IBLErs,
I had a fine time birding the US-95 corridor from Moscow to Valley County,
this weekend. Saturday was rainy fall birding at its best starting at Mann
Lake which still had a few PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, Long-billed Dowitchers, and
a small heard of Audubon’s Warblers. Below the dam, the Mann Lake outflow
crosses Res Line Road, and at that crossing I found a cooperative SWAMP
SPARROW (photos and details on eBird:
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48977947). Winchester Lake State Park
had a late Osprey.
The Camas Prairie was pretty socked-in and it was apparently grounding
Long-billed Dowitchers. I had only one actually on the ground, at the
Craigmont Sewage Ponds (with 7 W. Grebes, my first at that location), but
another 18 Dowitchers came flying randomly over Craigmont City Park a
little while later, and 2 more were in the air circling below the cloud
deck and above the Ferdinand Sewage Pond. I headed towards the Monastery
of St. Gertrude, near Cottonwood, and stopped at a small sewage pond across
the highway. Here I quickly heard and then saw another SWAMP SPARROW
(photos on eBird: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48982665). The
Monastery grounds were hopping with up to 50 Audubon’s Warblers, several
Myrtle Warblers, a late Orange-crowned Warbler, and other migrants. Tolo
Lake, outside Grangeville, had lots of migrant waterbirds including,
apparently all 6 of Idaho’s grebe species (I missed Horned, but Charles
Swift picked one out later in the day) including my first RED-NECKED and my
second CLARK’S GREBE for Idaho County. I counted over 800 American Coots,
which is a lot for 35-acre Tolo.
Coasting down the Old Whitebird Highway was pretty uneventful except for a
late CHIPPING SPARROW at Schwartz Pond. At the Whitebird Creek access area
(Nez Perce National Historic Park) I was shocked to see several small
flocks and singletons (~70 total) of very late VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOWS
streaming south along the creek towards the Salmon River. These were my
first Violet-greens during October in Idaho, but they are still moving down
the coast at this season, so maybe they were pushed in my the pacific
storm? Clearly they wanted out of there as quickly as possible, the way
they were charging south. Lucile produced another flock of ~50
Yellow-rumps including up to 10% Myrtles (typical in north Idaho during
October). A slightly late Turkey Vulture was in New Meadows, and a
slightly early Rough-legged Hawk was between McCall and Lake Fork. A Vesper
Sparrow lingered along Stonebreaker Lane, on the way into Lake Cascade’s
Sugarloaf Unit, which produced 2000 Coots and some dabbling ducks. A slow
perusal of Gold Fork Road, near Donnelly, in the early evening was
successful for a hunting GREAT GRAY OWL.
Sunday morning I birded, under gloriously-different conditions, in the
Cascade Reservoir area. Most of the morning was gorgeous but quiet, with
the Sugarloaf area taken over by hunters and abandoned by the previous
evening’s waterfowl (7 Common Loons compensated). Things got exciting
around late morning, when I pulled into the Great Blue Heron Campground,
south of Cascade and observed an apparent mixed flock of SURF and
WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS flying north. I soon relocated 2 SURF SCOTERS,
including an immature male, diving close to shore north of Pelican Point.
I never relocated the others, but a terrible Hail Mary photo I took during
the initial sighting seems to confirm 1-2 White-winged (
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49021335).
Sunday afternoon, I birded back north along the Salmon River, stopping to
sort through Yellow-rump flocks anywhere there were Ash Trees (and warblers
targeting Wooly Aphids) or Hackberries (targeting Hackberry Psyllids). The
LDS Church parking lot in Riggins was good for about 18 Audubon’s and 1-2
Myrtles, Lucille had 40 Audubon’s and 2-4 Myrtles, and the Slate Creek
Recreation Area had 40-45 Audubon’s, several Myrtles, an Orange-crowned
Warbler, and a my latest CASSIN’S VIREO for Idaho (
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49028400). Slate Creek Recreation Area,
in particular, should be inspected regularly in early October.
Returning to Tolo Lake, it had as many water birds as I’ve ever seen there,
including over 700 Ruddy Ducks, and 2 more SURF SCOTERS (
https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S49029780), another nice bird for Idaho
County. My “second-in-as-many” stop at The Monastery of St. Gertrude
produced about 20 final Audubon’s Warblers and my only WILSON’S WARBLER of
the trip.
Good Birding,
Carl Lundblad
Moscow, Idaho