Hi Everyone,

We are about to enter our 20th survey season and I still have several routes in your state available that need a volunteer to do surveys and I would be grateful if some of you would like to take on a route or two  this winter 🙂  I have done these route advertisements on IBLE in past years and have been successful in securing help, hopefully some of you will keep that success going:)

Here is the list of routes with their corresponding lengths:

Winchester                             73 miles
Nezperce                               71
Moscow South                       56
Troy – Deary                          78
Coeur d’Alene                       75
Churchill – Oakley                  68
Jerome North                         63
Richfield                                 44
Heyburn                                 41
Acequia                                 39
Rupert North                         69
Rupert East – Minidoka         55
Burley East – Lake Walcott   67
Burley SW                            51
Burley SE                             34
Albion                                   36
Raft River – Idahome            65

There are only a few requirements to participate:

1.  I ask that volunteers commit to doing one survey per month for the three primary months of December thru February, surveys can also be done in November and March but these are optional months.  More than one survey can also be done for any given month as an additional option

2.  Volunteers should be comfortable with IDing the common species of raptors in your chosen area and be willing to increase your knowledge of these regal birds

3.  You should have at least a pair of binoculars to help you spot and ID birds, a spotting scope would be nice to have but not a requirement

4.  Survey dates are determined by each volunteer based on their monthly life schedules and hopefully to skirt inclement weather when birds can be sheltered and out of view

If this sounds like something you would like to do, please email me as soon as you can with your choice of route(s), to be fair I will fill the routes on a first come first served basis.  I will then provide you with the necessary material to get you properly prepared for what you will be doing:)

I would really like to make this 20th season something special and filling these routes will be a big part of that effort, looking forward to hearing from you soon, thank you 🙂

Jeff Fleischer
Project Developer / Coordinator
Winter Raptor Survey Project
East Cascades Audubon Society – Bend, OR

Great photo of juv Solitaire! Spent this morning hiking trails along Jenny, String & Leigh Lakes in Teton Nat’l Park. Saw a juvenile bird splashing & diving along shallow edge of Leigh Lake. Took me a minute to identify it as a juv American Dipper. A bull moose & a couple of Ruffed Grouse, rounded out the morning. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

Mine as well Brian, yet it’s late summer when the Solitaire’s including the juvie’s are staking out their fav Serviceberry trees in the Pondererosa understory near our place in Valley Co. Cheers, Rich Rusnak Boise

Also, saw my first of season group of Tundra Swans heading South, fly over yard, this AM. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

My favorite winter resident arrived today, Townsend’s Solitaire. We have a good number of Rocky Mountain juniper on our place & the solitaire is a winter altitudinal migrant, appearing & staking out their favorite trees for the season. Their main competitor is the American Robin for best trees loaded with juniper berries. Some of the trees have a bumper crop this season & the “squabbles” between Solitaire & Robin have already started! 

The RB Nuthatches are still busy gathering sunflower seeds from the feeder. Appears the YR Warblers & RC Kinglets have moved on through. Weather’s due for a change to winter-like conditions starting Sunday. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

Thanks, Diann! Always amazed at how quickly a moose can “disappear” just by walking behind a bush. To be so big & yet, can disappear, so fast. And, of course, your AK moose are even larger. 

This AM, the RB Nuthatches are still hoarding seeds & Juncos are even more numerous.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

Fresh snow on area mountains. Fall color fading fast. Freezing at night & warm days to mid-60s. A few trout rises on the river with some beaver working the edges. Other mammals:  muledeer, moose & least chipmunks are in the yard daily. My fave time of the year!

A handful of YR Warblers moving through. A few White-crowned & White-throated Sparrows, with a smattering of Chippings around. DE Juncos ever-present now. Feeder attracting: House Finches, BC Chickadees & American Goldfinches. Best visitors, though, have been 2 industrious RB Nuthatches. They must have a heck of a stash of sunflower seeds in one of the spruce trees. As, have been making back-&-forth forays to feeder & tree for several days now! 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

This afternoon, had a Mountain Chickadee show at platform feeder. Have mentioned before, but unusual for our elevation along the Snake River. Another 2000′ higher & they’re the predominant chickadee, but along the river, our resident is the Black-capped. Also, time of year is off. When we have seen Mountains in past, usually during a bitter cold or heavy snow winter. 

Tried to get a photo at feeder of both chickadee types at once. But, they’re all fast little suckers, lol! Best photo I got of the Mountain is still “not good”, but can see its white eyestripe. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

This AM there was a “sparrow push” through the place. White-crowned, 2 White-throated, adult Chipping & a few Lincoln’s Sparrows along with large numbers of DE Juncos pushing through. Handful of YR Warblers & RC Kinglets working through Russian Olive trees, as well. A few American Robins going after juniper berries, too. 

A bit later on, after birding, along the Snake River, had just made a few casts of a nymph pattern, when heard the distinctive sound &, then, saw the black & white upper wing pattern of a Willet fly within feet of me at eye level. Got distracted  by the Willet, while still retrieving my fly after its swing through a riffle and…missed a hit by a nice rainbow! Pulled the fly right from its mouth, as was still reeling the fly in, while watching the bird! That’s happened before, getting distracted by some other wildlife…mink, otter, moose, eagle…& missing a fish. But, on such a beautiful Fall morning on the Snake, even missing a trout isn’t so bad! 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot