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

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

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

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.

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.

Spring arrivals continue with 4 Black-headed Grosbeaks (3 male, 1 female) coming into feeders today. They breed on the place & last yr, had 6 pairs. House Wrens are nesting as are Robins now. I found a “Robin blue” hatched shell under a spruce the other day. Both Yellow & Audubon’s YR Warblers are here, too. And Brown-headed Cowbirds arrived this weekend, to take advantage of the Yellow Warbler nests. I watched a harried female Yellow Warbler doing all she could to keep her juvenile Cowbird fed last summer!
I’m still awaiting the arrivals of W Tanager, Bullock’s Oriole & Lazuli Bunting. My observations of Lazuli Buntings over the past decade is that they like a source of running water nearby, a ready seed source & are not quite as tolerant of human interaction as other species. They will definitely come into feeders but seem to prefer binocular-distance observation. It is nice to see Spring finally arriving!
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

It’s at Dry Creek Cemetery in Boise on east boundary flying between Sagebrush and tree edge right now.
Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPhone

Posted by: Jason Talbot

Starting to be regulars here in Hailey as well. I noticed a few years ago when I did a bird seed study that the Lazuli Buntings really prefer White Millet. I run straight Black Oil Sunflower all year except in the spring when I put out a tube feeder with White Millet for the Lazulis. They are annual visitors now. Love seeing the bright blue in the yard.

Zeke Watkins
208-731-1471
Instagram : @idahobirder

Not all those who wander are lost – J.R.R. Tolkien

Without the animals, Man would die of a great loneliness of the Spirit – Chief Seattle

Maybe this is the year for Lazuli Buntings to surprise us all. Yesterday’s
first ever appearance in my yard was a visual treat.

Diann Stone
Boise-Kootenai/Owyhee St

On May 13, 2017 3:13 PM, “‘Tom McCabe’ tmccabe9@cableone.net [ible]” <
ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:

>
>
> I had just gotten out of the shower after my bike ride when Susan called
> out “Lazuli Bunting!” I ran to the window and there was a bright male on
> the shepherd’s crook of the feeders. Two seconds later he was gone.
>
> Not only was he my first of year, he was the first I’ve seen in our back
> yard in years. Of course, they may just be showing up when we’re both gone.
> 😉
>
> Tom McCabe, Boise
>
>

I had just gotten out of the shower after my bike ride when Susan called out
“Lazuli Bunting!” I ran to the window and there was a bright male on the
shepherd’s crook of the feeders. Two seconds later he was gone.

Not only was he my first of year, he was the first I’ve seen in our back
yard in years. Of course, they may just be showing up when we’re both gone.
😉

Tom McCabe, Boise