I spent the weekend in Bonner and Boundary Counties beginning Saturday
morning at Sandpoint City Beach, which produced my Bonner-first PECTORAL
SANDPIPER and not much else except a few expected land bird migrants
flitting about. More expected migrant land birds were along Oden
Bay/Sunnyside Road including a Willow Flycatcher on the late end of their
passage window. Small numbers of Red-necked Grebes were beginning to
assemble, but there’s not yet much suggestion of the thousands of waterfowl
and dozens of grebes and loons that will pile into that area in coming
weeks. The Clark Fork Delta Driftwood Yard had a VIRGINIA RAIL, VESPER
SPARROW, and other migrant sparrows. In Bonners Ferry, a flock of 10
BLACK-NECKED STILT (my Boundary County first) were on the Kootenai River
just downstream from the US-95 bridge (below the brewery). At Boundary
Creek WMA, 123 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were right on time (for that
location) and twice that many AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS was my highest-ever
count in the Idaho panhandle. An evening stop at Kootenai NWR was pretty
quiet but 3 Long-billed Dowitchers, 2 Greater Yellowlegs, and a Lesser
Yellowlegs brought my World Shorebird Day list to 7 species.

Sunday, I undertook my favorite hike in north Idaho, hiking to Harrison
Lake, then continuing off-trail along the Selkirk Crest to Upper Beehive
Lake, and finishing at the Beehive Lakes trailhead. Consistent with other
recent reports from our region, WHITE-WINGED CROSSBILLS seem to be making a
good showing in the Spruce-zone this season. I had several groups between
the Beehive trailhead and Harrison Lake, including a group of 9 on the road
separating Beehive and Harrison trailheads (1 mile walk to complete the
10-11 mile loop hike). 2 NORTHERN PYGMY-OWLS were vocal along the trail to
Harrison Lake, and the shore of Harrison was teaming with migrant American
Pipits, Yellow-rumped Warblers, and Savannah and White-crowned Sparrows.
American Pipits were abundant in the treeless granite rubble of the Seven
Sisters crest area along with one Horned Lark (no Longspurs). A lone Pine
Grosbeak flew over, but this species has been unusually hard for me to find
in suitable breeding habitat of north Idaho over the last 2 years (maybe
I’ve just been in the wrong places at the wrong times).

A final stop at Sandpoint City Beach on Sunday evening produced about 9
COMMON TERNS. Non-avian highlights from Sunday included a huge bull Elk
nearby (location withheld), lots of American Pikas, and a confiding
Short-tailed Weasel in a boulder field over the ridge north of Upper
Beehive Lake.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID