Cliff
—
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com
Cheryl Huizinga
Caldwell, Idaho
It was cold and windy today, but the only snow falling was coming off the trees. I figured the weather would bring in more visitors, and I was right. Quinn’s Pond, at Esther Simplot, had a large raft of N. Shovelers, but the real treat
was all three types of Teal: Cinnamon, Blue-winged, and Green-winged. Later, on the way back, I found a Ruddy Duck as well. VG and NRW Swallows were zooming around, and the Say’s Phoebes were active.
Sadly, I don’t have a Cassin’s today (yet), but final tally was 43 species in 12 miles.
Tom McCabe, Boise
P.S. Thanks for all the kind words. 😉
I also saw my first Swainson’s Hawk of the year at my house in west Caldwell yesterday. It looked like the same male that has nested here for the past four or five years, at least. It amazed me that after having flown ~ 6,000 miles from Argentina, the SWHA was just flapping and soaring in the strong winds that we had here. I didn’t see him touch down at all in the 20 minutes I was watching him. They must love flying! 😀
In case anyone’s interested, here is a blog post I wrote last year summarizing the life cycle of a Swainson’s Hawk. The post is illustrated with photos of our breeding pair over the last few years. 🙂
Happy spring birding!! 😀
—
Aidan Lorenz
Caldwell
For the last 3 weeks I have been averaging 40 species every day on my rides, thanks to new arrivals. Two of those days were only 39, but a bunch, including today, were over 40. A few days ago, VG Swallows and NRW Swallows decided to stick
around, and a pair of Cinnamon Teal have been hanging out at the pond at Lander St. (the area where the Williamson’s Sapsucker made a brief appearance). So, little by little, the variety of species has been making it easier for me to reach 40. Of course, biking
on a day like today, when the rain is falling –literally—in sheets, makes birding interesting, but it also clears out the greenbelt. 😉 Of course, the snow yesterday also cleared out the greenbelt—on a Sunday, no less.
Today, though, was special because I arrived at Esther Simplot Park to find my first Swainson’s Hawk of the year. It was sitting in a small tree near the back pond, just before the downhill to Veterans Park Pond. Strangely enough, there
was also a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in another tree about 10 yards away. They had moved by the time I got back, but then I found the Swainson’s sitting on the arm of a light pole at the entrance to ESP. I’m hoping the Swainson’s will nest in my neighborhood
again.
My final treat was when I walked into my back yard. I’m still hosting approximately 50 Pine Siskins every day, and at least 10 A. Goldfinches, but the noise from all those birds is amazing, and it caused me to pause and peek around the
corner of the house. There, along with all the Pine Siskins and Goldfinches, were 2 male Cassin’s Finches. Their red caps were blazing! Another bird, that I took to be a female CAFI, touched beaks with one of the males. She looked like an oversized Siskin,
and I wouldn’t have thought of CAFI if the males weren’t there.
Final tally was 43 species in 12 ½ miles.
Tom McCabe, Boise
For this year only, the Oregon Birding Association (OBA)
has decided to award a travel grant of up to $100 to each of 10 NEW volunteers
(those who have not previously done a BBS route) to cover one or more of the
currently vacant Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) routes in Oregon. These routes within a few hours of Idaho are eligible:
HARNEY CO.: 69244 Crowley, 69223 Crane, 69155 Malheur NWR
MALHEUR CO.(near Idaho): 69063 Battle Mtn., 69242 Malheur Reservoir, 69232
Bowden Hills
BAKER: 69038 Sparta, 69215 Newbridge
GRANT CO.: 69240 Monument
For locations see https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbs/RouteMap/Map.cfm
Click on the route, then mark “Show route
paths” in menu on left side of map.
The grant can be used only to help reimburse expenses for
vehicle rental, gas, and/or lodging. Reimbursement will be made up to the
amount shown in provided receipts once the survey is completed and valid data
are entered online before August 1, 2022. You may conduct the survey on any day of your choosing
between May 27 and July 5 provided the average wind speed is less than 10 mph.
Your survey will require about 5 hours and must begin between 4:30 and 5 a.m.
Unless you live within about an hour of a route, overnight lodging (camping,
motel, airbnb) near the start point will be necessary for at least one day
prior to covering a route. Each BBS route has 50 stops spaced a half-mile
apart, and most routes follow rural roads. Parts of a few may require a
high-clearance vehicle. Starting before sunrise, you will listen for 3 minutes
at each stop and record on a data form what you hear or see before driving to
the next stop. It is highly recommended that someone accompany you to record
the species and numbers as you call them out at each stop.
Applicants should email me no later than April 25 with a
brief statement of their qualifications and name of route(s) they commit to
covering this year and possibly in future years. The first qualified person to
commit to a vacant route will be awarded that route. All applicants must have
normal hearing and be able to distinguish by sound each of the species found
previously on their route (to see list, click on Info next to route name at the
above link) as well as others likely to occur. Qualifications will be vetted
not only in regard to known birding skills but also in consideration of OBA’s
inclusion and diversity policies, and preference will be given to applicants
who are likely to cover the route in future years as well.
No other volunteer effort is more important to providing
long-term data on bird trends, and the BBS has been going for over 50 years
under the sponsorship of federal wildlife agencies and with thousands of
volunteers. That’s why I’ve not only covered several routes myself
but also volunteered as the Oregon BBS Coordinator. We hope you will apply!
Paul Adamus
Corvallis, OR