I got out for some local birding over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. On
Thursday morning, I birded at Mann Lake and again had 2 SWAMP SPARROWS
foraging secretively in the dry weeds well east of the lake and north of
the model airplane area. A single BOHEMIAN WAXWING was only the second one
I’ve seen this fall and the second one I’ve ever seen at Mann Lake (both on
Thanksgiving, 2 years in a row). Full list and documentation on eBird:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50129588. A weird intergrade Northern
Flicker at Hell’s Gate SP had yellow-orange shafts, a mostly-gray
red-shafted like face pattern, red malar, and very faint red crescent on
the nape: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50134081.

This morning I birded in the University of Idaho Golf Course (closed to
golfers for the season). I had a distant view of a funky Haemorhous finch,
and then later heard the distinctive “pik-pik-pik” flight calls of an
apparent Purple Finch flying with a flock of House Finches. I figured the
Purple Finch may have flown to the upper end of the adjacent UI Arboretum,
so I eventually headed up there but failed to find it foraging among many
American Robins, House Finches, and Dark-eyed Juncos. There’s still a
good-sized flock of Audubon’s Warblers in the arboretum, and on Wednesday
afternoon I had a MYRTLE Yellow-rumped Warbler among them. This afternoon
I birded mostly on the Washington side of the Snake River, in Asotin
County. At Chief Timothy Park, west of Clarkston, I found another SWAMP
SPARROW on the marshy edge to the right hand side as soon as turning off
the highway onto the entrance road. I couldn’t get a photo of the
secretive back-lit sparrow, but I did get some voice recordings of its
distinctive call: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S50213748.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID

Jay, Heidi, and I had a *Melospiza *filled morning at Ted Trueblood WMA
helping Boise State grad student Kate Owens and her fiance Ben trap Song
Sparrows for Kate’s Master’s work (with permission from WMA managers). The
highlight was catching 27 *Melospiza *sparrows at once, including 10 Swamp
Sparrows, 5 Lincoln’s Sparrows, and 12 Song Sparrows. The incredible number
of Swamp Sparrows left us reeling, since we had visited the area twice
already this fall for Southwestern Idaho Birder’s Association and Golden
Eagle Audubon Society field trips. Our first visit yielded no Swamp
Sparrows, and a week ago we detected only 4 individuals (a high count for
the site at the time). While processing our 10 Swamps, two remained in the
reeds nearby calling, providing us a total of 12 Swamp Sparrow’s for the
site! All Swamp Sparrows we captured were young of the year, likely
indicative of a productive breeding season for the species. Also notable,
all birds had good fat and muscle scores which is indicative of good
health, and upon release flew away with vigor.

Ted Trueblood WMA has been very generous to us in the past, hosting two of
the three Idaho state records for Le Conte’s Sparrow. It continues to be a
state sparrow mecca with this incredible high number for Swamp Sparrow. Who
knows what will turn up in the future (crossing fingers for Field
Sparrow).

Substantiating evidence of the claim can be found at
www.ornithologi.com along with
a link to our eBird list.

All the best birds to you all,

Bryce

For what it’s worth, my first guess this time of year would be that you saw a Townsend’s Solitaire 🙂
HeidiBoise
On Sunday, November 25, 2018, 3:52:00 PM MST, LARRY ARNOLD larnold47@cableone.net [ible] wrote:

Good question, Kerry, did it chip or chirp or vocalize at all?  was it foraging?  on the ground v.. how high off the ground?  immediate habitat?  with other birds v. alone?  was the bird moving and you chased v. was it tied down to a yummy or cozy  spot? I can think of a few similar looking, tho larger or smaller, birds (and I’m chicken to name these  😉  but there are pros on this list that could offer ideas…..I need to see a bird in action, moving, flight pattern, have a general impression of size and shape (GISS), and *vocals* if any.
It’s not impossible that it was GRFL, but that brings into play the possibility of something even more rare.or maybe in fact it was an injured GRFL that can’t leave??
Kerry, hope you don’t mind if I take this back out to IBLE for discussion; maybe someone will chime in?   has anyone written you off-line about it? Thanks, Larry

From: “Kerry Fitzharris”
To: “Larry Arnold”
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2018 1:20:20 PM
Subject: Re: [IBLE] Gray Flycatcher

Thanks, Larry! And the imposter would be…????

On Nov 25, 2018, at 12:41 PM, LARRY ARNOLD wrote:

GRFL is long gone, must be a look-alike impostor, pls refer to eBird bar chart, scrolling down about 60% through the list……..
https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2018&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-ID-001,US-ID-027

Larry
From: “birderfitz@gmail.com [ible]”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2018 12:27:16 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Gray Flycatcher

I think I saw a gray flycatcher this morning. Watched it for about 15 mins. Saw the downward tail wag and the pale band across the forehead. Has anyone else seen one around the Boise area lately?

Good question, Kerry, did it chip or chirp or vocalize at all? was it foraging? on the ground v. how high off the ground? immediate habitat? with other birds v. alone? was the bird moving and you chased v. was it tied down to a yummy or cozy spot?
I can think of a few similar looking, tho larger or smaller, birds (and I’m chicken to name these 😉 but there are pros on this list that could offer ideas…..
I need to see a bird in action, moving, flight pattern, have a general impression of size and shape (GISS), and *vocals* if any.

It’s not impossible that it was GRFL, but that brings into play the possibility of something even more rare.
or maybe in fact it was an injured GRFL that can’t leave??

Kerry, hope you don’t mind if I take this back out to IBLE for discussion; maybe someone will chime in?
has anyone written you off-line about it?
Thanks, Larry

From: “Kerry Fitzharris”
To: “Larry Arnold”
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2018 1:20:20 PM
Subject: Re: [IBLE] Gray Flycatcher

Thanks, Larry! And the imposter would be…????

On Nov 25 , 2018, at 12:41 PM, LARRY ARNOLD < [ mailto:larnold47@cableone.net | larnold47@cableone.net ] > wrote:

GRFL is long gone, must be a look-alike impostor, pls refer to eBird bar chart, scrolling down about 60% through the list……..

[ https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2018&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-ID-001,US-ID-027 | https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2018&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-ID-001,US-ID-027 ]

Larry

From: ” [ mailto:birderfitz@gmail.com | birderfitz@gmail.com ] [ible]” < [ mailto:ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com | ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com ] >
To: “IBLE” < [ mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com | ible@yahoogroups.com ] >
Sent: Sunday, November 25 , 2018 12:27:16 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Gray Flycatcher

I think I saw a gray flycatcher this morning . Watched it for about 15 mins.. Saw the downward tail wag and the pale band across the forehead. Has anyone else seen one around the Boise area lately?

GRFL is long gone, must be a look-alike impostor, pls refer to eBird bar chart, scrolling down about 60% through the list……..

https://ebird.org/barchart?byr=1900&eyr=2018&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-ID-001,US-ID-027

Larry

From: “birderfitz@gmail.com [ible]”
To: “IBLE”
Sent: Sunday, November 25, 2018 12:27:16 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Gray Flycatcher

I think I saw a gray flycatcher this morning . Watched it for about 15 mins.. Saw the downward tail wag and the pale band across the forehead. Has anyone else seen one around the Boise area lately?

I think I saw a gray flycatcher this morning. Watched it for about 15 mins. Saw the downward tail wag and the pale band across the forehead. Has anyone else seen one around the Boise area lately?

Outlet canal yellow legs still around as of 9:30 a.m.today.

Howdy,
This morning there was a flock of about fifteen Common Redpolls along the Portneuf River in Sacajawea Park in NW Pocatello. They appeared to be eating box elder seeds on the ground.
Good Birding!
Chuck Trost

Always forward, never straight…

for hummer fans….
LA

From: “Lori Markoff”
To: “Larry Arnold” , “Lori Markoff”
Sent: Friday, November 23, 2018 11:32:58 AM
Subject: Birders flocking to Goderich yard for look at ultra-rare hummingbird

Birders flocking to Goderich yard for look at ultra-rare hummingbird

[ https://lfpress.com/author/kathleen-smith-goderich-signal-star | KATHLEEN SMITH, GODERICH SIGNAL STAR ]

Updated: November 22, 2018

This photo of the Calliope hummingbird in Goderich — a bird never before seen in Ontario — was posted to Facebook by Deb Johnston.

GODERICH — As many as 100 bird enthusiasts from across North America are crowding into a backyard here this week to get a glimpse of a rare hummingbird that’s never before been seen in Ontario.

The tiny Calliope hummingbird is home to the coastal areas of Oregon and California — but one has made Linda Johnston’s backyard its temporary home, and its presence has created a stir among the passionate subculture of birders.

They have been flocking to the Goderich woman’s property since word of the Calliope’s arrival in Huron County started spreading — the crowd becoming so large that Johnston has permitted access to her backyard, but only from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily and only until Nov. 25.

What brought the tiny bird to Goderich remains a mystery, but the Calliope is feeding, roosting and spending all of its time in a small area of Johnston’s backyard that includes a feeder.

When it arrived, Johnston told a friend who is a birdwatcher and photographer. Photos of the tiny bird were put on Facebook along with a plea that it be identified. The Calliope was eventually identified, but by that time social media was buzzing over its Ontario visit.

“It’s amazingly rare from an ornithology perspective because this species of hummingbird is typically found in only Western Canada, B.C. and Alberta and Western U.S.A.,” said Dan Chronowic, a masters student in ornithology — the study of birds — at Trent University in Peterborough.

“It winters in Mexico, so to be in Goderich at this time of year is a totally rare occurrence.”

One clue to the bird’s unlikely arrival in Goderich could be its migration habits. Not only is the Calliope the smallest of hummingbirds in the United States, it’s also the smallest long-distance migrant bird on the planet, travelling 5,000 miles annually from its breeding area to its wintering area.

In discussion of how this species of hummingbird ended up in Ontario in November, Chronowic wonders if its migratory cues could be off. This happens with many bird species.

“This sometimes happens with birds. This one got super lucky that it found a spot that was still putting out hummingbird feeders in November.”

This week is the first time the Calliope has been officially recorded as being in Ontario.

Its presence has created another spectacle in Goderich: On Tuesday, the first day Johnston opened her backyard to the public, approximately 100 birdwatchers, most them equipped with long-lens cameras, crowded in to catch a glimpse – and snap a photograph – of the rare Calliope.

[ https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/birders-flocking-to-goderich-yard-for-look-at-ultra-rare-hummingbird | https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/birders-flocking-to-goderich-yard-for-look-at-ultra-rare-hummingbird ]

10-yard penalty on those yellowlegs for being off-sides… 😉 oh wait, maybe half the distance to the goal?

From: “Robert Kiernan” To: “IBLE”
Cc: “Larry Arnold”
Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2018 11:35:10 AM
Subject: Lake lowell

Lower dam1 Barrows golden eye 6 common golden eye. Outlet canal 2 yellowlegs 1 says phoebe would be nice to know if they were the ones I saw 10 days ago