What drama, Tom!
Have the same theatrics playing out in our backyard – just feet away from us – bold as brass – terrorizing the birds at the feeder.
Liz Medes
Emmett – the east side
Re: Close Encounter
Good one, Tom =)
This reminds me of Placerville (Boise County), which has a parking meter right in front of the rest room, worthy of a good laugh every time.
Close Encounter
We have a Pine Siskin that seems a little slow. Or maybe he’s just more tolerant of humans. Anyway, I was walking my bike across our back yard, approaching the tray feeder with the “Slow Siskin” in it, when a rocket flew by me and the slow poke Siskin rocketed out of the feeder. He managed to stay ahead of the Cooper’s Hawk and get up into the maple. The rocketing Cooper’s came closer to me than any hawk ever has. And the whole event was over in a flash. Way cool.
It was also quite cool, almost cold, on my bike ride today, but the birds were not cooperative. I ended up having to go all the way downstream to the end of the paved path (20 miles round trip) before I achieved my “Recommended Daily Allowance” of 30 species. Thirty has gotten more difficult of late, but this was crazy. On the bright side, I got to watch a Great Egret glide in for a landing at one of the ponds near the end of the paved.
BTW, weird that I start in Boise, pass into Garden City, then back into Boise and end up at a rest room maintained by Eagle. I should be glad they don’t all charge tolls. 😉
Tom McCabe, Boise
Bit of an Exodus
With an arriving cold front, am seeing a bit of an exodus. Appears I’m down to a single juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird at the feeder. After having a rush, for the past 2 weeks, of almost exclusively juv Calliopes. Not a single Broad-tailed, as of yet. Also, where I was seeing upwards of 15 juv Black-headed Grosbeaks at seed feeder all last week, yet to see any this AM. And, a good crop of juv Lazuli Buntings appear to have exited.
Sure hoping for a good fall warbler migration. Last year was a bust at my area. Not a single Townsend’s. Miss seeing the mixed groups of 50+ warblers, kinglets & vireos pushing through in waves, that I could used to count on witnessing. Last couple of falls have had much fewer numbers.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Re: Mountain View Reservoir and Blue Creek
Thank you for the update.
Liz Medes
Mountain View Reservoir and Blue Creek
I think IBLE is where I saw a discussion of the reservoir and blue creek, as to whether it is open.
I just contacted the Fish, Wildlife and Parks department of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribe. Both the reservoir and Blue Creek area are still closed to visitors.
Denise Hughes
Caldwell, Idaho
Re: photo ops up in Camas Co.
Chuck, what a crazy good rail sp for Idaho !! I had to peek at accepted eBird reports, of “intermountain west” reports, really surprised me….
if you can zoom out enough to see much of the west… a recent one near Bozeman MT !!
https://ebird.org/map/yelrai?bmo=1&emo=12&byr=1900&eyr=2020&env.minX=-124.416&env.minY=32.531&env.maxX=-114.129&env.maxY=42.01&gp=true
hope this link works… if not, start with Calif and zoom out a bit =)
https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2020&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-CA
Larry
Re: photo ops up in Camas Co.
Howdy,
I know it is a long way from you folks, but there is extensive mud exposed on the north east edge of American Falls Reservoir, specifically at the Danielson Creek outlet (from Springfield Ponds). I was out there on Sunday birding with my former grad student, Dan Taylor, and saw many KILL, AMAV, PESA, WIPH, and GRYL. After I left Dan walked out along the edge to see them better. On the way he flushed a Yellow Rail! I’ve urged him to write it up for IBRC.
Good Birding!
Chuck Trost
Always forward, never straight…
Re: photo ops up in Camas Co.
Dry lake area today L.b.dowichers rim rd.south pond western pipers
Re: photo ops up in Camas Co.
I have not seen any shorebirds along the Greenbelt, except Killdeer, for at least 2 weeks. And even the Killdeer have been hard to find. None today. 🙁
Tom