Out towards Idaho City for the last couple days…
Watched Black-chinned Hummingbirds feeding for insects on the river – super cool hovering to the river and then back to the branch.
=)kim liebich

On Jul 8, 2017, at 2:05 PM, lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible] wrote:

First, thanks to Cliff & Lisa for the link to info re: Cassia Crossbill. I have followed the info re: possible split for sev yrs now & find the birds rather fascinating. Quite interesting how the lack of one species (red squirrel) led to the evolution of a stationary species of Red Crossbill adapted to the further specialization of cone type in the lodgepole pines of the South Hills & Albion area of Idaho.

Next, it looks like my Rufous Hummingbirds have moved on. I got one morning visit yesterday by the male who gave a long & satisfying view of all his field marks plus flashing his brilliant orange/red throat. No more visits since. The only hummer coming in today has been the female Black-chinned & her visits are inconsistent. Maybe spending time on a nest? As she goes back & forth to the same patch of streamside willows. But, making up for the decrease in hummingbirds is an increase in Lazuli Buntings. I must have several pairs nesting on the place this year, as I’ve seen both males and females in several locations esp mornings & evenings. There’s just something about that turqoise blue head on the male.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

=)kim liebich
Boise Idaho

Hi All,

The WW dove was at the usual spot near the Warm Springs Golf Course
clubhouse. Also a nice variety of birds still singing along the river near
the Shakespeare Festival grounds.

thanks,
Charles.

—
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
chaetura@gmail.com

First, thanks to Cliff & Lisa for the link to info re: Cassia Crossbill. I have followed the info re: possible split for sev yrs now & find the birds rather fascinating. Quite interesting how the lack of one species (red squirrel) led to the evolution of a stationary species of Red Crossbill adapted to the further specialization of cone type in the lodgepole pines of the South Hills & Albion area of Idaho.

Next, it looks like my Rufous Hummingbirds have moved on. I got one morning visit yesterday by the male who gave a long & satisfying view of all his field marks plus flashing his brilliant orange/red throat. No more visits since. The only hummer coming in today has been the female Black-chinned & her visits are inconsistent. Maybe spending time on a nest? As she goes back & forth to the same patch of streamside willows. But, making up for the decrease in hummingbirds is an increase in Lazuli Buntings. I must have several pairs nesting on the place this year, as I’ve seen both males and females in several locations esp mornings & evenings. There’s just something about that turqoise blue head on the male.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

With the help of Craig Benkman, the biologist who discovered them, we
have a new page devoted to the Cassia Crossbill on the Idaho Birds web
site. It lists locations and directions to where you can find them, and
recordings of the call notes needed to identify. This is a work in
progress, and I’m sure we will be adding more to this area of the site
in the future. For now anyone who wants to find them should be able to
with this info.

Cassia Crossbill

Lisa

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

Thanks, Brian. I hope to put out a feeder soon. My back went out yesterday, though, and I can barely make it outside to do a stationary checklist, much less put up a feeder. Argh. Hate to think of all the Hummers I’m missing pass through.

Wendy McCrady
Challis, ID

Don’t dream it, be it.
On Jul 5, 2017 9:06 AM, “lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible]” wrote:
>
>  
>
> Quite familiar with Spar Canyon & area. If you do fill your Hummer feeder, Wendy, I think within a few days, you’d definitely have Rufous & probably Broad-tailed & Black-chinned, as well. Might be fun with lots of action. If you do so & get some sightings, please report back.
>
> Brian Carrigan
> Blackfoot
>
>

You’re welcome, Brian. =) Our experience with BTLH (Broad-tailed) at our place in Colorado (4600 ft elevation, urban/rural area just below sage-juniper habitat) was that they were unpredictable as to whether a male or two would hit our feeders all summer long, or whether we’d only see them as migrants in spring and fall. IOW, every year was a surprise, but appeared dependent on abundance and timing of native wildflower blooms. BCHU (Black-chinned) were breeders in our hood, whereas CAHU (Calliope) and RUHU (Rufous) were fall migrants, although occasionally a CAHU or two might pass thru in spring, we wouldn’t gamble on that. I searched extreme NW Colorado for potential breeding evidence of CAHU (suspected by local long-time birders), but I wasn’t successful in that effort. Larry

From: ible@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible]
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2017 7:30 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IBLE] Thanks, Larry!

Thanks, Larry. Now, my question is what’s happened to my Broad-tailed Hummingbirds? I used to almost be able to set my calendar by when they would show in June. Last couple of years, I’ve had maybe 1 or 2 & this year, non-existent. Not knocking the Black-chinneds or Rufous, but where are the Broad-taileds?

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

_____

Posted by: lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com

_____

Thanks, Larry. Now, my question is what’s happened to my Broad-tailed Hummingbirds? I used to almost be able to set my calendar by when they would show in June. Last couple of years, I’ve had maybe 1 or 2 & this year, non-existent. Not knocking the Black-chinneds or Rufous, but where are the Broad-taileds?

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Yikes, 10-day forecast for Florence OR??? Eyiyi!

I do hereby admit that I cannot multi-task, nada gonna happen…..

Thx for the catch, Bill =)

W Colorado link for eBird bar chart for Rufous was meant to be this one: http://ebird.org/ebird/barchart?byr=1900 &eyr=2017&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-CO-029,US-CO-045,US-CO-077,US-CO-085

And of course Rufous is about mid-way down thru the phylo

LA

From: Larry Arnold [mailto:larnold47@cableone.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2017 4:42 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [IBLE] Rufous migration and breeding

Brian and other Hummer Fans…

SW California eBird bar chart illustrates Rufous’ northbound and southbound migration windows, kinda sorta http://ebird.org/ebird/barchart?byr=1900 &eyr=2017&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-CA-037,US-CA-073,US-CA-079,US-CA-083,US-CA-111

W Colorado eBird bar chart illustrates Rufous as a southbound / “fall migrant” https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USOR0123:1:US

Extreme SE Idaho is similar in this regard (Rufous is a “fall migrant”) http://ebird.org/ebird/barchart?byr=1900 &eyr=2017&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-ID-007,US-ID-029,US-ID-041

Sheri Williamson’s illustrations (Peterson Field Guides, Hummingbirds of N Am, 2001) on pg 224-5 give us a good look at Rufous’ northbound migration up the west coast / Pacific Flyway / during Jan-May, as far as north SE Alaska, thence more of an inland route southward during Jun-Nov

We used to think of Rufous as following an elliptical migration path, screaming up the west coast in late winter / early spring, down thru the Rockies in fall, but eBird data suggest that it’s not quite that simple, eh? =)

BNA species account (Healy and Calder, 2006) shows their annual cycle of migration, breeding, and molt (great graphic BTW), and breeding is pegged to mid-April thru mid-June, southbound migration is late June thru September. But note: my observations of Rufous in W Colorado (15 years’ worth) were from mid-June thru mid-October.

FWIW

Selasphorus rufus Rocks! =)

Larry, Boise

From: Larry Arnold [ mailto:larnold47@cableone.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:39 PM
To: ‘lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com’; ‘ible@yahoogroups.com’
Subject: RE: [IBLE] Hummers

For E Idaho, this should be “fall” (southbound) migration for Rufous… // I should qualify this: SE Idaho

Will post some bar charts from eBird to illustrate

From: ible@yahoogroups.com [ mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible]
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:30 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IBLE] Hummers

Thanks for all the hummingbird reports. Since Bill is on my side of state, I was interested in reading his observations & that his hummers were late. I was in Post Falls in June & family up there had 3 feeders out with Calliopes visiting all day & no others. Best views I’ve ever had of males displaying their gorget feathers within 4 ft of me. At one point, I watched about a dozen Calliopes visiting feeders at the same time with quite a bit of male bravado going on by a bird weighing less than 2 pennies!

Unless someone else has, I’ve never seen Anna’s in SE ID. I should get more observations in the next few days & can see if the Rufous have headed off. Curious, so would the Rufous appearing now be migrating back south, having already nested, at this point? Or, are they arriving late & just headed to breeding grounds?

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Brian and other Hummer Fans…

SW California eBird bar chart illustrates Rufous’ northbound and southbound migration windows, kinda sorta http://ebird.org/ebird/barchart?byr=1900 &eyr=2017&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-CA-037,US-CA-073,US-CA-079,US-CA-083,US-CA-111

W Colorado eBird bar chart illustrates Rufous as a southbound / “fall migrant” https://weather.com/weather/tenday/l/USOR0123:1:US

Extreme SE Idaho is similar in this regard (Rufous is a “fall migrant”) http://ebird.org/ebird/barchart?byr=1900 &eyr=2017&bmo=1&emo=12&r=US-ID-007,US-ID-029,US-ID-041

Sheri Williamson’s illustrations (Peterson Field Guides, Hummingbirds of N Am, 2001) on pg 224-5 give us a good look at Rufous’ northbound migration up the west coast / Pacific Flyway / during Jan-May, as far as north SE Alaska, thence more of an inland route southward during Jun-Nov

We used to think of Rufous as following an elliptical migration path, screaming up the west coast in late winter / early spring, down thru the Rockies in fall, but eBird data suggest that it’s not quite that simple, eh? =)

BNA species account (Healy and Calder, 2006) shows their annual cycle of migration, breeding, and molt (great graphic BTW), and breeding is pegged to mid-April thru mid-June, southbound migration is late June thru September. But note: my observations of Rufous in W Colorado (15 years’ worth) were from mid-June thru mid-October.

FWIW

Selasphorus rufus Rocks! =)

Larry, Boise

From: Larry Arnold [ mailto:larnold47@cableone.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:39 PM
To: ‘lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com’; ‘ible@yahoogroups.com’
Subject: RE: [IBLE] Hummers

For E Idaho, this should be “fall” (southbound) migration for Rufous… // I should qualify this: SE Idaho

Will post some bar charts from eBird to illustrate

From: ible@yahoogroups.com [ mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible]
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:30 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IBLE] Hummers

Thanks for all the hummingbird reports. Since Bill is on my side of state, I was interested in reading his observations & that his hummers were late. I was in Post Falls in June & family up there had 3 feeders out with Calliopes visiting all day & no others. Best views I’ve ever had of males displaying their gorget feathers within 4 ft of me. At one point, I watched about a dozen Calliopes visiting feeders at the same time with quite a bit of male bravado going on by a bird weighing less than 2 pennies!

Unless someone else has, I’ve never seen Anna’s in SE ID. I should get more observations in the next few days & can see if the Rufous have headed off. Curious, so would the Rufous appearing now be migrating back south, having already nested, at this point? Or, are they arriving late & just headed to breeding grounds?

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

For E Idaho, this should be “fall” (southbound) migration for Rufous…

Will post some bar charts from eBird to illustrate

From: ible@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible]
Sent: Thursday, July 6, 2017 3:30 PM
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IBLE] Hummers

Thanks for all the hummingbird reports. Since Bill is on my side of state, I was interested in reading his observations & that his hummers were late. I was in Post Falls in June & family up there had 3 feeders out with Calliopes visiting all day & no others. Best views I’ve ever had of males displaying their gorget feathers within 4 ft of me. At one point, I watched about a dozen Calliopes visiting feeders at the same time with quite a bit of male bravado going on by a bird weighing less than 2 pennies!

Unless someone else has, I’ve never seen Anna’s in SE ID. I should get more observations in the next few days & can see if the Rufous have headed off. Curious, so would the Rufous appearing now be migrating back south, having already nested, at this point? Or, are they arriving late & just headed to breeding grounds?

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot