That is correct. Also, Red Rock Lakes Refuge in Montana was authorized to
use a similar collar. This color and alpha-numeric system was developed as
part of a broader monitoring/research/conservation effort for the Rocky
Mountain Population of Trumpeter Swans. However, we’ve all been in
communication to prevent use of duplicate numbers between locations.

Steven F. Kahl
Deputy Project Leader
Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
Chubbuck, ID 83202
C (208) 252-0805
P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
F (208) 237-8213

*Like and follow us on Facebook
!*

On Wed, Dec 12, 2018 at 8:48 AM Tim Teynolds wrote:

> Trumpeter swans released in Teton Valley (Driggs Area) as part of a
> reintroduction program over the past 4 or 5 years also (unfortunately) have
> green collars w white lettering, and, too, the alphanumeric code starts
> with R.
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Dec 12, 2018, at 6:32 AM, ‘Kahl, Steve’ Steve_Kahl@fws.gov [ible] < > ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> Very cool, Chuck! If the green collar had white letters/numbers, the bird
> was collared by our staff on Two-way Pond at Camas National Wildlife Refuge
> on July 25, 2018. The collaring is being done as part of a study we are
> engaged in to determine the cause of low reproductive success of Trumpeter
> Swans at refuges in the Complex.
>
> Steven F. Kahl
> Deputy Project Leader
> Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
> 4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
> Chubbuck, ID 83202
> C (208) 252-0805
> P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
> F (208) 237-8213
>
> *Like and follow us on Facebook
> !*
>
>
>
>

Trumpeter swans released in Teton Valley (Driggs Area) as part of a reintroduction program over the past 4 or 5 years also (unfortunately) have green collars w white lettering, and, too, the alphanumeric code starts with R.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 12, 2018, at 6:32 AM, ‘Kahl, Steve’ Steve_Kahl@fws.gov [ible] wrote:
>
> Very cool, Chuck! If the green collar had white letters/numbers, the bird was collared by our staff on Two-way Pond at Camas National Wildlife Refuge on July 25, 2018. The collaring is being done as part of a study we are engaged in to determine the cause of low reproductive success of Trumpeter Swans at refuges in the Complex.
>
> Steven F. Kahl
> Deputy Project Leader
> Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
> 4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
> Chubbuck, ID 83202
> C (208) 252-0805
> P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
> F (208) 237-8213
>
> Like and follow us on Facebook!
>

Today starts the count week for the Nampa CBC. If you live in the Nampa count circle (most of Nampa and Caldwell and north to the Boise river) or if you happen to be visiting or birding in the area please let Cheryl Huizinga or I know of any unusual or uncommon birds that you see. The count week starts today and runs through next Tuesday. (Owls are also a good bird to know about).

Saturday is the CBC. We are meeting at the Deer Flat National Wildlife Refuge visitor center at 8 AM.

Denise Hughes
Caldwell, Idaho

Very cool, Chuck! If the green collar had white letters/numbers, the bird
was collared by our staff on Two-way Pond at Camas National Wildlife Refuge
on July 25, 2018. The collaring is being done as part of a study we are
engaged in to determine the cause of low reproductive success of Trumpeter
Swans at refuges in the Complex.

Steven F. Kahl
Deputy Project Leader
Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
Chubbuck, ID 83202
C (208) 252-0805
P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
F (208) 237-8213

*Like and follow us on Facebook
!*

I believe this one is from Camas NWR. I will cc: Brian at Camas NWR for confirmation

Tim

On December 11, 2018, at 4:05 PM, “Chuck Trost trostchuck@cableone.net [ible]” wrote:

This afternoon I found a green collared TRSW on the Snake River at Pipeline, about five miles west of Am. Falls. The code was “R35”. It was an adult with one unmarked juvenile. I tried to report it to the banding office at www.reportband.gov, but my server said this was an invalid address.
Good Birding!
Chuck Trost

Always forward, never straight…

Hey Chuck,

I tried the address and got redirected to:
https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/

Cliff

On 12/11/18 5:05 PM, Chuck Trost trostchuck@cableone.net [ible] wrote:
>
> This afternoon I found a green collared TRSW on the Snake River at
> Pipeline, about five miles west of Am. Falls. The code was “R35”. It
> was an adult with one unmarked juvenile. I tried to report it to the
> banding office at www.reportband.gov, but my server said this was an
> invalid address.
> Good Birding!
> Chuck Trost
>
> Always forward, never straight…
>
>

—
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

This afternoon I found a green collared TRSW on the Snake River at Pipeline, about five miles west of Am. Falls. The code was “R35”. It was an adult with one unmarked juvenile. I tried to report it to the banding office at www.reportband.gov, but my server said this was an invalid address.
Good Birding!
Chuck Trost

Always forward, never straight…

Neil Paprocki and I checked out some birds in Benewah and Kootenai
Counties, this last Sunday. We started at Heyburn State Park, east of
Plummer, where a SWAMP SPARROW was pretty much the first bird we
encountered near the start of the boardwalk. I’ve looked for Swamp
Sparrows in fall and winter at that location for many years, so it was nice
to finally connect with one. Chatcolet Lake had a mix of ice and open
water, and still hosted good numbers of waterfowl and other water birds,
perhaps highlighted by a few lingering BONAPARTE’S GULLS. The spray fields
along Shepard Road in southwest St. Maries (south of the St. Joe River)
were loaded with hawks and other rodent-hunting birds including bout 15
Red-tails, 3 Rough-legged Hawks, a couple of N. Harriers, and 4 Great Blue
Herons. The St. Maries Sewage Ponds had small pools of open water near the
aerators and a small collection of expected ducks. Nice birds along
Gooshaven Lake Road, northwest of St. Maries, included a Marsh Wren,
Slate-colored Junco, Cassiar Junco, a Northern Shrike, and 2 Killdeer
flying around in search of open water. The Harrison Harbor area produced a
first-cycle “Thayer’s” Iceland Gull and my first PEREGRINE FALCON for
Kootenai County. 25-30 Great Blue Herons were mostly standing around on
the ice in Harrison Slough, and an adult “Thayer’s” Gull was present with
the gull flock, there. Good numbers of Bald Eagles were present from
Heyburn SP to Harrison, and a Northern Pygmy-owl was perched, roadside, in
the Thorn Creek area south of St. Maries.

After parting ways with Neil in Viola, I stopped by the seasonal pond on
US-95 near Estes Road north of Moscow and found 2 lingering KILLDEER
standing on the ice. 4 late BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS were quite a surprise
near the UI Dairy Ponds.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID

In recent winters we have had over 1,000 wintering around American Falls
Reservoir, usually roosting on the reservoir or backwaters of the Snake
River. The majority forage in fields NW of the reservoir and east of the
reservoir on the reservation.

Back in the early 1990s we captured nearly 200 wintering Trumpeters at
Harriman State Park on the Henrys Fork in Island Park and released them in
the Fort Hall bottoms at the north end of the reservoir, as well as other
potential new wintering habitats. Most were migrants from Canadian breeding
grounds. The goal was to disperse wintering swans from high risk winter
habitat in Island Park following termination of winter feeding at Red Rock
Lakes NWR and create a new wintering area at Fort Hall.

Our hope was to rebuild southward migratory traditions and encourage the
swans to explore southern Idaho and hopefully follow the historic route
through Utah and Nevada to milder wintering areas. Fort Hall was one of
our most successful new wintering sites.

If you view the species map on e-bird you can see how their winter range
has expanded as we had hoped. Hundreds can also be found in the Bear River
drainage of Idaho and Utah. Over the past 20 years the swans have made a
major ecological shift to winter field feeding which has greatly aided
their successful expansion in southern Idaho and westward along the Snake
River corridor. Expanded winter food resources have enabled the Canadian
nesting Trumpeters to repopulate many areas where they had been extirpated
by 1900 and increase strongly in the last 25 years.

Once again the black rosy finches have arrived.  Happened with three “scouts” four days ago, and now around a  hundred scarfing up sunflower seed prodigiously.  
Oddly, only three juncos two weeks ago and none since.  They are usuallyvery numerous here at this time of year.  
And yesterday six goldfinches came to the back feeder (we have many goldfinches summer and winter) that were so different I thought it was a different species til I got binocs on them.  They were almost white on the belly and a light cream on the back, which made the black and white of wings very prominent.  From a distance they appeared to be white with black wings.
They stayed together, were only here for an hour or so, and haven’t been seen since. 
Boy, I wish I had a decent camera!  Santa? ?

Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad