After spending about 2 hours shivering on my back deck, I can finally say
with confidence that there is a female Calliope Hummer coming to my feeders.
She is also terrorizing the Black-chinned females who only want to share.
Susan and I think we had a male Calliope in the spring years ago, but
neither of us are confident of that, so it’s “kind of” a new yard bird. And
we haven’t seen the Rufous in days.
Tom McCabe, Boise
Hi Larry and all
We are at 3000’ east of Viola. Mixed Ponderosa, Douglas-fir and native shrubs. Sorry about using the bander codes – we had to leave for Lewiston and I was writing email on my phone in the car where I usually have to retype lots of the words so I went for the shortcut.
The ebird list is at https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S48091255 but I haven’t loaded any photos yet.
I hope a few of these birds might be around tomorrow morning with the light rain this afternoon. It was really fun watching the bluebirds bathe and the white-breasted nuthatchs (a regular) interacting with the brown creeper (much less regular).
Nancy Miller
Viola, Idaho
From: LARRY ARNOLD
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2018 1:46 PM
To: Nancy Miller
Cc: IBLE
Subject: Re: [IBLE] Mixed flock moving through
I love your use of banders’ codes, and I hope no one chastises you for it…. so much easier and quicker, especially while birding, and wow what a great list Nancy!!!
Google reports your elevation as 2,631 feet, very close to ours in west Boise, 2608 feet, who knew?
I prefer to use the codes as well, since I can’t type. I think of them as simply learning another field mark… very easy with a bit of practice! 😉
Larry
_____
From: “Nancy Miller nmiller@moscow.com
To: “Inland”
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2018 2:18:47 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Mixed flock moving through
Just had a mixed flock moving through our place east of Viola. Pretty amazing and I probably only saw half the species. They were in garden, hawthorn, bird bath, water feature, willows, etc. RCKI, OCWA RNSA WBNU BRCR WAVI SWTH AMRO YRWA. Watch for them moving thru with cold weather.
Nancy miller
Viola, ID
Sent from my iPhone
Birders,
With birds departing and/or going silent, I thought I should share a list of what Missy and I have encountered along the Greenbelt so far this month (below).
This also illustrates the new improved AOS phylogenetic order of things avian, which will take me a while to internalize.
Tom McCabe found us The Coot, which has otherwise been AWOL hereabouts, if you can imagine this!?
We are very happy to see the smokey days behind us (hope-hope), with daily high temperatures dropping a wee bit! Yeehah =)
Larry, Boise.
Species Name High Count
Canada Goose 175
Mute Swan 4
Wood Duck 45
Northern Shoveler 5
Mallard 100
Common Merganser 14
California Quail 50
Ring-necked Pheasant 1
Wild Turkey 10
Pied-billed Grebe 4
Western Grebe 1
Rock Pigeon 30
Eurasian Collared-Dove 15
White-winged Dove 1
Mourning Dove 35
Common Nighthawk 2
Common Poorwill 3
Black-chinned Hummingbird 20
Rufous Hummingbird 3
Calliope Hummingbird 1
hummingbird sp. 1
American Coot 1
Killdeer 10
Spotted Sandpiper 3
Ring-billed Gull 4
California Gull 10
gull sp. 15
Double-crested Cormorant 40
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 4
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 15
Cooper’s Hawk 5
Sharp-shinned Hawl 3
Bald Eagle 1
Swainson’s Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 8
Western Screech-Owl 3
Great Horned Owl 2
Belted Kingfisher 14
Downy Woodpecker 3
Northern Flicker 10
American Kestrel 3
Prairie Falcon 2
Western Wood-Pewee 3
Willow Flycatcher 10
Empidonax sp. 1
Say’s Phoebe 1
Western Kingbird 1
Eastern Kingbird 1
flycatcher sp. (Tyrannidae sp.) 1
Warbling Vireo 3
Black-billed Magpie 45
American Crow 4
Common Raven 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 5
Tree Swallow 6
Violet-green Swallow 40
Bank Swallow 5
Barn Swallow 100
Cliff Swallow 2
swallow sp. 80
Black-capped Chickadee 10
Red-breasted Nuthatch 5
Rock Wren 1
Canyon Wren 1
House Wren 6
Bewick’s Wren 3
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 4
European Starling 120
Cedar Waxwing 15
House Finch 60
Lesser Goldfinch 3
American Goldfinch 15
Chipping Sparrow 4
Brewer’s Sparrow 2
Lark Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 12
Spotted Towhee 4
sparrow sp. 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 3
Bullock’s Oriole 1
Red-winged Blackbird 240
Brewer’s Blackbird 20
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
MacGillivray’s Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 2
American Redstart 1
Yellow Warbler 15
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Wilson’s Warbler 1
warbler sp. (Parulidae sp.) 2
Western Tanager 2
Black-headed Grosbeak 1
Lazuli Bunting 3
House Sparrow 10
—
I love your use of banders’ codes, and I hope no one chastises you for it…. so much easier and quicker, especially while birding, and wow what a great list Nancy!!!
Google reports your elevation as 2,631 feet, very close to ours in west Boise, 2608 feet, who knew?
I prefer to use the codes as well, since I can’t type. I think of them as simply learning another field mark… very easy with a bit of practice! 😉
Larry
—– Original Message —–
From: “Nancy Miller nmiller@moscow.com [ible]”
To: “Inland”
Sent: Sunday, August 26, 2018 2:18:47 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Mixed flock moving through
Just had a mixed flock moving through our place east of Viola. Pretty amazing and I probably only saw half the species. They were in garden, hawthorn, bird bath, water feature, willows, etc. RCKI, OCWA RNSA WBNU BRCR WAVI SWTH AMRO YRWA. Watch for them moving thru with cold weather.
Nancy miller
Viola, ID
Sent from my iPhone
Just had a mixed flock moving through our place east of Viola. Pretty amazing and I probably only saw half the species. They were in garden, hawthorn, bird bath, water feature, willows, etc. RCKI, OCWA RNSA WBNU BRCR WAVI SWTH AMRO YRWA. Watch for them moving thru with cold weather.
Nancy miller
Viola, ID
Sent from my iPhone
I am thinking about going to look for our endemic Crossbill. Is there a particular place SE of Twin Falls that I should look?This maybe my only LIFER of the year, so I am serious about finding it. I am planning on going the 31st, anyone interested in joining me, an extra eye is always welcome.
Thanks,Brad Hardenburger
Today has seen a sudden change in migrants. My nectar feeder is down to single visits by Calliopes only now, I think I can identify 2 or 3 individuals. But, others are now migrating through. I had an Olive-sided Flycatcher show. A flock of 25-30 Brewer’s Sparrows & a handful of juvenile Chipping Sparrows. Also saw a juvenile Red-naped Sapsucker & a couple of Wilson’s Warblers.
Most interesting to me was a group of 3 N Catbirds this evening working thru the trees. And activity by one I’ve never seen before as it sallied out from some underbrush to nab a flying midge.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Sorry folks, I hadn’t looked carefully enough at Bill’s graph.
He just explained to me that 2016 was his Big Year, and I now see that 2018 is the not-yet-finished line graph……… eyiyi
Fun stuff =)
—– Original Message —–
From: “LARRY ARNOLD”
To: “Bill Moore”
Cc: “IBLE”
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2018 10:58:49 AM
Subject: Re: [IBLE] Hummer Thoughts [1 Attachment]
Bill,
Awesome note and graphic!! Sincere thanks for these!
It’s hard for me to tell a difference in color for the lines of 2016 and 2018… Is it safe to assume that 2018 is the highest line on your graph? That would certainly match what we’re seeing at our feeders this year. and BTW, our numbers are rapidly declining, just over the last couple of days. But I don’t mind having fewer feeders to wash and refill… 😉
Reminds me of a lady in Sonoita AZ who fed a LOT of hummingbirds (40+ years ago), and I must quote her: “The best two days of the year are when the first hummingbird arrives in spring and when the last one leaves in fall!”
Larry
—– Original Message —–
From: “Bill Moore hootowlbill@gmail.com [ible]”
To: “lcarrigan 55”
Cc: “IBLE”
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2018 8:18:35 AM
Subject: [IBLE] Hummer Thoughts [1 Attachment]
[ Attachment(s) from Bill Moore included below]
I continue to entertain all four species, but mostly females and juveniles. There are a few males, but not many. Of course there’s no missing the the rufous males. Fields are dry, but the watered flower beds are hit by them
I’m down to four feeders and the rates have dropped off a little. Past experience was they quit over the next few weeks.
I’d say be careful trying to count hummers by feeder sightings. We had a bander come up a couple years ago and he banded 60-70 in a little over an hour with only one repeat; all others came only once. The speedy fellows look alike. I think a better way to guess population is feeder depletion since basically only hummers and hornets hit my feeders.
I’m not sure how migration works up here. I don’t see a spike in solution depletion, but rather a fairly steady rate; maybe some leave, some new ones show up and the current hatches swap somewhat evenly.
I copied my feeder curves from last few years. We didn’t start keeping data til mid year in 2015. Sorry size is so big, but it was not easy for me to do it. You can see steady rates and totals of 4 cup feeders emptied.. Gotta go fill a feeder as I’m being scolded through the front window.
Bill Moore
Hoot Owl
Inkom
,_. ,
Bill,
Awesome note and graphic!! Sincere thanks for these!
It’s hard for me to tell a difference in color for the lines of 2016 and 2018… Is it safe to assume that 2018 is the highest line on your graph? That would certainly match what we’re seeing at our feeders this year. and BTW, our numbers are rapidly declining, just over the last couple of days. But I don’t mind having fewer feeders to wash and refill… 😉
Reminds me of a lady in Sonoita AZ who fed a LOT of hummingbirds (40+ years ago), and I must quote her: “The best two days of the year are when the first hummingbird arrives in spring and when the last one leaves in fall!”
Larry
—– Original Message —–
From: “Bill Moore hootowlbill@gmail.com [ible]”
To: “lcarrigan 55”
Cc: “IBLE”
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2018 8:18:35 AM
Subject: [IBLE] Hummer Thoughts [1 Attachment]
[ Attachment(s) from Bill Moore included below]
I continue to entertain all four species, but mostly females and juveniles. There are a few males, but not many. Of course there’s no missing the the rufous males. Fields are dry, but the watered flower beds are hit by them
I’m down to four feeders and the rates have dropped off a little. Past experience was they quit over the next few weeks.
I’d say be careful trying to count hummers by feeder sightings. We had a bander come up a couple years ago and he banded 60-70 in a little over an hour with only one repeat; all others came only once. The speedy fellows look alike. I think a better way to guess population is feeder depletion since basically only hummers and hornets hit my feeders.
I’m not sure how migration works up here. I don’t see a spike in solution depletion, but rather a fairly steady rate; maybe some leave, some new ones show up and the current hatches swap somewhat evenly.
I copied my feeder curves from last few years. We didn’t start keeping data til mid year in 2015. Sorry size is so big, but it was not easy for me to do it. You can see steady rates and totals of 4 cup feeders emptied.. Gotta go fill a feeder as I’m being scolded through the front window.
Bill Moore
Hoot Owl
Inkom
,_. ,
Thanks for the information, Bill. I like your graphic representation. We’ve never had the number of Calliopes as coming through now, usu only one or two a season. And, we never get your numbers of Rufous. Your banding season info is remarkable & shows that trying to pick out individuals is futile.
This AM has been exclusively Calliopes coming in. A couple have been subadult males. It’s fascinating to me that all these juveniles hitting the feeder now have some “genetic memory” of migration, as no adults are to be found. I also, haven’t seen an adult Black-headed Grosbeak in nearly a week, yet had 10 juveniles at once at my seed feeder this AM. All, of which, will head south on their own.
All I can say is, this hummingbird season is one for my books, anyway. Now, I am going to tear myself away & try to catch-&-release a certain Brown that’s been giving me fits for a week from his hideout under a cottonwood snag in the Snake.
Good Birding
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot