Re: CB Chickadees join nuthatch irruption at Lucky Peak (Ada Co)

It’s great to know about the surprise birds, entertaining to read about.

I haven’t been up to the banding site for several years, partly because of reportedly bad road conditions. How is the road at this time? I’d sure like to make it up there for raptor watch and maybe owling time. 
Thanks for your ongoing research and communication with the public.
Diann Stone
Boise Depot Benchtr

CB Chickadees join nuthatch irruption at Lucky Peak (Ada Co)

Howdy Folks

At our fall migration study site in the Boise Foothills (http://ibo.boisestate.edu/visit/)

, we’re seeing LOADS of nuthatches and have been since we began in July.  Red-breasted & White-breasted are annual but in variable #s and this year is definitely among the best in 25+ years for both … more noteworthy is that we’ve been observing way more Pygmy Nuthatches than in any previous year (observed on probably 90+% of days since mid July) and I saw at least 4 together yesterday.

Then, 2 Chestnut-backed Chickadees joined the crowd yesterday in the forest right near our banding yurt – and we just heard them again today.  This is a species we detect roughly every 3-4 years, sometimes a single bird in a season & other times in more #s.
Might be as good a year as any to find a Pygmy Nuthatch (already multiple sightings in the Treasure Valley) or Chestnut-backed in Boise or nearby 🤞🤞
Jay

Re: Gray Flyatcher

Good advice Heidi!
Thanks,
John

On Monday, September 11, 2023 at 09:03:25 AM MDT, Heidi Ware Carlisle <heidithebirdnerd@…> wrote:
In general I advise folks to use other ID cues first before tail dropping. 

It’s tough until you’ve seen a for-sure Gray Flycatcher tail dropping because many other empids, especially Dusky, do a lot of tail flicking that could be interpreted as tail dropping. There are many Dusky features that vary enough to overlap with Gray pretty frequently which makes separating those two especially tough.
In the case of Willow vs Gray though I would hope that the very brown body (vs gray) and very wide pale bill (vs narrow with a dark tip) would help.
Based on photos in eBird there was definitely a Gray Flycatcher at Blacks Creek. Nice to have good documentation this year!

Re: Gray Flyatcher

And one of the Gray Flycatchers at Blacks Creek did not have a tail 🙂

Z92_7872.jpg

On Sep 11, 2023, at 9:03 AM, Heidi Ware Carlisle <heidithebirdnerd@…> wrote:


In general I advise folks to use other ID cues first before tail dropping. 

It’s tough until you’ve seen a for-sure Gray Flycatcher tail dropping because many other empids, especially Dusky, do a lot of tail flicking that could be interpreted as tail dropping. There are many Dusky features that vary enough to overlap with Gray pretty frequently which makes separating those two especially tough.
In the case of Willow vs Gray though I would hope that the very brown body (vs gray) and very wide pale bill (vs narrow with a dark tip) would help.
Based on photos in eBird there was definitely a Gray Flycatcher at Blacks Creek. Nice to have good documentation this year!

On Sat, Sep 9, 2023, 11:54 AM John Shortis via groups.io <john_shortis=yahoo.com@groups.io> wrote:
Hi birders all,
I just wanted to make an observation following the sightings of a Gray Flycatcher at Blacks Creek Reservoir by several birders recently.  
I have seen at least Willow Flycatchers exhibiting rather similar tail movements that characterize Gray. 
I just wonder if this can be fully relied upon to id the latter.
Any thoughts?
John Shortis.


Ken Miracle
chukar28@…
208-570-2780
“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” 2COR 3:5

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