Checked these 2 southern Bannock County waterbodies. Hawkins had a common
loon which is hard to get in the county. I’m sure AFR gets many, but the
Bannock County shoreline is all in the Fort Hall Reservation. There were
also 4 common goldeneye, hooded merganser, pied-billed grebe and gadwall. A
very high flock of snow geese flew due south overhead.

Not a waterbird was on Wiregrass but it’s very small. I was surprised by a
flock of 6 American tree sparrows hanging with about 8 Oregon juncos.
There was another flock of 165 snow geese flying due south, so high I
couldn’t see them with the naked eye.

2 northern shrikes were on Hawkins Rd.

An immature sharp-shinned hawk seems to be making my yard and feeders part
of its temporary territory. I have seen it perched here three days in a
row. A merlin blazed through the yard this morning too.

Sent from my iPhone

Howdy,
This afternoon I drove around the reservoir. The swans and geese that Brian has been posting were sitting on the water just out from Bower Rd. bluffs, which are NE of Sterling. There were several hundred of both TRSW and TUSW, as well as several thousand SNOG. At Aberdeen’s Big Hole there were two COLO, and one flying Pacific Loon. At the Willow Bay marina there were 22 TRSW as well as four Hooded Mergansers, and a few Bonaparte’s Gulls. Migration is happening!
Good Birding,
Chuck Trost

Always forward, never straight…

This AM, have enjoyed watching & listening to flights of Trumpeter & Tundra Swans, plus Snow Geese. Including one group of 8 Trumpeter Swans & 10 Snow Geese flying in unison, with the Snow Geese forming the left side of a perfect “V”. I heard them before sighting the group & couldn’t quite figure out the mixed calls until seeing them fly directly overhead.

Close estimates, so far, are 300 Snow Geese, 100 Tundra Swans & 35 Trumpeters.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

0945 this morning a flock of about 10 white gulls zoomed past our house in the foothills of the Big Hole mountains. Just caught a glimpse but overall impression was Franklin’s gulls. I also saw a gull near highway 33 between Victor and Driggs yesterday about 1:30 pm when snow was falling and again I thought Franklin’s after just a very brief view. I have not seen gulls here near our home over the past 20 years. The Teton River is about 4 miles to the east.

Is anyone else in Idaho seeing movements of Franklin’s this weekend?

Thanks, Susan Teton Valley

I birded in the Lewiston-Clarkston area today. My first good bird was an
adult LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL on the Snake River between Red Wolf Crossing
in Clarkston and the Port of Wilma (
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40299850). Next, I had a SWAMP
SPARROW in the same Asotin location where one wintered last year.
Specifically, head north from the Asotin, WA water treatment plant about a
tenth of a mile. There is an oxbow pond to the east of the trail. The
sparrow was at the “cocklebur marsh” at the far northern end of the oxbow
pond. At Three Mile Rapids, on the Snake River south of Asotin, I had 6
species of gull including a first year GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL, a first year
“Thayer’s” Iceland Gull, and one Bonaparte’s Gull.

My last stop was at Hell’s Gate State Park in Lewiston where I found the
NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD (http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S40307116), a
HARRIS’S SPARROW, and Barn Owl. A flock of roughly 300 SNOW GEESE flew
over from east to west and, and a single flock of up to 150 American
Goldfinches was quite a sight. I had a quick look at a Slate-colored type
junco that had moderate white wing bars. I suspect it was just that- a
slate-colored with wing bars, but it looked superficially similar to the
“White-winged” race of junco (which I still haven’t seen!). Something else
to keep an eye open for on Tammany Creek just above the main park road.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID

Today has been a day of migrating Tundra Swans. Flights of Tundras have been coming over all day & now, into the night. I can hear their distinctive flight calls as they come overhead in the dark.

Also, today saw a Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk, a group of 25 American Goldfinches & sev Townsend’s Solitaires.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

The Biologist at Minidoka Refuge reports that there are 20,000 to 25,000
Canada Geese using the refuge right now. He also reports large numbers of
Common Loons. It is not unusual to see 5-10 loons from one spot at Minidoka
NWR. Birder reports include many Western Grebes, Horned Grebe, Mallard,
Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Killdeer, Black-bellied Plover, Dunlin,
Western Sandpiper, and Long-billed Dowitcher. Most people visit the part of
the refuge that is managed as Lake Walcott State Park, but there are many
other accessible areas. To see a map of the refuge visit
https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Minidoka%20Map.pdf.

The results of the waterbird survey included Tundra Swan – 14, Trumpeter
Swan -9, Canada Goose – 2, Mallard – 2048, Northern Pintail – 37, Gadwall –
16, American Wigeon – 137, Northern Shoveler – 12, Green-winged Teal – 24,
Canvasback – 14, Redhead – 11, Lesser Scaup – 77, Ring-necked Duck – 143,
Bufflehead – 5, Ruddy Duck – 28, Hooded Merganser – 2, Eared Grebe – 3,
Pied-billed Grebe – 1, Western Grebe – 1, American coot – 300, Sandhill
Crane – 4, Killdeer – 2, Long-billed Dowitcher – 4, Greater Yellowlegs – 1.
Birder sightings also include Black-bellied Plover, Pectoral Sandpiper and
a Blue Jay – a rarity in Idaho.

The first Rough-legged Hawk of the season was at Grays Lake NWR Friday.
Staff report sightings of Mountain Bluebirds still, Trumpeter and Tundra
Swans, and Ruffed Grouse. The cold snap brought diving ducks such as Lesser
Scaup. The best place to see these species is along the trail to Bear
Island which is a stop on the Idaho Birding Trail. This is also a good
location to see moose. Parking for this location is on the east side of the
refuge on Grays Lake Road

The results of the weekly waterbird survey at Bear Lake Refuge included
Canada Goose – 25, Trumpeter Swan – 4, Mallard – 31, Northern Pintail – 2,
Gadwall – 498, American Wigeon – 1, Northern Shoveler – 194, Redhead – 4,
Canvasback – 4, Bufflehead – 26, Lesser Scaup – 20, American Coot – 1046,
American White Pelican – 3. Also noted were flocks of 15 Tundra Swans and
16 Snow Geese that flew over calling but did not stop.

If you want to know about all what we’re doing at Bear Lake, Camas, Gray’s
Lake and Minidoka Refuges, check us out and Like us at
https://www.facebook.com/SEIdahoRefuges/. We have posts this week about
neck-collared Trumpeter Swans and more.

Thank you for your interest!

Steven F. Kahl
Deputy Project Leader
Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4425 Burley Dr., Ste. A
Chubbuck, ID 83202
P (208) 237-6615 ext 112
F (208) 237-8213

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RL found one at Ada County Landfill. Currently present.

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