Thanks, Diann! Always amazed at how quickly a moose can “disappear” just by walking behind a bush. To be so big & yet, can disappear, so fast. And, of course, your AK moose are even larger.
This AM, the RB Nuthatches are still hoarding seeds & Juncos are even more numerous.
That’s a wildlife haven! I’ve had one deer, one badger, and several raccoons over the years here on the Boise Depot Bench. I do miss seeing moose regularly since moving here from Anchorage.
Red-breasted Nuthatches are in the pines daily, Black-capped Chickadees almost as frequent. The past several days I’ve heard Flicker but haven’t seen it yet.
Fresh snow on area mountains. Fall color fading fast. Freezing at night & warm days to mid-60s. A few trout rises on the river with some beaver working the edges. Other mammals: muledeer, moose & least chipmunks are in the yard daily. My fave time of the year!
A handful of YR Warblers moving through. A few White-crowned & White-throated Sparrows, with a smattering of Chippings around. DE Juncos ever-present now. Feeder attracting: House Finches, BC Chickadees & American Goldfinches. Best visitors, though, have been 2 industrious RB Nuthatches. They must have a heck of a stash of sunflower seeds in one of the spruce trees. As, have been making back-&-forth forays to feeder & tree for several days now!
This afternoon, had a Mountain Chickadee show at platform feeder. Have mentioned before, but unusual for our elevation along the Snake River. Another 2000′ higher & they’re the predominant chickadee, but along the river, our resident is the Black-capped. Also, time of year is off. When we have seen Mountains in past, usually during a bitter cold or heavy snow winter.
Tried to get a photo at feeder of both chickadee types at once. But, they’re all fast little suckers, lol! Best photo I got of the Mountain is still “not good”, but can see its white eyestripe.
This AM there was a “sparrow push” through the place. White-crowned, 2 White-throated, adult Chipping & a few Lincoln’s Sparrows along with large numbers of DE Juncos pushing through. Handful of YR Warblers & RC Kinglets working through Russian Olive trees, as well. A few American Robins going after juniper berries, too.
A bit later on, after birding, along the Snake River, had just made a few casts of a nymph pattern, when heard the distinctive sound &, then, saw the black & white upper wing pattern of a Willet fly within feet of me at eye level. Got distracted by the Willet, while still retrieving my fly after its swing through a riffle and…missed a hit by a nice rainbow! Pulled the fly right from its mouth, as was still reeling the fly in, while watching the bird! That’s happened before, getting distracted by some other wildlife…mink, otter, moose, eagle…& missing a fish. But, on such a beautiful Fall morning on the Snake, even missing a trout isn’t so bad!
Best birds yesterday were 2 Greater Yellowlegs working together along a shallow edge of Snake River. A handful of juvenile YR Warblers high in cottonwood trees & a few adult & juv WC Sparrows were also coming through.
I spent today on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River downstream from Ashton and it was a very birdy day. Fly over raptors included a late Swainson’s Hawk, at least five Turkey Vultures (4 in one group), two Sharp-shinned Hawks, a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk and a juvenile Sabine’s Gull. There was a big flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers near Vernon Bridge that numbered at least fifty, a pair of female Western Tanagers and two Blue Jays.
Cliff
— Cliff and Lisa Weisse Island Park, Idaho cliffandlisa@…
Thanks very much for the help you have offered so far, have not filled any of these routes so far and I do understand the challenge, have dealt with this since the beginning for this area. With that said, I have attached a map that shows the locations of most of them and another map showing Richfield. Unfortunately. I dont have maps for Albion and Raft River – Idahome so have attached the data collection forms for those. One thing to mention about the multiroute map routes, a few of them have been slightly altered since I made the map way back when so it should be used for general orientation only, the data forms that I can provide to prospective takers will display the official route paths to follow:)
I too am going to miss Kathy’s presence in this project, she anchored down that hard to fill area in herculean fashion! Did she move out of state or someplace else in Idaho?
Okay, let me know if I can be of further help, really appreciate all that you do for me to keep this project humming along!:)
Jeff
Ps – to open either file, double click an icon then click on the Sheet 1 tab that appears on the page that comes up
I have put out your plea a couple of times in our Prairie Falcon Audubon News email. Would it be possible for you to share maps of the following routes in our area? Or one map with each of these routes indicated? It might help?? Sadly, most of our members hail from Twin Fall, Gooding, and Jerome Counties. Kathy Eklund (Cassia County) was the exception! Not quite sure what we will do without her. She did several routes for you, compiled and participated in several CBCs, helped teach our community ed birding classes and most importantly, bird-dogged rarities. We will miss her!
Richfield 44 Heyburn 41 Acequia 39 Rupert North 69 Rupert East – Minidoka 55 Burley East – Lake Walcott 67 Burley SW 51 Burley SE 34 Albion 36 Raft River – Idahome 65
Jeff I am considering, but not yet volunteering for, Lidy Hot Springs. I do a midwinter Eagle count in that area, and may be able to double dip one session. Can you send me the survey route points? Who has done this route in the past? Tim Reynolds
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
