Thanks! My only goals were to improve on the 13 species posted for Custer County in 2016 and to improve on my Arizona total for last year’s Global Big Day. I’d opted to bird the less desirable scrubby habitats in the Tucson area because everyone else was chasing rarities or heading for the species-dense hotspots. So, my count was only 81, although I did post the high counts in Arizona for Phainopepla (72), Purple Martin (56), and Lesser Nighthawk (30) all from a single location at some small sewage ponds out of town.
Interesting to see the best Big Day in Arizona this time was 106 species. Highest US count was 213 species in Colorado!
Wendy McCrady
Challis, ID
From: Kathleen Lopez <kathylopez80@yahoo.com>
To: Larry Arnold <larnold47@cableone.net>
Cc: damnempid <damnempid@yahoo.com>; IBLE To Post <ible@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2017 8:13 AM
Subject: Re: [IBLE] Custer County Big Day, 5/13/17
Impressive lists Larry & Wendy!
Kathy Lopez
Nampa
On May 17, 2017, at 7:23 AM, ‘Larry Arnold’ larnold47@cableone.net [ible] <ible-noreply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Impressive list, Wendy!Saturday was a driving day for us (in a blizzard while crossing Caribou County, low temp was 22F), so Missy and I did our Bear Lake County “little big day” on Sunday, and tallied 101 species during ten hours of roaming 68 miles.LarryFrom: ible@yahoogroups.com [mailto:ible@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of damnempid damnempid@yahoo.com [ible]
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2017 11:31 PM
To: IBLE To Post
Subject: [IBLE] Custer County Big Day, 5/13/17I also participated in eBird’s Global Big Day on Saturday. I wanted to improve on the 13 species reported for Custer County during last year’s Big Day, even though I’ve only been in Idaho for a month. I came up with a game plan for Saturday to try to maximize sightings by going to as many of the places I’ve explored in Custer County as possible.I spent 17 long and cold hours in the field, covering a variety of habitats from Mackay Reservoir to Pennal Gulch, including a short ways up the Mt. Borah trail, Chilly Slough, and Bar-D Reservoir. On Hwy 75, I visited Land of the Yankee Fork State Park and the Bayhorse Recreation Site.Two species I see regularly eluded me on Saturday: Bald Eagle and Lewis’s Woodpecker. I’d also hoped for a calling Virginia Rail but they were silent until Sunday. However, as the sole participant in the county, I’m pleased with what I did find and the fact that I moved Custer County up to third position in Idaho for this year’s Big Day.I’m rather surprised to see that I apparently had the most sightings for the day at 106 species, one of which is yet to be approved*. My Big Day species list is below. The 21 checklists I submitted can be viewed at http://ebird.org/ebird/subnational2/US-ID-037?yr=BIGDAY_2017a.Good birding,Wendy McCradyChallis, IDCuster County Big Day 5/13/17Canada GooseWood DuckGadwallAmerican WigeonMallardCinnamon TealNorthern ShovelerGreen-winged TealCanvasbackRedheadRing-necked DuckLesser ScaupBuffleheadBarrow’s GoldeneyeHooded MerganserCommon MerganserRuddy DuckWild TurkeyCommon LoonPied-billed GrebeEared GrebeWestern GrebeClark’s GrebeAmerican BitternGreat Blue HeronOspreyGolden EagleNorthern HarrierRed-tailed HawkSoraAmerican CootSandhill CraneKilldeerLong-billed DowitcherWilson’s SnipeWilson’s PhalaropeSpotted SandpiperWilletFranklin’s GullRing-billed GullCalifornia GullRock PigeonEurasian Collared-DoveMourning DoveShort-eared OwlCommon PoorwillWhite-throated SwiftBelted KingfisherRed-naped SapsuckerDowny WoodpeckerNorthern FlickerPileated WoodpeckerAmerican KestrelPrairie FalconWestern Wood-Pewee*Hammond’s FlycatcherDusky FlycatcherSay’s PhoebeWestern KingbirdGray JayBlack-billed MagpieAmerican CrowCommon RavenHorned LarkNorthern Rough-winged SwallowTree SwallowViolet-green SwallowBank SwallowBarn SwallowCliff SwallowBlack-capped ChickadeeMountain ChickadeeRed-breasted NuthatchWhite-breasted NuthatchRock WrenHouse WrenMarsh WrenRuby-crowned KingletMountain BluebirdTownsend’s SolitaireAmerican RobinSage ThrasherEuropean StarlingCommon YellowthroatYellow WarblerYellow-rumped WarblerChipping SparrowBrewer’s SparrowLark SparrowDark-eyed JuncoWhite-crowned SparrowVesper SparrowSavannah SparrowSong SparrowLincoln’s SparrowWestern TanagerRed-winged BlackbirdWestern MeadowlarkYellow-headed BlackbirdBrewer’s BlackbirdBrown-headed CowbirdHouse FinchCassin’s FinchPine SiskinAmerican GoldfinchHouse SparrowHome of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee