Excellent birds, Stoddard!

Pinyon/Juniper (PJ) is one of the habitats in western Colorado that I miss
most, and of course the birds that come with it. According to my Trees in
Idaho (Brough and Weber, 1997), pg 80, pinyon pine occurs in only two
counties of Idaho: Cassia and Franklin. Therefore we try to hit those
locations every year. Yeehah. =)

FWIW, Larry

From: ible@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Stoddard Davenport s_g_davenport@hotmail.com [ible]
Sent: Monday, June 19, 2017 12:02 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IBLE] Oneida & Cassia County highlights: Northern Mockingbird,
Lark Bunting, Blue Grosbeak

Hi birders,

Saturday afternoon Ellen and I headed out to camp at Curlew Campground
(Curlew National Grasslands) and bird around Oneida and Cassia counties.
Saturday evening didn’t turn up anything too interesting, but Sunday was
much better. My apologies for the tardiness of this report – we had very
little cell service over the weekend and got home pretty late last night.

First, we searched the Stone Hills for Scott’s Orioles. No luck on this
trip. Although we succeeded in 2014 and 2015, our batting average has gone
down quite a bit since then. We tried on 6/5, 7/2, 7/4 of 2016, and have
tried on 5/13, 5/14, 5/21, 6/17, and 6/18 so far this year and have not had
any success yet. The May dates were likely a bit early, but we’ve been
trying to figure out how early in the year they typically arrive. After
studying the typical amount of time typically required for pair formation,
nest building, incubation, fledging, etc. in Birds of North America, and
comparing that to the dates people have reported seeing juveniles in past
years, I’d guess that they typically arrive sometime between 5/15 and 6/9,
but the earliest date confirmed so far in eBird is 6/9. On a positive note,
the road that drops down into the Stone Hills looks like its had some work
done on it this spring and it’s actually in pretty good shape right now.
Additionally, I’m not sure how long it will stay this way but so far the
gate has been unlocked every time we’ve been this year – I think the cattle
that had been grazing in there have been moved over to another nearby plot.
With the road repairs, not having to mess with the fence, and the lower
temps this spring, it’s been much more pleasant to visit the area than past
years.

Our best find in the area was a Northern Mockingbird (lousy pictures are on
our eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37682805). They
don’t seem to be particularly unusual for the area, but are always a treat
to see in Idaho. This is our fifth time finding Northern Mockingbirds in the
area, and they’ve all been probably within 1/2 a mile of the same area each
time (42.05298,-112.8226.)

Next, we headed towards City of Rocks with a detour through the area along
Narrows Road (just east of Almo) that had a Blue Grosbeak a couple of weeks
ago. Just 10 minutes or so before we got to that area we were treated to a
surprise Lark Bunting on Stanrod Road. The exact location is in the map link
from our eBird checklist (http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37682809).
Unfortunately we were moving pretty quick on a gravel road and couldn’t come
to a stop before we passed (and flushed) the bird. When we did get stopped
we saw it again briefly on the top of a sagebrush further out on the east
side of the road before it dropped to the ground and we lost track of it.

Next, we were able to re-find the Blue Grosbeak that had been reported a
couple of weeks ago along Narrows Road. I think the first report was on 6/3,
and the last report (before yesterday) was 6/6, and I wasn’t sure if that
was because it had moved along or because nobody had been back since 6/6,
but it looks like the latter. That makes at least 2 weeks for this bird in
the same location. Hopefully it’s got a lady friend somewhere nearby and is
planning to stay put for the summer. Photos and the exact location can be
found in our eBird checklist
(http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37682810). We had a brief but
dissatisfying glimpse at Austin’s Blue Grosbeak from Big Cottonwood WMA last
year, but this encounter was much much more satisfying. You can also find a
few pictures of the bird on Flickr
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/102015389@N03/?). Many thanks to the original
finders of this great bird!

After that we spent the afternoon at Castle Rocks SP and City of Rocks. We
had lots of the usual pinyon/juniper/scrub specialties, which is always
enjoyable, but nothing really out of the ordinary. We were hoping for a
Pinyon Jay but didn’t find any.

Good birding!

Stoddard and Ellen Davenport

Boise

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OSFL speech impediment elucidated by one of my old birding buddies.

“I often get the hiccups after quickly drinking three beers!”

😉

From: Larry Arnold [mailto:larnold47@cableone.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2017 6:25 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Avalanche!!!

Of birds.. =)

Missy and I are home from our trek north of the 45th parallel. The
Panhandle is one of our favorite places in Idaho at this time of year, light
enough to use optics from 0430 hrs to 2130 hrs, feels other-worldly. Our
bird pile weighed in at 145 sp, of which 20 were year birds. Favorite
birding places included Smith Creek Rd, West Side Rd, Snow Creek Rd to Roman
Nose (all in Boundary County), Johnson Creek Rd from Clark Fork, Hoodoo
Valley (Bonner County), Moose Meadows, East Fork Rd, Freezeout (Latah
County), and Seven Devils Rd to Heaven’s Gate (Idaho County). Toppermost of
many trip highlights were these:

Boundary and Bonner Counties – Passerines were out in force! Flycatchers,
vireos, chickadees, nuthatches, thrushes, warblers, and northern finches.
Congratulations to you thrushes (all eight sp of you) for grabbing first
place among the songsters! =)

Seven Devils in Idaho County – Speaking of avalanches, road closures due to
snow slides are not always a bad thing, eh? The Seven Devils road to
Heaven’s Gate was blocked about two miles below Windy Saddle, forcing us to
hoof it upslope from there. We were rewarded with an extraordinarily scenic
hike (on par with the Sawtooths), no wind, no people, no vehicles on the
road, virtually no ambient noise, and *many* woodpeckers and corvids:
Red-naped Sapsucker 1, Hairy Woodpecker 6, Three-toed Woodpecker 5, Pileated
Woodpecker 1, Gray Jay 5 (about 150 m past mm 16), Steller’s Jay 3, and
Clark’s Nutcracker 10+. The Gray Jays started dropping hard little
pinecones on us! LOL. There was an Olive-sided Flycatcher / OSFL / with a
speech impediment, singing in four syllables instead of the usual three,
sounding kind of like a hiccup in the middle of its 3rd syllable. LOL
again. I’ve heard OSFL singing in January in E Venezuela that sounded more
convincing than this guy. Mammals thereabouts (6800+ ft elevation) were
also a treat, e.g., Snow-shoe Hares and Loud-mouth Pikas.

Placerville area in Boise County – Several nighthawks at dusk (our FOY),
Flammulated Owl 1, Northern Saw-whet Owl 4, Veery 3, Swainson’s Thrush 2,
and Killdeer 1 (1130 pm). I think we were inspired by birders like Stoddard
who don’t know when to hit the sack. 😉

In celebration of Birthdays, Father’s Day, Feather Days.. this trek rivaled
our first pelagic trip out of Seward AK in search of puffins,
oystercatchers, kittiwakes, etc. (Father’s Day 1994)

Larry and Missy

Boise

Hi birders,

Saturday afternoon Ellen and I headed out to camp at Curlew Campground (Curlew National Grasslands) and bird around Oneida and Cassia counties. Saturday evening didn’t turn up anything too interesting, but Sunday was much better. My apologies for the tardiness of this report – we had very little cell service over the weekend and got home pretty late last night.

First, we searched the Stone Hills for Scott’s Orioles. No luck on this trip. Although we succeeded in 2014 and 2015, our batting average has gone down quite a bit since then. We tried on 6/5, 7/2, 7/4 of 2016, and have tried on 5/13, 5/14, 5/21, 6/17, and 6/18 so far this year and have not had any success yet. The May dates were likely a bit early, but we’ve been trying to figure out how early in the year they typically arrive. After studying the typical amount of time typically required for pair formation, nest building, incubation, fledging, etc. in Birds of North America, and comparing that to the dates people have reported seeing juveniles in past years, I’d guess that they typically arrive sometime between 5/15 and 6/9, but the earliest date confirmed so far in eBird is 6/9. On a positive note, the road that drops down into the Stone Hills looks like its had some work done on it this spring and it’s actually in pretty good shape right now. Additionally, I’m not sure how long it will stay this way but so far the gate has been unlocked every time we’ve been this year – I think the cattle that had been grazing in there have been moved over to another nearby plot. With the road repairs, not having to mess with the fence, and the lower temps this spring, it’s been much more pleasant to visit the area than past years.

Our best find in the area was a Northern Mockingbird (lousy pictures are on our eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37682805). They don’t seem to be particularly unusual for the area, but are always a treat to see in Idaho. This is our fifth time finding Northern Mockingbirds in the area, and they’ve all been probably within 1/2 a mile of the same area each time (42.05298,-112.8226.)

Next, we headed towards City of Rocks with a detour through the area along Narrows Road (just east of Almo) that had a Blue Grosbeak a couple of weeks ago. Just 10 minutes or so before we got to that area we were treated to a surprise Lark Bunting on Stanrod Road. The exact location is in the map link from our eBird checklist (http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37682809). Unfortunately we were moving pretty quick on a gravel road and couldn’t come to a stop before we passed (and flushed) the bird. When we did get stopped we saw it again briefly on the top of a sagebrush further out on the east side of the road before it dropped to the ground and we lost track of it.

Next, we were able to re-find the Blue Grosbeak that had been reported a couple of weeks ago along Narrows Road. I think the first report was on 6/3, and the last report (before yesterday) was 6/6, and I wasn’t sure if that was because it had moved along or because nobody had been back since 6/6, but it looks like the latter. That makes at least 2 weeks for this bird in the same location. Hopefully it’s got a lady friend somewhere nearby and is planning to stay put for the summer. Photos and the exact location can be found in our eBird checklist (http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37682810). We had a brief but dissatisfying glimpse at Austin’s Blue Grosbeak from Big Cottonwood WMA last year, but this encounter was much much more satisfying. You can also find a few pictures of the bird on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/102015389@N03/?). Many thanks to the original finders of this great bird!

After that we spent the afternoon at Castle Rocks SP and City of Rocks. We had lots of the usual pinyon/juniper/scrub specialties, which is always enjoyable, but nothing really out of the ordinary. We were hoping for a Pinyon Jay but didn’t find any.

Good birding!

Stoddard and Ellen Davenport

Boise

[https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/35408456285_d738cfc55d_q.jpg]
[https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4238/35408456285_d738cfc55d_b.jpg]
[https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4195/35279006961_ccc89caf60_q.jpg]
[https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4195/35279006961_ccc89caf60_b.jpg]
[https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/35408457905_3a8371205d_q.jpg]
[https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4255/35408457905_3a8371205d_b.jpg]
[https://farm1.staticflickr.com/565/32737174225_6c138312b3_q.jpg]
[https://farm1.staticflickr.com/565/32737174225_6c138312b3_b.jpg]
[https://farm1.staticflickr.com/339/32583763812_75e1351609_q.jpg]
[https://farm1.staticflickr.com/339/32583763812_75e1351609_b.jpg]
[https://farm1.staticflickr.com/667/31105814393_87f039d35a_q.jpg]
[https://farm1.staticflickr.com/667/31105814393_87f039d35a_b.jpg]
[https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5635/30020204433_8e4a69df67_q.jpg]
[https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5635/30020204433_8e4a69df67_b.jpg]
[https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5758/30565899021_45f158aaec_q.jpg]
[https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5758/30565899021_45f158aaec_b.jpg]

Um, I meant Placerville in Boise County..

From: Larry Arnold [mailto:larnold47@cableone.net]
Sent: Sunday, June 18, 2017 6:25 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Avalanche!!!

Of birds.. =)

Missy and I are home from our trek north of the 45th parallel. The
Panhandle is one of our favorite places in Idaho at this time of year, light
enough to use optics from 0430 hrs to 2130 hrs, feels other-worldly. Our
bird pile weighed in at 145 sp, of which 20 were year birds. Favorite
birding places included Smith Creek Rd, West Side Rd, Snow Creek Rd to Roman
Nose (all in Boundary County), Johnson Creek Rd from Clark Fork, Hoodoo
Valley (Bonner County), Moose Meadows, East Fork Rd, Freezeout (Latah
County), and Seven Devils Rd to Heaven’s Gate (Idaho County). Toppermost of
many trip highlights were these:

Boundary and Bonner Counties – Passerines were out in force! Flycatchers,
vireos, chickadees, nuthatches, thrushes, warblers, and northern finches.
Congratulations to you thrushes (all 8 sp of you) for grabbing first place
among the songsters! =)

Seven Devils in Idaho County – Speaking of avalanches, road closures due to
snow slides are not always a bad thing, eh? The Seven Devils road to
Heaven’s Gate was blocked about two miles below Windy Saddle, forcing us to
hoof it upslope from there. We were rewarded with an extraordinarily scenic
hike (on par with the Sawtooths), no wind, no people, no vehicles on the
road, virtually no ambient noise, and *many* woodpeckers and corvids:
Red-naped Sapsucker 1, Hairy Woodpecker 6, Three-toed Woodpecker 5, Pileated
Woodpecker 1, Gray Jay 5 (about 150 m past mm 16), Steller’s Jay 3, and
Clark’s Nutcracker 10+. The Gray Jays started dropping hard little
pinecones on us! LOL. There was an Olive-sided Flycatcher / OSFL / with a
speech impediment, singing in four syllables instead of the usual three,
sounding kind of like a hiccup in the middle of its 3rd syllable. LOL
again. I’ve heard OSFL singing in January in E Venezuela that sounded more
convincing than this guy. Mammals thereabouts (6800+ ft elevation) were
also a treat, e.g., Snow-shoe Hares and Loud-mouth Pikas.

Placerville area in Valley County – Several nighthawks at dusk (our FOY),
Flammulated Owl 1, Northern Saw-whet Owl 4, Veery 3, Swainson’s Thrush 2,
and Killdeer 1 (1130 pm). I think we were inspired by birders like Stoddard
who don’t know when to hit the sack. 😉

In celebration of Birthdays, Father’s Day, Feather Days.. this trek rivaled
our first pelagic trip out of Seward AK in search of puffins,
oystercatchers, kittiwakes, etc. (1994)

Larry and Missy

Boise

Of birds.. =)

Missy and I are home from our trek north of the 45th parallel. The
Panhandle is one of our favorite places in Idaho at this time of year, light
enough to use optics from 0430 hrs to 2130 hrs, feels other-worldly. Our
bird pile weighed in at 145 sp, of which 20 were year birds. Favorite
birding places included Smith Creek Rd, West Side Rd, Snow Creek Rd to Roman
Nose (all in Boundary County), Johnson Creek Rd from Clark Fork, Hoodoo
Valley (Bonner County), Moose Meadows, East Fork Rd, Freezeout (Latah
County), and Seven Devils Rd to Heaven’s Gate (Idaho County). Toppermost of
many trip highlights were these:

Boundary and Bonner Counties – Passerines were out in force! Flycatchers,
vireos, chickadees, nuthatches, thrushes, warblers, and northern finches.
Congratulations to you thrushes (all 8 sp of you) for grabbing first place
among the songsters! =)

Seven Devils in Idaho County – Speaking of avalanches, road closures due to
snow slides are not always a bad thing, eh? The Seven Devils road to
Heaven’s Gate was blocked about two miles below Windy Saddle, forcing us to
hoof it upslope from there. We were rewarded with an extraordinarily scenic
hike (on par with the Sawtooths), no wind, no people, no vehicles on the
road, virtually no ambient noise, and *many* woodpeckers and corvids:
Red-naped Sapsucker 1, Hairy Woodpecker 6, Three-toed Woodpecker 5, Pileated
Woodpecker 1, Gray Jay 5 (about 150 m past mm 16), Steller’s Jay 3, and
Clark’s Nutcracker 10+. The Gray Jays started dropping hard little
pinecones on us! LOL. There was an Olive-sided Flycatcher / OSFL / with a
speech impediment, singing in four syllables instead of the usual three,
sounding kind of like a hiccup in the middle of its 3rd syllable. LOL
again. I’ve heard OSFL singing in January in E Venezuela that sounded more
convincing than this guy. Mammals thereabouts (6800+ ft elevation) were
also a treat, e.g., Snow-shoe Hares and Loud-mouth Pikas.

Placerville area in Valley County – Several nighthawks at dusk (our FOY),
Flammulated Owl 1, Northern Saw-whet Owl 4, Veery 3, Swainson’s Thrush 2,
and Killdeer 1 (1130 pm). I think we were inspired by birders like Stoddard
who don’t know when to hit the sack. 😉

In celebration of Birthdays, Father’s Day, Feather Days.. this trek rivaled
our first pelagic trip out of Seward AK in search of puffins,
oystercatchers, kittiwakes, etc. (1994)

Larry and Missy

Boise

Yesterday June 17, on my weekly bird survey of the Packsaddle Subdivision in the foothills of the Big Hole Mountains in the NW corner of Teton Valley, I observed a flicker with distinctly yellow under the wings and and tail. It had a black patch on the chest, a red crescent on the nape and a red mustache. Also the Spotted Towhee is still around singing away, a rare sighting here in the valley. Complete list below. Susan Patla, Tetonia

Packsaddle Estates, Teton, Idaho, US
Jun 17, 2017 8:05 AM – 10:05 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.5 mile(s)
Comments: Walked the upper road above our house down to Packsaddle Creek and returned on the middle road. Breezy, overcast day. 56 deg at end of walk.
37 species (+1 other taxa)

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 1
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) 1 calling
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) 6
Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) 3 males still displaying
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1 Hybrid Yellow-shafted/Red-shafted male. Had yellow underwings and tail, red-crescent on nape and red mustache. Could not get a good photo.
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) (Colaptes auratus [cafer Group]) 2
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 1
Western Wood-Pewee (Contopus sordidulus) 1
Dusky Flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri) 4 all singing
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 8 all singing; scattered throughout the area
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 2
Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis) 3
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 2
Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) X did not see on my walk but they are in neighborhood
Swainson’s Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) 2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 10
Gray Catbird (Dumetella carolinensis) 2
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) 1
MacGillivray’s Warbler (Geothlypis tolmiei) 2
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) (Setophaga coronata auduboni) 4
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 1
Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 2
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 1
Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus) 1
Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus) 5
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) 1 Have seen this individual bird for over a month in the same location. Have photos and recording of sound.
Western Tanager (Piranga ludoviciana) 1
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) 3
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 4
Bullock’s Oriole (Icterus bullockii) 1
Cassin’s Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) 3
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) 6
Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) 1

http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S37666391

Kathleen Cameron reports (8:15 AM):

“The Y-b Cuckoo is present and Vern Tunnell, Jean Seymour, Kathy Eklund
and I are watching it. We are on West Magic Road where it was first seen.”

Lisa

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

I was there about 9:45am for a couple of hours. A few other birders also showed up. I didn’t see or hear either of them. It was pretty windy.

Kathy Lopez
Nampa, ID

> On Jun 17, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Stoddard Davenport s_g_davenport@hotmail.com [ible] wrote:
>
> No sign of either bird this morning, but I didn’t hang out as long as yesterday, so if you’re more patient (less sleepy) than I am your luck may differ. Good luck to whoever
> heads this way today!
>
> Stoddard Davenport
> Boise
>
> Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone
>
>
> ——– Original message ——–
> From: “Stoddard Davenport s_g_davenport@hotmail.com [ible]”
> Date: 6/17/17 4:49 AM (GMT-07:00)
> To: Jay Carlisle , IBLE To Post
> Subject: RE: [IBLE] BT Pigeon & YB Cuckoo S of Magic Reservoir
>
>
> You guys are awesome, thanks for getting out there and documenting so many cool birds every year!
>
> I spent the last 2.5 hours of daylight listening for YBCU along the road wherever there were decent pullouts. There was a light drizzle when I arrived that let up soon thereafter, and came back for a little while an hour later. Most of the time it was a little breezy and overcast, but not raining. BNA says the kowlp call is the one heard most often, but it’s rarely given more than once in ten minutes, so if I hadn’t seen your report earlier in the day I wouldn’t have had the patience to wait for one to call within ear shot.
>
> Two times out of 2.5 hours I thought I heard a ka-ka-ka-kowlp call, and one of those was really convincing. It was somewhat distant relative to where I was parked but the trees it sounded like it was calling from were close to the road, so I drove closer to where I thought I’d heard it. I didn’t have a visual yet but when I got out of the car I saw a bird of approximately the right size and shape flush out of the back side of a cottonwood, and fly across the river, disappearing into the understory somewhere around here: 43.2056,-114.346.
>
> In flight I mostly saw the back but did see flashes of white on the underside. The back showed fairly uniform brown except for the rufous in the wings. The wings seemed slender and came to a point. Tail was long and slender but ended bluntly. Not the most satisfying encounter, so will be trying again at first light. Hopefully the higher calling frequency in the morning will make this a tiny but easier.
>
> I also thought I might have heard the Band-tailed Pigeon’s guttural/grunting call, but according to BNA that call is mostly given in response to close proximity to other pigeons (feeding closely together, perched close on a branch, unwanted mating attempts, etc.) which seemed like an unlikely scenario away from normal range/habitat. I’ll just assume I heard some kind of weird nestling/begging sound and not a pigeon, and will try again in the morning.
>
> Next, because I was traveling alone on this trip (usually have Ellen and the kids with me) and wasn’t sleepy yet I headed over to Silver Creek Preserve and found both Long-eared and Short-eared Owls out and about.
>
> Still not sleepy, (and trying to make the most of not having to factor kids into the logistics,) I headed up to the woods behind Lake Alturus where I’d heard of a Barred Owl that was reported to have been calling one night sometime in the past few summers. With limited internet access while on the road I wasn’t able to re-find that report to confirm the details. I parked at the end of the dirt road that goes past Lake Alturus where it terminates in a parking area / trailhead. I spent an hour listening and didn’t hear a Barred but did hear a couple of Northern Saw-whets and a Great Gray.
>
> I’m looking forward to seeing if there are going to be any early risers out here in the morning looking for the cuckoo or pigeon. I’ll be here probably until 7 or 8.
>
> Good birding!
> Stoddard Davenport
> Boise
>
>
> Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone
>
>
> ——– Original message ——–
> From: “Jay Carlisle carlislejay@yahoo.com [ible]”
> Date: 6/16/17 4:14 PM (GMT-07:00)
> To: IBLE To Post
> Subject: Re: [IBLE] BT Pigeon & YB Cuckoo S of Magic Reservoir
>
>
> I neglected to mention that the area we surveyed is a parcel of BLM land but there is private mixed in. Thus, unless you have a property layer on your GPS (like the “Hunt & Fish” chips), likely best to view/listen from the road – and both the pigeon and cuckoo were observable from the road (though the cuckoo was much more secretive and we only knew it was there from the call). There is a good amount of traffic, especially by 7am, but there are places to safely pull over.
>
> Jay
>
>
> On Friday, June 16, 2017 12:05 PM, “Jay Carlisle carlislejay@yahoo.com [ible]” wrote:
>
>
>
> [Attachment(s) from Jay Carlisle included below]
> This morning we (Intermountain Bird Observatory, with Austin of Idaho Fish & Game joining us) performed our first standardized Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveys of the summer. Happily, we had a cuckoo respond on our 5th survey point!! Then, as a bonus, Austin found & photographed a Band-tailed Pigeon in a cottonwood along W Magic Rd.
>
> Here are pictures (from Austin’s camera screen 🙂
>
>
>
>
>
> We already submitted an eBird list as we wanted to get the word out soon but are just now finishing our morning of surveys & have time to provide details.
>
> As a reminder, since the western distinct population segment of Yellow-billed Cuckoo was listed as threatened a couple years ago, a US Fish & Wildlife Service permit is required for any use of playback for this species (which we possess for these surveys). Thus, people are welcome to look for the cuckoo but not use playback. The pigeon was seen from the road at ~43.2023 -114.3413.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jay
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>
>

No sign of either bird this morning, but I didn’t hang out as long as yesterday, so if you’re more patient (less sleepy) than I am your luck may differ. Good luck to whoever
heads this way today!

Stoddard Davenport
Boise

Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone

——– Original message ——–
From: “Stoddard Davenport s_g_davenport@hotmail.com [ible]”
Date: 6/17/17 4:49 AM (GMT-07:00)
To: Jay Carlisle , IBLE To Post
Subject: RE: [IBLE] BT Pigeon & YB Cuckoo S of Magic Reservoir

You guys are awesome, thanks for getting out there and documenting so many cool birds every year!

I spent the last 2.5 hours of daylight listening for YBCU along the road wherever there were decent pullouts. There was a light drizzle when I arrived that let up soon thereafter, and came back for a little while an hour later. Most of the time it was a little breezy and overcast, but not raining. BNA says the kowlp call is the one heard most often, but it’s rarely given more than once in ten minutes, so if I hadn’t seen your report earlier in the day I wouldn’t have had the patience to wait for one to call within ear shot.

Two times out of 2.5 hours I thought I heard a ka-ka-ka-kowlp call, and one of those was really convincing. It was somewhat distant relative to where I was parked but the trees it sounded like it was calling from were close to the road, so I drove closer to where I thought I’d heard it. I didn’t have a visual yet but when I got out of the car I saw a bird of approximately the right size and shape flush out of the back side of a cottonwood, and fly across the river, disappearing into the understory somewhere around here: 43.2056,-114.346.

In flight I mostly saw the back but did see flashes of white on the underside. The back showed fairly uniform brown except for the rufous in the wings. The wings seemed slender and came to a point. Tail was long and slender but ended bluntly. Not the most satisfying encounter, so will be trying again at first light. Hopefully the higher calling frequency in the morning will make this a tiny but easier.

I also thought I might have heard the Band-tailed Pigeon’s guttural/grunting call, but according to BNA that call is mostly given in response to close proximity to other pigeons (feeding closely together, perched close on a branch, unwanted mating attempts, etc.) which seemed like an unlikely scenario away from normal range/habitat. I’ll just assume I heard some kind of weird nestling/begging sound and not a pigeon, and will try again in the morning.

Next, because I was traveling alone on this trip (usually have Ellen and the kids with me) and wasn’t sleepy yet I headed over to Silver Creek Preserve and found both Long-eared and Short-eared Owls out and about.

Still not sleepy, (and trying to make the most of not having to factor kids into the logistics,) I headed up to the woods behind Lake Alturus where I’d heard of a Barred Owl that was reported to have been calling one night sometime in the past few summers. With limited internet access while on the road I wasn’t able to re-find that report to confirm the details. I parked at the end of the dirt road that goes past Lake Alturus where it terminates in a parking area / trailhead. I spent an hour listening and didn’t hear a Barred but did hear a couple of Northern Saw-whets and a Great Gray.

I’m looking forward to seeing if there are going to be any early risers out here in the morning looking for the cuckoo or pigeon. I’ll be here probably until 7 or 8.

Good birding!
Stoddard Davenport
Boise

Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone

——– Original message ——–
From: “Jay Carlisle carlislejay@yahoo.com [ible]”
Date: 6/16/17 4:14 PM (GMT-07:00)
To: IBLE To Post
Subject: Re: [IBLE] BT Pigeon & YB Cuckoo S of Magic Reservoir

I neglected to mention that the area we surveyed is a parcel of BLM land but there is private mixed in. Thus, unless you have a property layer on your GPS (like the “Hunt & Fish” chips), likely best to view/listen from the road – and both the pigeon and cuckoo were observable from the road (though the cuckoo was much more secretive and we only knew it was there from the call). There is a good amount of traffic, especially by 7am, but there are places to safely pull over.

Jay

On Friday, June 16, 2017 12:05 PM, “Jay Carlisle carlislejay@yahoo.com [ible]” wrote:

[Attachment(s) from Jay Carlisle included below]
This morning we (Intermountain Bird Observatory, with Austin of Idaho Fish & Game joining us) performed our first standardized Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveys of the summer. Happily, we had a cuckoo respond on our 5th survey point!! Then, as a bonus, Austin found & photographed a Band-tailed Pigeon in a cottonwood along W Magic Rd.

Here are pictures (from Austin’s camera screen 🙂

We already submitted an eBird list as we wanted to get the word out soon but are just now finishing our morning of surveys & have time to provide details.

As a reminder, since the western distinct population segment of Yellow-billed Cuckoo was listed as threatened a couple years ago, a US Fish & Wildlife Service permit is required for any use of playback for this species (which we possess for these surveys). Thus, people are welcome to look for the cuckoo but not use playback. The pigeon was seen from the road at ~43.2023 -114.3413.

Thanks,

Jay

Sent from my iPhone

You guys are awesome, thanks for getting out there and documenting so many cool birds every year!

I spent the last 2.5 hours of daylight listening for YBCU along the road wherever there were decent pullouts. There was a light drizzle when I arrived that let up soon thereafter, and came back for a little while an hour later. Most of the time it was a little breezy and overcast, but not raining. BNA says the kowlp call is the one heard most often, but it’s rarely given more than once in ten minutes, so if I hadn’t seen your report earlier in the day I wouldn’t have had the patience to wait for one to call within ear shot.

Two times out of 2.5 hours I thought I heard a ka-ka-ka-kowlp call, and one of those was really convincing. It was somewhat distant relative to where I was parked but the trees it sounded like it was calling from were close to the road, so I drove closer to where I thought I’d heard it. I didn’t have a visual yet but when I got out of the car I saw a bird of approximately the right size and shape flush out of the back side of a cottonwood, and fly across the river, disappearing into the understory somewhere around here: 43.2056,-114.346.

In flight I mostly saw the back but did see flashes of white on the underside. The back showed fairly uniform brown except for the rufous in the wings. The wings seemed slender and came to a point. Tail was long and slender but ended bluntly. Not the most satisfying encounter, so will be trying again at first light. Hopefully the higher calling frequency in the morning will make this a tiny but easier.

I also thought I might have heard the Band-tailed Pigeon’s guttural/grunting call, but according to BNA that call is mostly given in response to close proximity to other pigeons (feeding closely together, perched close on a branch, unwanted mating attempts, etc.) which seemed like an unlikely scenario away from normal range/habitat. I’ll just assume I heard some kind of weird nestling/begging sound and not a pigeon, and will try again in the morning.

Next, because I was traveling alone on this trip (usually have Ellen and the kids with me) and wasn’t sleepy yet I headed over to Silver Creek Preserve and found both Long-eared and Short-eared Owls out and about.

Still not sleepy, (and trying to make the most of not having to factor kids into the logistics,) I headed up to the woods behind Lake Alturus where I’d heard of a Barred Owl that was reported to have been calling one night sometime in the past few summers. With limited internet access while on the road I wasn’t able to re-find that report to confirm the details. I parked at the end of the dirt road that goes past Lake Alturus where it terminates in a parking area / trailhead. I spent an hour listening and didn’t hear a Barred but did hear a couple of Northern Saw-whets and a Great Gray.

I’m looking forward to seeing if there are going to be any early risers out here in the morning looking for the cuckoo or pigeon. I’ll be here probably until 7 or 8.

Good birding!
Stoddard Davenport
Boise

Sent from my Verizon 4G LTE smartphone

——– Original message ——–
From: “Jay Carlisle carlislejay@yahoo.com [ible]”
Date: 6/16/17 4:14 PM (GMT-07:00)
To: IBLE To Post
Subject: Re: [IBLE] BT Pigeon & YB Cuckoo S of Magic Reservoir

I neglected to mention that the area we surveyed is a parcel of BLM land but there is private mixed in. Thus, unless you have a property layer on your GPS (like the “Hunt & Fish” chips), likely best to view/listen from the road – and both the pigeon and cuckoo were observable from the road (though the cuckoo was much more secretive and we only knew it was there from the call). There is a good amount of traffic, especially by 7am, but there are places to safely pull over.

Jay

On Friday, June 16, 2017 12:05 PM, “Jay Carlisle carlislejay@yahoo.com [ible]” wrote:

[Attachment(s) from Jay Carlisle included below]
This morning we (Intermountain Bird Observatory, with Austin of Idaho Fish & Game joining us) performed our first standardized Yellow-billed Cuckoo surveys of the summer. Happily, we had a cuckoo respond on our 5th survey point!! Then, as a bonus, Austin found & photographed a Band-tailed Pigeon in a cottonwood along W Magic Rd.

Here are pictures (from Austin’s camera screen 🙂

We already submitted an eBird list as we wanted to get the word out soon but are just now finishing our morning of surveys & have time to provide details.

As a reminder, since the western distinct population segment of Yellow-billed Cuckoo was listed as threatened a couple years ago, a US Fish & Wildlife Service permit is required for any use of playback for this species (which we possess for these surveys). Thus, people are welcome to look for the cuckoo but not use playback. The pigeon was seen from the road at ~43.2023 -114.3413.

Thanks,

Jay

Sent from my iPhone