Louisa Evers and I had a fantastic Homedale West Raptor Route on Sunday 12/22/24 and I thought IBLE birders might want to see the results and maybe start a trend of more Raptor Route results being contributed to IBLE.
It was a good weather day and we had 60 Red-tails, 67 Kestrels (I’m seeing a lot of those everywhere I go now!), 18 Northern Harriers, 3 Bald eagles, 3 Prairie Falcons, 2 Merlins, 1 Sharp-shinned hawk, and 1 Great Horned Owl. A total of 154 raptors in 43 miles which equals 3.5 raptors per mile. It was one of our best days ever and we’ve been doing this Count for several years. It will be interesting to see the January and February numbers and if they match up to December numbers.
How are your Raptor Routes going?? Let the rest of us know!
Yes, we’ve had 7-8 Steller’s hanging around for a month or more now, Moonlight Mine area east of Pocatello. Unusual. Normally we’re lucky to see one or two as they pass through. They’re eating sunflower and suet (w/ sunflower seeds).
Also the usual suspects: dozen+ Evening Grosbeaks, lots of goldfinches, a few house finches, downy, hairy, etc.
Thanks for the responses. A bit more detail. Yes, I follow the Fall Finch Forecast to get an idea as to cone crops & general forecasts. As winter arrives, then I follow the individual species range maps on eBird. And, also, I’m on a single social media site: Bluesky. There, I follow birders, wildlife photographers & nature enthusiasts. Sev of the Canadian & Montana observers started reporting good numbers & movements of Redpolls & Snow Buntings, this past week. Just reading some overall trends that may, hopefully, indicate a good winter finch year for ID. I’m a big believer in “citizen science” & find that good observers are, often, the first at seeing trends before more formal formats. Hope this helps.
I’m aware of this report, which his mostly about the east and comes out once in late fall, but Brian implies there are updated reports available somewhere.
