer to the lens. Surprisingly the image viewing is not severely degraded and usable with only a tiny degree of opaqueness at all magnifications.
Huge freak out when this occurred as you can imagine, but Vortex customer support is sending me a postage paid label to return the scope for no cost repairs. This is exceptional news and worthy of the price for Vortex HD series scope.
Leaving for Malhuer tomorrow no less and this happens, LOL!😂
Cheers ya’ll, and happy lifer pursuits!
Rich Rusnak
Re: Spring birds
Yellow warblers and black-headed grosbeaks have arrived here as well.
Re: Spring birds
Oops, yeah, good catch Bill. Goldfinches and house finches… so many of them that I overlooked them!