For those of you haven’t yet gotten your fill of the BWWA, I found it again today, but in a totally different location. He/she and cohorts were along the river at the west end of the first soccer field at Willow Lane. I stopped because
I hadn’t found Ruby-crowned Kinglets yet, and I heard them chattering, along with BCCH’s. While I was scanning the bushes where the sounds were coming from, the BWWA popped up onto the top of the bushes, made sure I had seen him, and then flew into some nearby
pines. Had I not seen the bird multiple times in the last few weeks, I wouldn’t have known what it was.
Another great bike ride today, with 6 raptors (including a flyby by a Bald Eagle) making up for the limited visibility.
Mark Collie also picked up a Goshawk. Got it Sunday in the Collister and State St. area.
This afternoon I got a Rock Wren in the cliffs on the North side of Diversion Dam just barely inside the circle. Tried my WEME spot up E. Teresa. No birds again this year. Hammer Flat is just getting too hammered (pun intended, sadly) to support much wildlife. Even the deer, elk and antelope are pretty much not there anymore. Bunch of kids up on the hill above the flat carrying on very loudly, other invasives.
CGB. RL
On Tue, 19 Dec, 2023 at 4:25 PM, henderson.danette <danette444@…> wrote:
To: ible@groups.io
That is great Dean! I found Horned Larks yesterday and Peregrine downtown on Sunday. I let compilers know but wasn’t sure how to easily let people know what was left to find. I should have sent an IBLE note. With a few hours of daylight left, not sure if a Western Meadowlark or Rock Wren were found. I tried for both but no luck.
Danette Henderson
On Tue, Dec 19, 2023 at 12:26 PM rattlesnake4873 <Rattlesnake4873@…> wrote:
That is great Dean! I found Horned Larks yesterday and Peregrine downtown on Sunday. I let compilers know but wasn’t sure how to easily let people know what was left to find. I should have sent an IBLE note. With a few hours of daylight left, not sure if a Western Meadowlark or Rock Wren were found. I tried for both but no luck.
I emailed Sam yesterday that I saw a Goshawk on count day but it was out of my zone, thus I did not report it. It was flying low west to east across Pierce Park road north of State Street. A single adult, dark gray, large accipiter. Not a COHA.
The Boise Christmas Bird Count was today, and we did well with a rough count of 102 species and a few more for count week. Thanks to everyone who counted today! Count week lasts until the end of the day on Tuesday. Count week species don’t count towards our overall numbers, but can be added to the species list. I’ve made a list of birds we missed on the count today. If you’re out birding in Boise in the next three days, please keep and eye out or consider searching for these species:
Mute Swan
Tundra Swan
Redhead
Red-breasted Merganser
Chukar
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wilson’s Snipe
Short-billed (Mew) Gull
Northern Goshawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (rare but recently seen along the greenbelt near Veteran’s Memorial Park, in the same area as the Black-and-white Warbler)
Peregrine Falcon
Horned Lark
Marsh Wren
Rock Wren
American Pipit
American Tree Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Western Meadowlark
If you find one of these within the count area, please report to eBird and email me (lucianjdavis@…).
Yin Yang. Those dry fields when flooded will host waterfowl and waders. Water snakes and frogs. There is a shortage of camping spots and it might allow birders from afar to stay and enjoy our valley.
Years ago the waste land that is now Lake Harbor was home to scores of pheasants, which are now gone. Instead, silver lake sports cormorants and loons seasonally. We can enjoy them all. Change is tough but each one of us has helped change this valley as we moved in or had children to grow the population.
We just have to involve ourselves to ensure positive change.
Dean Jones
“A world of facts lies outside and beyond the world of words.” Thomas Huxley
Went birding in Eagle Island State Park today after having not been there since summer. While I did see some nice birds, the surprise was the construction. The State Park is building a 50-unit RV park. During the construction period much of the eastern and southern part of the park is accessible only on foot and you’ll need to park either at the fish hatchery or at the main parking area. Several of the old buildings are being refurbished as well. The high water table in the construction site means they are pumping water and flooding fields so you can’t reach the old slaughterhouse area by walking through the field from the main road. Wonder how this will affect future birding here.
I am looking for assistance on the Bear Lake Valley CBC (IDBL), which includes the cities of Montpelier, Paris, Bloomington, and Dingle (see attached map of circle boundaries). Most roads will be snow packed and this part of the state is sparsely populated with Montpelier as the largest city within the CBC circle. This CBC also includes parts of Bear Lake, several small towns with fascinating histories, and comes close to the border of Wyoming.
The Bear Lake Valley CBC will be on Wednesday, January 3. If you are interested and are able to help, please contact me directly at 208-721-0884 by phone or text. I will give you the details and more information on this CBC. Thank you!
Regards,
Micah Austin
Ammon, Idaho
208-721-0884
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
