I know I’m a broken record on this but the annual spate of early Swainson’s Hawk reports has begun in earnest in eBird. So far there are, as usual, no photos for documentation. Migration timing is very consistent so if you see a Swainson’s Hawk before about the 29th of March it’s really early. Please do your best to get photos, even if they aren’t very good. FWIW there are zero records so far this year for UT, CO, WY, NV, Mt. The closest reports are in AZ, NM, CA and one each for western OR and WA. If they do arrive early it’s important to document so keep your camera handy.
Here’s an interesting fact – early reports I’ve seen with photos, in Idaho and other states, tend to be subadult Bald Eagles as strange as that sounds. They appear hooded/bibbed flying or perched and have white in the wing linings in flight.
Cliff
— Cliff and Lisa Weisse Island Park, Idaho cliffandlisa@…
A scholarship has been established in honor of Dr. Charles H. (Chuck) Trost, Professor Emeritus of Biology at Idaho State University. For nearly 60 years he has been a landmark for birding in Idaho. His enthusiasm, erudition, and environmental ethic has elevated the experiences and enriched the lives of those around him.
Here is a link to support this scholarship during Bengal giving days. Scroll down to find this scholarship. Twenty-five donors will release a $100,000 anonymous gift.
For some reason I believed the weather reports that said the snow today was only going to be a “smidge.” But as I rode, the snow got heavier. So, I finally turned around about halfway through my normal route. It was when I went into the rest room at the Willow
Lane athletic complex that I saw myself in the mirror—totally covered in snow—that I decided to turn around.
But the reward was great. I found a Bald Eagle, a Great Horned Owl and lots of water birds along the way. The most unique was a Red-breasted Merganser at Esther Simplot Park. I caught a glimpse of it a few days ago at Quinn’s Pond, but he was far out, and I
didn’t feel confident enough to post. Last time I reported one it caused a bit of a stir because no one ever found the bird.
A Green Heron was found in Marsing at Island Park on Tuesday and a pair of California Scrub Jays were found in Weiser. https://ebird.org/checklist/S299770949
Denise Hughes
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
