Spring migration continues here in the Highlands/North End of Boise. Observations over the last few days.

* With the cold spell starting Friday night Lazuli Buntings have piled up again after their numbers dropped in mid last week. I have seen up to 15 males at my feeders at one time. Females are still in the minority with about 80% +/- of the birds I see being males.
* Similar with hummingbirds which by now are almost all Black-chinned. The Rufous push lasted just 2-3 days back at the end of April. I have seen Calliopes scattered in among the Black-chinned, maybe one or two a day including one today. Of the Black-chinned also still 70-80% are males coming into the feeders. I was really worried after the cold front came through last Thursday night as I didn’t see any birds at the feeders until around noon-ish on Friday. Not sure if they had to thaw out before they could fly or what was going on. On Thursday last week I also had a flyby of a hummingbird, that based on the wing noise, could have been a Broad-tailed. Based on range maps they are rare to uncommon here in southwest Idaho, but I have had them before. Maybe 2-3 sightings I feel confident about in my 23 years here at this house.
* Friday morning also brought the first Black-headed Grosbeaks — also males. One was hanging onto my thistle feeder, probably hoping it was a sunflower seed feeder. I have heard them all weekend.
* Saturday brought my first Western Tanager, also heard again today.
* So far this spring season is noticeably light on warblers. There was a big push of Yellow-rumped in mid-April. I heard one Wilson’s about a week ago here at the house and that has been it. Very abnormal. I did hear a Yellow Warbler in the neighborhood a week ago a few blocks from here in their usual riparian habitat.
* Finally, the strangest sighting of all — was looking at the feeder tonight, admiring the male Lazuli’s and what do you know, a White-crowned Sparrow fly’s in and lands in the middle of them. This is very late for one to be around here but not unprecedented. We had a White-crowned on a bird walk this same time of year a couple blocks from my house.
* Eurasian Collared-Doves, after making their first ever feeder visit a couple weeks ago, are now daily visitors. And based on my observations seem to be nesting in a big pine tree across the street. Pretty amazing for a specie that is not even mentioned in my 1983 copy of National Geographic Field Guide. Luckily, I still have visits by Mourning Doves every day as well. They have not been pushed out. Though I did notice the local squirrel feeder raiders were sent flying, so to speak, when the Collared-Doves flew in. At least they are doing something useful.
* Another first ever feeder visit was by a mixed gender flock of Cowbirds — maybe attracted by all the Lazuli Buntings?
* Still no vireos, flycatchers, or pewees see or heard. Several times I thought I heard a vireo but then realized that Say’s Phoebe’s can make a very vireo like sound at times.

Spring migration is always a fun time.

Scott Tuthill