All, Over the last several years I have seen and heard calls of NOPO’s at our place in the hills just NE of Cascade. Until about 2 springs ago, and it seems their presence is now nil. The reliable habitat where I’ve encountered them over the years is near or upon prominent boulder outcrops, atop elevated topography. Sadly they seem absent for now, I will keep an eye and ear out for them, especially this coming spring. The nest box I placed there while they were actively present, near one of the boulder outcrops has not been used. I did document these sightings on eBird.
Keeping my fingers crossed this spring, for more activity?
Could their recent absence be due to the barred owl that seems to have recently taken up residence there, or the great horned I have documented there for 10+ years?
It’s funny you should ask! I’ve seen two northern pygmy owls in southeast Idaho in the last week. A new record for me too! I saw them on two separate Christmas bird counts.
Has anyone noticed an increase in the number of Northern Pygmy Owls this month? I was doing the Sandpoint North January raptor survey and saw 3, miles apart from each other. I rarely see one annually so three was quite the surprise.
Very glad to hear the results of your survey, nice numbers and species diversity! I appreciate you generating enthusiasm for others to report their findings, a few have responded so far. It is a great way to share experiences amongst the volunteer group and a nice way to advertise the project, might help with me recruiting volunteers in the future :). Thank you Cheryl 🙂
I picked up the Dietrich and Richfield raptor routes for this winter.
I did my December drive three days ago after the storms had finished passing through, but the Richfield roads were still in bad condition and I was only able to complete about half of the route. In addition to counting raptors, there were a noticeable number of Gray Partridges in the farmlands west and north of Richfield – I saw at least a half dozen groups, each with 8-10 huns.
The Dietrich route was more productive because the roads were better. 28 Red-tailed, 1 Ferruginous, 1 Prairie Falcon, 12 Kestrels, 5 Northern Harriers, and a Bald Eagle carrying a partial carcass and being chased by other birds. The eagle sighting was in the final mile of the route and a fun way to end the drive.
