I spent the weekend birding the northern Idaho panhandle starting at
Sandpoint City Beach Saturday morning, where nothing unusual was present.
Along Sunnyside Road, south of Highway ID-200, I had my first BLUE JAY of
the fall and some small migrant flocks dominated by Yellow-rumped Warblers
and Ruby-crowned Kinglets. The Sandpoint Fish Hatchery produced a
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW. I continued around to the Driftwood Yard in Clark
Fork, where a youth hunt event was wrapping up. After they mostly cleared
out, I walked the parking lot and grass fields kicking up a flock of 9
American Pipits.

That afternoon I birded the Kootenai River Valley in Boundary County, where
shorebird habitat was unusually good and being unusually well utilized
(though diversity was low). Kootenai NWR had a flock of 8 early-ish SNOW
GEESE, 16 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and about 14 Long-billed Dowitchers.
Continuing north along Westside Road, the Ball Creek Ranch Preserve had 3
SANDHILL CRANES, at least 28 PECTORAL SANDPIPERS, and 70+ Long-billed
Dowitchers. A Merlin was working the 2015 Parker Ridge Burn scar.

Sunday morning, Boundary Creek WMA had a SWAMP SPARROW, another
WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, still 4 Lincoln’s SPARROWS, 4 SANDHILL CRANES, a
Merlin, and 40+ Yellow-rumped Warblers including at least 5 Myrtles.
Working back down the valley, Ball Creek Preserve had even more dowtichers
(~90) and still good numbers of Pectorals, and the Snow Geese were still at
KNWR with more Pectorals. The rest of the afternoon, including a second
stop at Sandpoint City Beach, were uneventful.

Good Birding,

Carl Lundblad
Moscow, ID