I posted on IBL Facebook about the Bobwhite that has been roaming around 6th St. and O’Farrell here in Boise. I heard him calling while I was gardening in my backyard and only went searching for him because of Tom’s post about having heard one in Hulls Gulch. Well, he is alive and well as you can see from below! He stopped long enough to eat a few sunflower seeds in my backyard and then hopped into the next yard. Haven’t heard him in an hour or so.
Late today was very rainy and flocks of Cassin’s Finch and Pine Siskin hit the seed feeder hard.
FOY was a female Black Headed Grosbeak.
Have both a Calliope and Broad-tailed Hummingbird battling over the feeder late also.
Clark’s Nutcrackers continue to forage on suet. They usually do not hang out this long in the spring.
It is a very green valley this evening.
Susan Patla
Hi Tom,
I have no knowledge of Northern Bobwhite at Hull’s Gulch but I suspect
they are possible just about anywhere in the state and at any time of
year. They are released regularly by dog trainers and “hunt” clubs. We
have had them overwinter on several occasions in Island Park with 3-4
feet of snow on the ground. If there are feeders around they can make it
through the winter. Despite making it through the long winter they did
not fair so well once our neighborhood Cooper’s Hawk arrived. Whatever
the case they are not established as breeders anywhere in Idaho and
should be treated as escaped/introduced birds.
Cliff
> Subject: [IBLE] Hulls Gulch and beyond
> Date: Thu, 10 May 2018 20:39:45 -0600
> From: ‘Tom McCabe’ tmccabe9@cableone.net [ible]
>
> Reply-To: Tom McCabe
> To: ible@yahoogroups.com
>
>
>
> Hulls Gulch continues to be my favorite place to bird. I found 5 FOY
> birds there today (Western Tanager, Bullock’s Oriole, Warbling Vireo,
> Bewick’s Wren -thanks to Mary Rumple-and Swainson’s Hawk) and found
> lots of my earlier FOY birds like the BG Gnatcatchers, BH Grosbeak, W.
> Kingbird, W. Meadowlark, etc. I left HG with 39 species and finished
> with 55 in 21 miles of biking. During my ride I tallied 8 raptors:
> W.S. Owl, RT Hawk. GH Owl, A. Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson’s
> Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk and Osprey. Not bad for an old fart. 😉
>
> Tom McCabe, Boise
>
> BTW, I heard what sounded like a Northern Bobwhite several times in
> HG. In addition, a couple of people stopped me and asked if there were
> N. Bobwhite in HG because they kept hearing the rather distinctive
> call. Has anybody seen or heard them there? I didn’t count the bird
> because it is so far outside its territory.
>
>
—
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com
Here on the east side of Teton Valley, opposite of Susan, I also have
Bullock’s Orioles. They showed up on May 8.
On May 12 I had two Broad-tailed Hummingbirds at my feeders, which
surprised me because usually the Calliopes show up first.
I also had one Black-headed Grosbeak show up on May 12.
Still have lots of Evening Grosbeaks, Cassin’s Finches and Pine Siskins at
my feeders and a few American Goldfinches.
Marya Moosman
Driggs
Saw my FOY Bullocks Oriole at my house today (May 11th) just east of Idaho
Falls. Also had 6 Western Kingbirds cavorting in my yard. And killdeer.
Calliope hummingbird male has been hitting the feeder hard this evening.
Susan
Sent via Passenger Pigeon
Interesting day here as well — wind, rain, temperature plummeting, our FOY female BC hummer showed up (13 days after our first male), and a solitaire tooted away whilst we worked on the yard. =)
Larry, Boise
—– Original Message —–
From: “lcarrigan_55@yahoo.com [ible]”
To: ible@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2018 5:09:12 PM
Subject: [IBLE] Spring (or maybe, still Winter?)
Today, Cassin’s Finches and American Goldfinches have been hitting the sunflower seeds in droves. Maybe the Cassin’s are hanging around & stocking up before headed higher only to find fresh snow. House Wrens are calling plus Yellow Warblers. I found a Mallard hen’s nest when she flushed from tall grass. Took a quick peek from a distance & rapidly moved on, so as not to disturb her anymore. No hummingbirds, orioles or Black-headed Grosbeaks yet.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
Today, Cassin’s Finches and American Goldfinches have been hitting the sunflower seeds in droves. Maybe the Cassin’s are hanging around & stocking up before headed higher only to find fresh snow. House Wrens are calling plus Yellow Warblers. I found a Mallard hen’s nest when she flushed from tall grass. Took a quick peek from a distance & rapidly moved on, so as not to disturb her anymore. No hummingbirds, orioles or Black-headed Grosbeaks yet.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
A pair of Bullock’s Orioles showed up today at our hummingbird feeder here in the foothills of Teton Valley.
The Cliff Swallows (70+) are also back at the Cache Bridge on the Teton River, building their nests.
Only heard one Yellow Warbler down there this morning at the river but many Song Sparrows in full throat and Wilson’s Snipe. One male American Goldfinch singing also.
The osprey is incubating on the pole nest platform north of the bridge. Another pair east of the bridge was piling sticks on a power pole.
Two Swainson’s hawks (female darker morph) hanging around as well.
Hope the snow stays high tonight!
Susan Patla
Hulls Gulch continues to be my favorite place to bird. I found 5 FOY birds
there today (Western Tanager, Bullock’s Oriole, Warbling Vireo, Bewick’s
Wren -thanks to Mary Rumple-and Swainson’s Hawk) and found lots of my
earlier FOY birds like the BG Gnatcatchers, BH Grosbeak, W. Kingbird, W.
Meadowlark, etc. I left HG with 39 species and finished with 55 in 21 miles
of biking. During my ride I tallied 8 raptors: W.S. Owl, RT Hawk. GH Owl, A.
Kestrel, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Swainson’s Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk and Osprey. Not
bad for an old fart. 😉
Tom McCabe, Boise
BTW, I heard what sounded like a Northern Bobwhite several times in HG. In
addition, a couple of people stopped me and asked if there were N. Bobwhite
in HG because they kept hearing the rather distinctive call. Has anybody
seen or heard them there? I didn’t count the bird because it is so far
outside its territory.