[IBLE] Benewah County Big Day, 5/13/17

 

Hi All,

This past Saturday (5/13), in celebration of the eBird global big day and International Migratory Bird Day, Jon Isacoff and I did a Benewah County Big Day. We ended up with 102 species (plus several provisional but unconfirmed species) and submitted 20 complete eBird checklists. We only had a few major misses, namely Pygmy Nuthatch and any hummingbird species. We also missed Bank Swallow and Belted Kingfisher (but these may be tough in the county at this time) and only had 3 shorebird species (killdeer, snipe, and Spotted Sandpiper). The main highlights included a large number (for the area) of White Pelicans (max ~60 in one flock), vocalizing Red-necked Grebes, Caspian Terns (2 on Benewah Lake), a good variety of waterfowl (15 species), Sora, Virginia Rail, and Marsh Wren (Plummer Creek Marsh), Say’s Phoebe (tougher going north in Idaho), and most of the expected (for this time) neotropical migrant breeders. We covered areas in the northern part of Benewah County including the Minaloosa Valley, a good portion of Heyburn State Park, and the St. Maries sewage ponds (east and west) and airport. We also covered some higher elevation areas to ~5000′ or so up Reeds Gulch Rd. (the road up to St. Joe Baldy)  where we also had the excitement of changing a flat tire in sleet! All in all a fun day with a lot of bird species in a fairly reasonable amount of driving. Complete list is below and eBird checklists available on the eBird under Benewah County here: http://ebird.org/ebird/subnational2/US-ID-009/activity?yr=cur&m=

thanks, Charles.
Benewah County Big Day list, 5/13/17
** note that 1 indicates seen (i.e. = x)

Canada Goose (moffitti/maxima)  1
Wood Duck  1
Gadwall  1
Mallard (Northern)  1
Blue-winged Teal  1
Cinnamon Teal  1
Northern Shoveler  1
Green-winged Teal (American)  1
Redhead  1
Ring-necked Duck  1
Lesser Scaup  1
Bufflehead  1
Common Goldeneye  1
Common Merganser  3
Ruddy Duck  1
California Quail  1
Ring-necked Pheasant  1
Ruffed Grouse  1
Wild Turkey  1
Common Loon  1
Red-necked Grebe  1
Western Grebe  1
Double-crested Cormorant  1
American White Pelican  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  1
Cooper’s Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-tailed Hawk (calurus/alascensis)  1
Virginia Rail  1
Sora  1
American Coot  1
Killdeer  1
Wilson’s Snipe  1
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Ring-billed Gull  2
Caspian Tern  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1
Eurasian Collared-Dove  1
Mourning Dove  1
Vaux’s Swift  1
Red-naped Sapsucker  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Pileated Woodpecker  1
American Kestrel  1
Hammond’s Flycatcher  1
Dusky Flycatcher  1
Say’s Phoebe  1
Cassin’s Vireo  1
Warbling Vireo  1
Steller’s Jay  1
Black-billed Magpie  1
American Crow  1
Common Raven  1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1
Tree Swallow  1
Violet-green Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  1
Cliff Swallow  1
Black-capped Chickadee  1
Mountain Chickadee  1
Chestnut-backed Chickadee  1
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Brown Creeper  1
House Wren  1
Pacific Wren  1
Marsh Wren  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
Townsend’s Solitaire  1
American Robin  1
European Starling  1
Northern Waterthrush  1
Orange-crowned Warbler  1
MacGillivray’s Warbler  1
Common Yellowthroat  1
Yellow Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  1
Townsend’s Warbler  1
Chipping Sparrow  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)  1
Savannah Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1
Spotted Towhee  1
Western Tanager  1
Black-headed Grosbeak  1
Red-winged Blackbird  1
Western Meadowlark  1
Yellow-headed Blackbird  1
Brewer’s Blackbird  1
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
House Finch  1
Cassin’s Finch  1
Red Crossbill  1
Pine Siskin  1
American Goldfinch  1
Evening Grosbeak  1
House Sparrow  1

Charles Swift

Moscow, Idaho
chaetura@gmail.com

[IBLE] Hummingbird

This morning 5/16 a Black-chinned Hummingbird visted my nectar feeder.
Yesterday I noticed the liquid level had decreased in the past few days. I
moved it to where I would see it more often. Just before 9:30 this morning
a male Black-chinned showed up to feed. He checked the Heuchera nearby, but
the blossoms are not open quite yet, so he zoomed away.

[IBLE] Fw: eBird Report – Teton Valley, Packsaddle Teton County

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: “ebird-checklist@cornell.edu” <ebird-checklist@cornell.edu>
To: susanpatla@yahoo.com
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2017 10:51 PM
Subject: eBird Report – Packsaddle Estates, May 15, 2017

Comments: Walked from the house around the upper loop back up Grandview Drive to home. 45 deg start, calm
35 species

Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) 1 heard drumming
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) 1
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) 2
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis) 1 heard one call in field below subdivision
Broad-tailed Hummingbird (Selasphorus platycercus) 6
Calliope Hummingbird (Selasphorus calliope) 2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) 1
Dusky Flycatcher (Empidonax oberholseri) 3
Steller’s Jay (Cyanocitta stelleri) 1
Common Raven (Corvus corax) 2
Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) 2
Violet-green Swallow (Tachycineta thalassina) 2
Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) 2
Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli) 3
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) 6
Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides) 1
Townsend’s Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi) 1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius) 12
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 1
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata) 1 FOY
Yellow Warbler (Setophaga petechia) 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) (Setophaga coronata auduboni) 4 all males
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) X one flock of over 15, scattered singles
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) 1 heard one sing briefly from thick shrubs
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) X
White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys) 1
Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus) 10
Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus) 1 only second one I have seen in neighborhood in over 15 years
Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) 1 FOY
Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) 2
Cassin’s Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) X many, at feeders, singing from conifers
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) X many coming to feeder
Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) 1

Packsaddle Estates, Teton, Idaho, US
May 15, 2017 8:15 AM – 9:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)

View this checklist online at ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S36897992

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (ebird.org<ebird.org/>)
[http://ebird.org/content/ebird/wp-content/uploads/sites/55/33600231.jpg]<ebird.org/>

eBird<ebird.org/>
ebird.org
Last month brought two major milestones for eBird, amazingly each of the same bird species! On 8 April, Bill Thompson submitted a checklist from Massachusetts that …

[IBLE] spring migration rocks!

Maybe because it’s spring and birds are everywhere that more posting is to
be expected? But *eyiyi* there have been some fun postings on IBLE
recently! Thank you Scott, Brian, Jason, Cliff, Zeke, Kim, Tom, and..
Wendy, you are a very welcome addition to Idaho and to IBLE. =)

Missy and I have just returned home from our SE Idaho walkabout for year
birds. For the most part, roads were in good shape with few closures due to
washouts, lingering snow cover, and downed trees. But I gotta say, birding
riparian areas by ear was a challenge with the increased ambient noise due
to spring runoff (at historic levels across S Idaho?)

Some trip stats:

Counties we birded: Power, Bannock, Bingham, Jefferson, Teton, Caribou,
Bear Lake

eBirds lists we entered: 23

Species we found: 154

Idaho year birds: 23

We dipped on a few hopeful targets, including Cattle Egret, some woodpecker
and flycatcher species, Catbird, and Wilson’s Wobbler, but..

Toppermost were these:

Roaming around Sterling WMA is always fun: very little traffic,
interesting/unexpected patches of habitat, lots of birds, and nearly always
some unexpected species.

With shorebird migration winding down and passerine migration ramping up, we
were happy with 14 sp of shorebirds, including Black-bellied Plover at two
locations.

We also found American Bittern at two locations, and were thrilled with our
“close encounter” yesterday at Bear Lake, as in Close!

Grays Lake and Bear Lake are always amazing for their Sandhill Cranes and
Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

Two Black Terns this morning at Alexander Reservoir provided a sweet grand
finale!

There were many moments when/where we just wanted to sit back and chill.. to
soak up the varied avian orchestrations, of which there were many! =)

Good boid’n!

Larry Arnold, Boise

[IBLE] Sparrows and Warblers and Flycatchers! Oh my!

Wendy,

Nice to see regular reports from the Challis area. Thanks for posting.
I wanted to make a brief comment on the subspecies of White-crowned
Sparrows you’re seeing right now. Oriantha is our regular breeding ssp
in Idaho. Gambell’s is the northern breeding subspecies that winters
here. There are others reporting late White-crowned Sparrows at
locations where they don’t breed and your observation is another example
of late departure for this species. Kind of odd considering the early
arrival of spring in most of the state. A nice example of why it can be
instructive to identify subspecies when possible.

Cliff

On 05/14/2017 11:45 PM, damnempid damnempid@yahoo.com [ible] wrote:
> Greetings, Birders!
>
> This winter storm dumped large numbers of sparrows in the Challis and
> Mackay area. At the Land of the Yankee Fork SP, /oriantha
> /White-crowned Sparrows mixed in with the usual Gambel’s. Chipping
> Sparrows numbers jumped from a few to 20 overnight. Today near Mackay
> and the reservoir, there was a flock of about 40 along the highway and
> more working through the brush around the reservoir. Vesper Sparrows
> were singing up a storm along the road up to the Mt. Borah trailhead
> before the storm and flushing from alongside the road yesterday in the
> snow. Today, they were hard to come by. Lark Sparrows are popping up
> with their pretty little faces as well.
> Large numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers are in the Challis area with
> some flocks numbering up to 40. Yellow Warblers were singing and
> chasing each other around at the Bayhorse Recreation Area on Hwy 75.
> I’ve heard one or two singing in most riparian areas I’ve visited
> recently. A nice surprise was a Black-throated Gray that zoomed
> through at Bayhorse Rec Area on Friday.
> Flycatchers are coming in with Dusky and Hammond’s Flycatchers for
> Global Big Day on Saturday and a Gray today. It was also fun to watch
> a Western Wood-pewee foraging for bugs yesterday in the heavy snow
> falling at Mackay Reservoir.
> Since we have no way to fence a yard, we opted not to put feeders up
> by our RV at the park. As a result, we seem to be missing out on the
> grosbeaks and buntings. I’ve had one singing Black-headed Grosbeak and
> a few scattered Western Tanagers but no Lazuli Buntings or hummers yet.
>
> Good birding,
> Wendy McCrady
> Challis, ID
>


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

[IBLE] Sparrows and Warblers and Flycatchers! Oh my!

Greetings, Birders!
This winter storm dumped large numbers of sparrowsin the Challis and Mackay area. At the Land of the Yankee Fork SP, oriantha White-crowned Sparrows mixed inwith the usual Gambel’s. Chipping Sparrows numbers jumped from a few to 20overnight. Today near Mackay and the reservoir, there was a flock of about 40along the highway and more working through the brush around the reservoir.Vesper Sparrows were singing up a storm along the road up to the Mt. Borahtrailhead before the storm and flushing from alongside the road yesterday inthe snow. Today, they were hard to come by. Lark Sparrows are popping up withtheir pretty little faces as well.

 
Large numbers of Yellow-rumped Warblers are inthe Challis area with some flocks numbering up to 40. Yellow Warblers weresinging and chasing each other around at the Bayhorse Recreation Area on Hwy 75.I’ve heard one or two singing in most riparian areas I’ve visited recently. Anice surprise was a Black-throated Gray that zoomed through at Bayhorse RecArea on Friday.

 
Flycatchers are coming in with Dusky andHammond’s Flycatchers for Global Big Day on Saturday and a Gray today. It was alsofun to watch a Western Wood-pewee foraging for bugs yesterday in the heavy snowfalling at Mackay Reservoir.

 
Since we have no way to fence a yard, we optednot to put feeders up by our RV at the park. As a result, we seem to be missingout on the grosbeaks and buntings. I’ve had one singing Black-headed Grosbeakand a few scattered Western Tanagers but no Lazuli Buntings or hummers yet. 

Good birding,Wendy McCradyChallis, ID

[IBLE] Spring Migration Continues – North Boise

Spring migration continues here in the Highlands/North End of Boise. Observations over the last few days.

* With the cold spell starting Friday night Lazuli Buntings have piled up again after their numbers dropped in mid last week. I have seen up to 15 males at my feeders at one time. Females are still in the minority with about 80% +/- of the birds I see being males.
* Similar with hummingbirds which by now are almost all Black-chinned. The Rufous push lasted just 2-3 days back at the end of April. I have seen Calliopes scattered in among the Black-chinned, maybe one or two a day including one today. Of the Black-chinned also still 70-80% are males coming into the feeders. I was really worried after the cold front came through last Thursday night as I didn’t see any birds at the feeders until around noon-ish on Friday. Not sure if they had to thaw out before they could fly or what was going on. On Thursday last week I also had a flyby of a hummingbird, that based on the wing noise, could have been a Broad-tailed. Based on range maps they are rare to uncommon here in southwest Idaho, but I have had them before. Maybe 2-3 sightings I feel confident about in my 23 years here at this house.
* Friday morning also brought the first Black-headed Grosbeaks — also males. One was hanging onto my thistle feeder, probably hoping it was a sunflower seed feeder. I have heard them all weekend.
* Saturday brought my first Western Tanager, also heard again today.
* So far this spring season is noticeably light on warblers. There was a big push of Yellow-rumped in mid-April. I heard one Wilson’s about a week ago here at the house and that has been it. Very abnormal. I did hear a Yellow Warbler in the neighborhood a week ago a few blocks from here in their usual riparian habitat.
* Finally, the strangest sighting of all — was looking at the feeder tonight, admiring the male Lazuli’s and what do you know, a White-crowned Sparrow fly’s in and lands in the middle of them. This is very late for one to be around here but not unprecedented. We had a White-crowned on a bird walk this same time of year a couple blocks from my house.
* Eurasian Collared-Doves, after making their first ever feeder visit a couple weeks ago, are now daily visitors. And based on my observations seem to be nesting in a big pine tree across the street. Pretty amazing for a specie that is not even mentioned in my 1983 copy of National Geographic Field Guide. Luckily, I still have visits by Mourning Doves every day as well. They have not been pushed out. Though I did notice the local squirrel feeder raiders were sent flying, so to speak, when the Collared-Doves flew in. At least they are doing something useful.
* Another first ever feeder visit was by a mixed gender flock of Cowbirds — maybe attracted by all the Lazuli Buntings?
* Still no vireos, flycatchers, or pewees see or heard. Several times I thought I heard a vireo but then realized that Say’s Phoebe’s can make a very vireo like sound at times.

Spring migration is always a fun time.

Scott Tuthill

[IBLE] American Golden-Plover/Snowy Plover!

And a Snowy. First one we’ve seen here.

On May 14, 2017 2:28:28 PM MDT, “Cliff and Lisa cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com [ible]” <ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
>Island Park reservoir comes through again. Today it’s a breeding
>plumage male American Golden-Plover at the mouth of Sheridan creek.
>Lisa
>–
>Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.


Sent from my Android device with K-9 Mail.

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