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Recent Postings from
Idaho Birding

Updated on Wednesday, December 19 at 09:40 AM ET
The most recently received Mail is at the top.

Folks the Craters CBC is coming up this Friday Dec 21. We will meet at 
the National Park Service visitor center 19 miles southwest of Arco on 
Highway 20 at 8AM. This is a little different CBC as very little of the 
circle is accessible by road. We currently have 6 to 15 inches of snow 
so if you are interested in counting by X-country ski and have skis 
bring them. The NPS will provide snowshoes. Even Arco is 17 miles 
outside the circle so bring lunch and water. Friday's forecast is for 
temperatures in the single digits to teens. If you have any questions 
about his unusual count area or conditions contact me at 
mmunts AT atcnet.net.

Mike
Craters of the Moon

I managed a couple hours of birding this morning after work despite
the snowy conditions.  Highlights were the continuing Harris's and
Clay-colored Sparrows as well as a nice adult male Wood Duck, Northern
Shrike and a Short-eared Owl that was flying across some open fields
with about 10 Common Ravens in hot pursuit!

Spencer Walters
Garden Valley, Boise County

Dear Fellow Birders,

This may be my last report from Minidoka.  I will be retiring in January
and moving to Boise.  There will not be a new manager here till next fall
and who knows whether he/she will be an avid birder.  I am going to miss
living on the refuge and miss being the eyes & ears of Minidoka NWR.
Someone else will have to be the coordinator for the Minidoka County annual
bird list.  Not much going on birdwise right now.  The Snake River below
Minidoka Dam is quite barren right now.  There are several thousand geese
using openings in the ice in front of the refuge office, along with several
eagles who tend them. This afternoon I did see a first winter glaucous gull
below the boat ramp below the dam - first one I've seen actually on the
refuge.   I'll be on-line till I leave in January in case anything else
shows up.

**************************************************
Steve Bouffard
Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge
961 E.  Minidoka Dam Rd
Rupert, ID  83350

fax 
steve_bouffard AT fws.gov
http://pacific.fws.gov/refuges/field/ID_minidoka.htm

While scouting for the Rexburg CBC I found a Spotted Sandpiper with a few Snipe 
and Killdeer in a pond near the South Fork of the Snake at Lorenzo Bridge. 
Count Week doesn't start until tomorrow. I hope it sticks around at least that 
long, if not until Saturday (the day of the count). We still have plenty of 
room on the Rexburg CBC if anybody's interested. 


Darren Clark
Rexburg, ID
riversilt AT hotmail.com
_________________________________________________________________
i�m is proud to present Cause Effect, a series about real people making a 
difference. 

http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/MTV/?source=text_Cause_Effect

It shows up every winter!  Good to know the EW is back!  I always enjoy
going to see it.  Jon

________________________________

From: ible AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:ible AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
Lew Ulrey
Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 3:13 PM
To: ible AT yahoogroups.com
Subject: [IBLE] 2007 Ada County Big Year List

 

Hello everyone,

    Here is a addition to the Ada County list:

 

#221 Eurasian Wigeon, 12/15, Ann Morrison Park, Lew Ulrey

 

    Since this sighting is being report by yours truly here is a photo
vouch for the fact that I actually saw the bird in question:

 

 

 

    I looked at the lists from 2005 and 2006 and saw that Ada County
birders found Eurasian Wigeon in January of those years.  I this is just
an oversight this year? If someone has any earlier date than mine, let
me know and I will adjust out list.

    Does anyone have objections to my sending pictures this way?   I am
about to send another, and if these files are too big so or something
and cause anyone grief, please let me know.

 

Lew Ulrey
Boise
lulrey AT cableone.net  

 

Hello everyone,
    Here is a addition to the Ada County list:

#221 Eurasian Wigeon, 12/15, Ann Morrison Park, Lew Ulrey

 Since this sighting is being report by yours truly here is a photo vouch for 
the fact that I actually saw the bird in question: 




 I looked at the lists from 2005 and 2006 and saw that Ada County birders found 
Eurasian Wigeon in January of those years. I this is just an oversight this 
year? If someone has any earlier date than mine, let me know and I will adjust 
out list. 

 Does anyone have objections to my sending pictures this way? I am about to 
send another, and if these files are too big so or something and cause anyone 
grief, please let me know. 

 
Lew Ulrey
Boise
lulrey AT cableone.net

I found a Spotted Towhee in Kathryn Albertson Park last Saturday. This is not a 
rare bird, but I sure do not find it very often, and I agree it is fun to find 
one! 


Lew Ulrey
Boise
lulrey AT cableone.net

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: gturwin 
  To: ible AT yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2007 2:44 PM
  Subject: [IBLE] Spotted Towhee


  Well my wet walk to the Micron Fitness Center at noon was rewarded with 
  a brief look at a spotted towhee kickin in the rain along with five (5) 
  similarly patterned, but smaller dark eyed juncos - Oregon sub 
  species. This is at the eastern most extremity of Boise city limits, 
  within ADA County. My wish list of yet unseen Idaho birds are Pygmy 
  Nuthatch, Pygmy Owl, Flammulated Owl, White Headed woodpecker - seen in 
  silhouette and heard only at Wilderness Ranch this past spring, so I 
  still haven't had a satisfactory look at one yet. Any suggestions as to 
  where best to see these guys?

  Geoff Urwin,
  Boise, Idaho (email has changed to gturwinATisp.com)



   

Well my wet walk to the Micron Fitness Center at noon was rewarded with 
a brief look at a spotted towhee kickin in the rain along with five (5) 
similarly patterned, but smaller dark eyed juncos - Oregon sub 
species.  This is at the eastern most extremity of Boise city limits, 
within ADA County.  My wish list of yet unseen Idaho birds are Pygmy 
Nuthatch, Pygmy Owl, Flammulated Owl, White Headed woodpecker - seen in 
silhouette and heard only at Wilderness Ranch this past spring, so I 
still haven't had a satisfactory look at one yet. Any suggestions as to 
where best to see these guys?

Geoff Urwin,
Boise, Idaho (email has changed to gturwinATisp.com)

Hi Everyone,

This morning with a strong wind and mixed snow and freezing rain I observed
the following bird species:
Note:  Birds were very nervous with 3 hawks hunting overhead and in the
trees!

Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Flicker
American Crow
Common Raven
Townsend's Solitaire - singing full song very softly
American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
Common Redpoll - only observed 5 birds mixed with Pine Siskins at the south
end of the long strip of mixed trees
Pine Siskins
American Goldfinch

The Cooper's Hawk kept flying back and forth from one end of the wind break
trees to the other keeping all the birds alert.

Unable to locate the Hoary Redpoll or the Harris's Sparrow.

Good Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843



_______________________________________________
Inland-nw-birders mailing list
Inland-nw-birders AT uidaho.edu
https://www.lists.uidaho.edu/mailman/listinfo/inland-nw-birders

Hi Everyone,

This morning with a strong wind and mixed snow and freezing rain I observed
the following bird species:
Note:  Birds were very nervous with 3 hawks hunting overhead and in the
trees!

Ring-necked Pheasant
California Quail
Cooper's Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Northern Flicker
American Crow
Common Raven
Townsend's Solitaire - singing full song very softly
American Robin
Dark-eyed Junco
Common Redpoll - only observed 5 birds mixed with Pine Siskins at the south
end of the long strip of mixed trees
Pine Siskins
American Goldfinch

The Cooper's Hawk kept flying back and forth from one end of the wind break
trees to the other keeping all the birds alert.

Unable to locate the Hoary Redpoll or the Harris's Sparrow.

Good Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843

Greetings from Nampa,
 
I think it could be said that our Nampa Area Count held December 15th was a 
real success this year. Thirty nine (39) registered counters and 7 registered 
Feeder Watch participants recorded a new record high for Nampa of 98 species. I 
have not had time to put together the total list of birds yet, but some of the 
high lights were a Common Moorhen, some Harris Sparrows, a Hermit Thrush, some 
Western Sandpipers, and a pair of Bushtits. Our total numbers of birds counted 
this year, 168,244, was more than double the 79,357, counted last year. In fact 
it is the highest number counted sinse 178,630 birds was recorded on the 101st 
CBC back in 2000. 

 
A great big thanks is owed to all the determined participants and to those who 
helped to make the after count chili feed a great success this year. 

 
Rusty Taylor and Fred Hill, Compilers

The Coeur d'Alene CBC was held on Sat. December 15.  We had
7 teams, 20 field participants and 7 feeder watchers.
A new species to the count was a Canyon Wren that appears to be 
wintering in a barn at a tree farm in Cougar Bay.  It was 
singing.  The wren was found by Kris Buchler and Roland Craft. 
Our other good bird was a Thayer's Gull at Independence Point, 
CDA City Beach found by Doug Ward.
It seemed like a slow day but we ended up with the highest number 
of
species (75) and the highest number of individuals (10,010) in
the 17 years of the count.  The high individual count was due to 
a record numbers of geese and
starlings.

I have the results on the Coeur d'Alene Audubon Website.
There are two charts
One shows this years count, the number of years it has been seen
on counts and the highest number seen over 17 years.
The other chart shows the results of all  counts 
http://cdaaudubon.org/Cbcount99.htm

http://cdaaudubon.org/cdacbcchart.htm

Shirley Sturts
Coeur d'Alene, ID 

Hi Everyone,

Today while helping Harry Jageman try and recapture a Northern Pygmy Owl I
did some birding while north and east of Potlatch, Idaho.  It snowed at
least 3 inches in places while we were locating the owl.  We did not have
any luck capturing the owl.

Birds observed today:

Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Common Raven
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Dipper
European Starling
Pine Grosbeak - a flock of 14 birds
Pine Siskin

Gold Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843



_______________________________________________
Inland-nw-birders mailing list
Inland-nw-birders AT uidaho.edu
https://www.lists.uidaho.edu/mailman/listinfo/inland-nw-birders

Hi Everyone,

Today while helping Harry Jageman try and recapture a Northern Pygmy Owl I
did some birding while north and east of Potlatch, Idaho.  It snowed at
least 3 inches in places while we were locating the owl.  We did not have
any luck capturing the owl.

Birds observed today:

Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Common Raven
Red-breasted Nuthatch
American Dipper
European Starling
Pine Grosbeak - a flock of 14 birds
Pine Siskin

Gold Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843

Cliff & Lisa just called to let me know that this afternoon they were
able to re-find the 4th winter Lesser Black-backed Gull (among many
other gulls including Thayer's and an apparent Glaucous-winged/Herring
hybrid) at the State fish hatchery ponds before all the birds headed
off to roost along the river below the Salmon Falls power plant.

Also, not seen this AM but this afternoon they relocated a WW Scoter
that Cliff & Co. had originally found last Sunday - upstream of the
power plant.

If I forgot anything, Cliff can fill in some details later ...

Cheers,

Jay

FYI - post mentioned in my Hoary Redpoll email.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Scott Downes 
Date: Dec 7, 2007 6:47 PM
Subject: [inland-NW-birders] re: Identification of redpolls
To: inland-nw-birders AT uidaho.edu


Regarding the identification of redpolls it is useful to compare similar
groups. As is true with identification of peeps, gulls or any other
confusing group of birds the best place to start is to identify what age,
sex and plumage you are looking at first. The topic of redpoll
identification seems to pop up every few years and while there are many
excellent posts and articles on the identification of them I'd like to
direct people to two posts I've found to be quite succinct.

The first is Dave Czaplak's excellent article in Birding back in 1995:
Czaplak, Dave. 1995. Identifying Common and Hoary Redpolls in Winter.
Birding 27:446-457.

The second was a well summarized post back in 2000 on Ontario Bird list that
I read and have bookmarked especially pays reference to the importance of
knowing molts of redpolls in regards to identification to species.
***********************************************************8
Hello Ontbirders et al.

During February and March in southern Ontario, expect to see more and more
redpolls coming your feeders, allowing excellent opportunities to study
them closely. Several people have asked me how to identify a Hoary Redpoll.
Other birders have asked me how to tell the subspecies (races) apart of
both Common Redpoll and Hoary Redpoll.

Taxonomy: Most authorities, including the American Ornithologists Union
(1998), recognize two species of redpolls: Common Redpoll and Hoary
Redpoll. The Common Redpoll is divided into two subspecies in North
America: (1) the nominate Carduelis flammea flammea and (2) the Greater
Common Redpoll, C.f. rostrata. The Hoary Redpoll is divided into two
subspecies in the world and both are found in Canada: (1) nominate
Hornemann's Hoary Redpoll, Carduelis hornemanni hornemanni, and (2)
Southern Hoary Redpoll, C.h. exilipes. Note: Declan Troy (1985) in the Auk
102:82-96 studied the nominate race of Common Redpoll (flammea) and
southern race of the Hoary Redpoll (exilipes). Troy concluded that these
two forms should be lumped as one variable species. I know that Declan
subscribes to Ontbirds, Frontiers and Birdchat. Perhaps he'll expand on his
findings.

In order to identify redpoll species and subspecies, one requires a
knowledge of plumages, age classes, and the effects of wear and molts. See
below.

Adult (definitive basic) redpolls undergo a complete molt once a year after
the breeding season. Because of buffy or grayish feather edges which
gradually wear off, adults in fresh (new) plumage in the fall are much
paler than the same birds in worn (old) "breeding" plumage. In males, the
pink coloration is also pale when fresh, gradually becoming richer and
redder by spring. Feather wear allows redpolls to don a breeding dress
without the need to molt. Redpolls do not have an alternate plumage. This
change is well illustrated in the National Geographic Society's Field Guide
(1999). Compare the Common Redpolls labelled winter and breeding on page
455.

Juvenals lack the red cap and black chin of the older birds. On the
breeding grounds in late summer, juvenals undergo a partial (body feathers)
molt to first year (first basic) plumage, retaining the juvenal wing and
tail feathers. Seasonally compared, first year birds are darker and more
streaked than their respective adults. Redpolls wear their first year
plumage for about one year, after which they molt completely to adult
plumage.

Why is there so much variation of plumages in a flock of redpolls?  A large
flock of only flammea Common Redpolls will show four plumage types: adult
males, adult females, first year males and first year females. Because
there are four redpoll forms, a large flock of redpolls potentially has 16
plumage types. As well, there is indivdual variation in all four forms,
just like individuals in most animal populations vary from the average!

Nominate Common Redpoll: This low Arctic form is the commonest of the four
forms in southern Ontario, far outnumbering the other three forms. It is
the standard by which the other three forms are compared and recognized. In
all plumages, this form is usually noticeably streaked on the sides, rump
and undertail coverts. Adult males are richly coloured with rosy pink. See
illustration of adult male on plate 69 of The Birds of Canada (Godfrey
1986). First year males are somewhat darker and often washed with light
pink. Adult females usually lack any pink (sometimes tinged) and first year
females are the darkest and most heavily streaked of the age classes, some
are almost siskin-like. Caution: Some individuals appearing intermediate
between C.f. flammea and C.h. exilipes are best left unidentified.

Greater Common Redpoll: This large and dark form (rostrata) breeds on
Baffin Island and Greenland. Similar to the two subspecies of the Hoary
Redpoll, there is an apparent gap (hiatus) between the breeding ranges of
nominate flammea and Greater Redpoll (rostrata). See range map in Godfrey
(1986). Greater Redpolls are a winter visitor in small numbers to the
southern parts of the East from Ontario to Newfoundland and to the
northeastern United States. Greaters are more common than Hoarys some
winters. The Greater is somewhat larger (averages 14.0 cm) than nominate
flammea (averages 12.5 cm). The differences between the two subspecies are
fairly obvious when the two are together for comparison. The field marks of
Greater are its larger size, thicker bill, and somewhat darker and browner
coloration than flammea. Adult male Greaters have "red of underparts less
extensive and less intense" than flammea (Godfrey 1986). Some observers
have described classic Greaters as somewhat House Finch-like because of
their stout bills, heavy builds and generally darker coloration with
conspicuous streaking on the underparts. See the excellent identification
article on Greater (aka Greenland) Redpoll in Birders Journal 5(1):44-47 by
David Beadle and Brian Henshaw (1996) and illustrated by Beadle.

Southern Hoary Redpoll: This form (exilipes) breeds in the low Arctic and
much of its range overlaps that of flammea Common Redpoll. It is the more
common of the two Hoary Redpoll subspecies in southern Ontario and closer
in size and plumage characters to flammea Common Redpoll. There is a good
comparison of adult male exilipes Hoary Redpoll and flammea Common Redpoll
on plate 69 in Godfrey (1986). See how the exilipes Hoary is not that much
different from the Common flammea! During repoll flight years, it is
usually possible to find a few classic adult male exilipes Hoarys. They are
more frosted with pure white rumps, paler with less extensive pink
suffusion on the breast, lightly streaked flanks and very lightly streaked
to immaculate undertail coverts. Adult females and especially first year
females, can be noticeably streaked. Exilipes Hoary is similar in size to
flammea Common, but may look slightly larger because of its frosted
appearance. Hoarys also have shorter, more obtuse (stubby) bills imparting
a distinctive "pushed in face" appearance. The bill difference is well
shown on plate 69 in Godfrey (1986). Other differences pointed out to me
this morning by Ron Tozer who was watching Hoarys and Commons at his
feeders near Algonquin Park as we talked on the phone are: the red cap is
smaller on Hoary, looking more forward on the forehead, and exilipes Hoarys
are often streaked on the sides. See Cameron Eckert's exilipes Hoary
Redpoll photos and ID tips below:

http://www.yukonweb.com/community/ybc/ybc_bird.jpg

Hornemann's Hoary Redpoll: The Hornemann's or Greenland Hoary Redpoll
(nominate hornemanni) is the largest and palest of the redpolls. It is a
dream bird for us birders in southern Canada. There is apparently a gap
between the breeding ranges of the two subspecies of Hoary Redpoll.
Hornemann's breeds in the Canadian high Arctic and Greenland and is a great
rarity in southern Ontario and Quebec. Caution: Hornemann's is overly
reported, but it does occur! Hornemann's is larger (averages 14.0 cm) than
exilipes Hoary and flammea Common Redpolls. It is overall whiter with less
prominent streaking on the sides and flanks and has immaculate undertail
coverts. Adult males have less pink which is of a different hue than
exilipes, some showing only a mere trace of pink suffusion on the breast.
Females and first year birds are recognizable if directly compared to the
two small forms (flammea and exilipes) by their pale coloration and larger
size. Note the size of the Hornemann's in the photo in American Birds
42(2):239. See also the excellent article on redpoll identification by Dave
Czaplak (1995) in Birding 27(6):446-457. The photo of nominate hornemanni
on page 448 is correctly identified in my opinion.

Summary: Common and Hoary Redpolls appear to be valid species. The
intermediate birds reported between flammea Common and exilipes Hoary
Redpolls are apparently due to age, sex and individual variation and not
hybridization. Some authorities recognize four species of redpolls. Not all
redpolls will be identifiable to species or subspecies in the field, but
classic individuals of each form are very recognizable.


Warm regards,

Ron Pittaway
Co-editor, Ontario Birds
Jean Iron
President, Ontario Field Ornithologists
9 Lichen Place
Toronto, Ontario M3A 1X3
Canada

*****************************************************

The third is a list by Cameron Eckart of Whitehorse summarizing key points
in the ID of Hoary Redpolls. This list was created in .. Very little breast streaking.
 2.. White rump with no streaks.
 3.. White undertail with very limited (or no) thin streaks.
 4.. White edges to tertials and coverts.
 5.. Overall frosted (white) look to head.
 6.. The red poll tends to be brighter red.
 7.. A wash of pink (not red) on breast of some birds.
 8.. Some birds show pale peach wash around face.
 9.. Shorter stubbier bill.
 10.. Pale streak along scapulars.
 11.. Tend to look slightly larger than Commons.
 12.. Tend to cock their tails more than Commons.
 13.. Tend to have "bushier leggings" than Commons.
The point of this post is one to make people that are not aware of Czaplak
1995 to try to get their hands on a copy, it is very good. Additionally as
people know with peeps, it matters in terms of coloration and appearance to
compare like to like. If trying to determine western vs. semi sandpiper it
helps to know what age class you are looking at. In comparing redpoll
species it helps to know which molt you are looking at when using the list
of features that Cameron nicely summarizes above.

Hope this has helped people and I hope there will be lots of redpolls to
scan through this winter!

Scott Downes
downess AT charter.net
Yakima WA



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-- 
Charles Swift
Moscow, ID
chaetura AT gmail.com

I drove what I call the "Walker Loop" (basically farm fields SE of Rexburg, 
near where the Snowy Owl was seen a couple of years ago) today. I found several 
hundred Horned Larks, a flock of around 40 Snow Buntings, one Lapland Longspur, 
and a Prairie Falcon. I was hoping for Rosy-Finches, but I couldn't find any. 


Darren Clark
Rexburg, ID
riversilt AT hotmail.com
_________________________________________________________________
i�m is proud to present Cause Effect, a series about real people making a 
difference. 

http://im.live.com/Messenger/IM/MTV/?source=text_Cause_Effect

Late this afternoon, I drove out to look for the rosy-finches coming
in to roost on the cliffs across from Lucky Peak (Discovery) State
Park. There were three GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCHES in the usual place,
walking around on the rocks above the "June Harris" graffiti at about
4:45pm. Fairly good light this afternoon, and they didn't move around
too much; nice scope views.

I looked for, but was unable to locate, any black rosy-finches.

John Battalio
Boise

Hi Everyone,

This after noon I checked out the Parker Farm Redpolls again and Charles was
there with the one in question about 10 feet in front of him on the ground.
This bird was very cooporative and was able to take photos of this bird and
they are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryandchristine/ .  Also I think that the
photos I took earlier of a male adult was a Hoary as well as this first year
bird.

Gold Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843



_______________________________________________
Inland-nw-birders mailing list
Inland-nw-birders AT uidaho.edu
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Hi Everyone,

This after noon I checked out the Parker Farm Redpolls again and Charles was
there with the one in question about 10 feet in front of him on the ground.
This bird was very cooporative and was able to take photos of this bird and
they are at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryandchristine/ .  Also I think that the
photos I took earlier of a male adult was a Hoary as well as this first year
bird.

Gold Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843

I counted 104 very cooperative Bohemian Waxwings this afternoon, 100 
in one tree and 4 in another. I was driving past the Columbia Village 
shopping center along Highway 21 when I thought I would stop and 
check out a few black silhouettes in a cotton wood tree at the 
trailer park on the east side of Columbia Village just North of 
Federal Way, but South of Technology Way.  They turned out to be 
Bohemian's and they were soon joined by 100 more, which flew further 
into the trailer park all up into a magnificent cotton wood tree. I 
drove around to a deserted lot to park and get a better view with the 
sun shining on them, and then just happened to give myself a front 
row seat to a natural bird bath of sorts as they all flew down and 
took turns bathing themselves in some melted snow.  I enjoyed them 
from about 1 pm to 1:30 pm until they were all panicked by the sudden 
appearance of a small sharp shinned hawk. Everything suddenly vacated 
the area, including juncos and some very white spotted starlings.  
This all happened on Sunday afternoon in Ada County, inside Boise 
City Limits.  At 2 pm a Northern Harrier was leisurely flying around 
near Federal Way scaring the many starlings feeding on the fruit 
trees.

This past Thursday evening at 6 pm there was a Prairie Falcon on a 
fence post along Technology Way, half way between the Micron Gate D 
entrance and Hwy. 21.

Geoff Urwin,
Boise, Idaho

(By the way my email address has changed from what Yahoo has on 
record, so just use the message board to contact me - Thanks)

Hi Everyone,

Christine and I were able to relocate the Redpolls at Parker Farm this
morning east of Moscow and were able to take comparison photos of the
possible Hoary Redpoll.  Please see Charles' email for directions.  The sun
was out for perfect photo conditions this morning.

Photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryandchristine/ .

Good Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843



_______________________________________________
Inland-nw-birders mailing list
Inland-nw-birders AT uidaho.edu
https://www.lists.uidaho.edu/mailman/listinfo/inland-nw-birders

Hi Everyone,

Christine and I were able to relocate the Redpolls at Parker Farm this
morning east of Moscow and were able to take comparison photos of the
possible Hoary Redpoll.  Please see Charles' email for directions.  The sun
was out for perfect photo conditions this morning.

Photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryandchristine/ .

Good Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843

The usual birds have been coming into the feeders this AM:  House 
Finches, Black-capped Chickadees, one Mountain Chickadee, Downy 
Woodpecker, N. Flicker, American Robin, Dark-eyed Juncos (primarily 
Oregon with several Pink-sided and Slate-coloreds), some House 
Sparrows, Song Sparrow, American Tree Sparrow, numerous American 
Goldfinches and a Townsend's Solitaire nearby.  The highlight this AM, 
however, was a pair of Spotted Towhees (one each male and female) that 
worked the spilled seeds, at the base of the feeder, over for about 10 
minutes.  

A drive out west toward Springfield yielded a number of Rough-legged 
Hawks and Horned Larks, but no Snow Buntings.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Howdy,
 Yesterday (12-15) six of us ran the American Falls Reservoir count and found 
75 species. The weather was cloudy (22-30 F) and breezy at times, with 1" of 
snow. Flowing water was open, but most still water was frozen, with the 
exception of large openings at the mouths of the Snake and Portneuf Rivers. 
Here is our list: 

Canada Goose - 1715
Trumpeter Swan - 82
Tundra Swan - 144
Gadwall - 281
Am. Wigeon - 640
Mallard - 4448
N. Shoveler - 27
N. Pintail - 241
Green-winged Teal - 103
Canvasback - 40
Ring-necked Duck - 3
Lesser Scaup - 2
Bufflehead - 67
Com. Goldeneye - 234
Barrow's Goldeneye - 11
Hooded Merganser - 1
Common Merganser - 2
Ruddy Duck - 121
R.- necked Pheasant - 56
Pied-billed Grebe - 10
Western Grebe - 1
Great blue Heron - 10
Bald Eagle - 38 (22a, 16j)
Northern Harrier - 55
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 4
N. Goshawk - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 35 ( 1 Harlin's)
Rough-legged Hawk - 36
Am. Kestrel - 27
Peregrine Falcon - 1
Prairie Falcon - 4
Virginia Rail - 1
Am. Coot - 162
Killdeer - 6
Wilson's Snipe  - 4
Ring-billed Gull - 250
Calif. Gull - 4
Herring Gull - 2
Rock Pigeon - 36
Eu. collared-Dove - 3
Mourning Dove - 2
Barn Owl - 3
Western Screech-Owl - 4
Great Horned Owl - 10
N. Saw-whet Owl - 1
Belted Kingfisher - 8
Downy woodpecker - 1
N. Flicker - 106
N. Shrike - 3
Steller's Jay - 1
Blue Jay - 1
Black-billed Magpie - 192
Am. Crow - 2
 Common Raven - 4
Horned Lark - 421
Black-capped Chickadee - 33
Marsh Wren - 4
Mountain Bluebird - 2
Townsend's Solitaire - 2
Am. Robin - 197
Eu. Starling - 3114
Am. Pipit - 1
Bohemian Waxwing - 204
Cedar Waxwing - 68
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 21
Spotted Towhee - 1
Am. Tree sparrow - 47
Song Sparrow - 52
White-cr. Sparrow - 3
Dark-eyed Junco - 128
Red-winged Blackbird - 239
Brewer's Blackbird - 254
House Finch - 76
Am. goldfinch - 17
House sparrow - 216

The following mammals were encountered: 3 bull moose, 10 mule deer, 4 
porcupines, 1 beaver, 4 fox squirrels, 8 coyotes, 1 red fox, 2 mtn. cottontail, 
and 1 meadow vole (in a Prairie Falcon's feet). One of the highlights was 
watching a Prairie Falcon dive three times through a tight ball of about 200 
starlings. Each time the swirling ball of starlings somehow opened up enough 
that the falcon came through empty footed. This was an amazing demonstration of 
coordinated and synchronated flight behavior of the starlings. Wow! 

Good birding!
Chuck Trost

The pics I took of the Clay-colored Sparrow are in a Picasaweb album.  There
are 46 of them.  None are spectacular but certainly several are more than
adequate for identification.  They seem a little warm or too much contrast.
I played with some of them a little bit on my computer and made some
corrections that seemed to help.  You may want to do the same after you have
downloaded any that interest you.  The link to the album is below.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/lawde13/ClayColoredSparrow

 

Pics taken Saturday, 

 

Dave Lawrence

Nampa, ID   83651

Here are a few additions to the year list from our CBC on 12/14 plus
one that I forgot to add a long time ago.

May 31:
168. Upland Sandpiper-seen in High Valley

December 14:
169. Northern Goshawk-seen northwest of Donnelly by Jay Carlisle
170. Cedar Waxwing-seen northwest of Donnelly by Jay Carlisle
171. Snow Bunting-seen east of Donnelly on Farm to Market Rd. by Linda
Yearsley and Spencer Walters
172. House Sparrow-seen in Donnelly by the whole CBC group.

That's all for now.

Spencer Walters
Garden Valley, Boise County

Hello all,
Just wanted to get this info out there in case anyone was interested.
  There were six willing participants who took part in the count on a
chilly morning that started out at 8 degrees.  Although overall
numbers  of birds weren't very high, we had a good time and hopefully
gained some information that will help in next year's count.  Below is
a list of what was seen during the day.

1.  Mountain Chickadee-132
2.  Common Raven-84
3.  Black-billed Magpie-83
4.  California Quail-80
5.  American Goldfinch-60
6.  Black-capped Chickadee-53
7.  Golden-crowned Kinglet-34
8.  Snow Bunting-30
9.  Red-breasted Nuthatch-26
10. Rough-legged Hawk-16
11. Steller's Jay-13
12. Brown Creeper-11
13. Mallard-10
14. Bald Eagle-7
15. Northern Flicker-6
16. Pygmy Nuthatch-6
17. White-breasted Nuthatch-5
18. Red-tailed Hawk-4
19. Hairy Woodpecker-4
20. American Dipper-4
21. European Starling-4
22. American Kestrel-3
23. Downy Woodpecker-3
24. Winter Wren-2
25. Common Goldeneye-1
26. Barrow's Goldeneye-1
27. Northern Goshawk-1
28. Northern Pygmy-Owl-1
29. Belted Kingfisher-1
30. Northern Shrike-1
31. Clark's Nutcracker-1
32. Cedar Waxwing-1
33. Dark-eyed Junco-1
34. House Sparrow-1

Thanks to all who helped out and especially to Gary Worthington, who
helped with contacting the Tamarack naturalist and gave lots of good
ideas and advice.  See you all at the Garden Valley CBC on January 3!

Spencer Walters
Garden Valley, Boise County

Louise and I birded Montour just an hour before dark. What a place for
Redtail Hawks.  Saw over 15 just driving through the main road; also several
N. Harriers, a Roughlegged Hawk and a few Kestrels. Spent some time trying
to digiscope a 3 year Bald Eagle but just not enough light and too far
across the river. Also saw an Adult Baldie and another 3 year one that
landed in the same tree for a few minutes then flew back up river. Little
birds were not our interest, but saw N. Flickers, BC Chickadees, Red-winged
Blackbirds, W. Meadowlark, DE Juncos.

 

Another attraction was the Idaho Pacific Railroad Santa Claus train. They
have a stop there with a village front, bonfires and a visit with Santa.
Quite a crowd.

 

Russ Manwaring

Emmett, ID

 

Hi IBLE

Along with 5 other folks, I participated in the new Donnelly CBC
yesterday.  I'm guessing that Spencer will post full highlights once
all the #s come in but I figured I'd post a few of mine.  I worked an
area NW and W of town and mostly by car but some hiking into the hills.

Very little open water so we detected very few waterbirds and I think
the most numerous bird on the count was Mountain Chickadee which is
kind of fun.  My highlights included an adult N Goshawk, a Northern
Pygmy-owl, and a Pygmy Nuthatch.  Other highlights I heard about
included Snow Buntings and a few American Dippers.

Happy counting!

Jay

Yesterday I checked out the Cascade STP, pretty much frozen over but enough
open water for 13 Barrow's Goldeneye, 3 Mallards, 3 Ravens and 6 Magpies.

 

At the Lake Cascade Outlet there were 10+ Common Goldeneye, 11 Hooded
Mergansers and 20+ Common Mergansers, 3 Mallards, 1 Great Blue Heron.
Temperature was around 14 degrees.

 

Russ Manwaring

Emmett, ID

 

I was delighted to find a Great Egret Thursday afternoon on the 7 mile
slough west of Emmett. Also there were 8 or so Green-winged Teal, a pair of
Northern Pintail, a few Pied-bill Grebes, a bunch of Mallards and 9 Least
Sandpipers working the rocky shoreline.  Later I noticed a Killdeer fly by
which is uncommon in that I have not seen any others this fall now that I
think of it.

 

Russ Manwaring

Emmett, ID

 

Hi Everyone,

Today I birded most of the day with Diana Jones.  We birded most of the day
in varies areas inside the count circle in and around Moscow. The following
bird species were observed.  Also yesterday I observed 7 Eurasian Collared
Doves in their usual place on Clyde Road south of Moscow.  Wedneseday I also
observed a Townsend's Solitaire in the UI Arboretum.

Today's list:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
California Quail
Bald Eagle - adult
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk - hawk had killed a Bohemian Waxwing in the UI Arboretum We
watched it dispatch the waxwing.
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk - one was an adult Dark Morph bird see at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryandchristine/
American Kestrel
Merlin - eating a American Robin on Power Poll
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Northern Flicker
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
COMMON REDPOLL - 4 birds with American Goldfinch and Pine Siskins east of
Buffalo Hill in the south subdivision near the turnoff to the Latah County
Transfer Station.
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch

Good Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843



_______________________________________________
Inland-nw-birders mailing list
Inland-nw-birders AT uidaho.edu
https://www.lists.uidaho.edu/mailman/listinfo/inland-nw-birders

Hi Everyone,

Today I birded most of the day with Diana Jones.  We birded most of the day
in varies areas inside the count circle in and around Moscow. The following
bird species were observed.  Also yesterday I observed 7 Eurasian Collared
Doves in their usual place on Clyde Road south of Moscow.  Wedneseday I also
observed a Townsend's Solitaire in the UI Arboretum.

Today's list:

Canada Goose
Mallard
Ring-necked Pheasant
Wild Turkey
California Quail
Bald Eagle - adult
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk - hawk had killed a Bohemian Waxwing in the UI Arboretum We
watched it dispatch the waxwing.
Red-tailed Hawk
Rough-legged Hawk - one was an adult Dark Morph bird see at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/terryandchristine/
American Kestrel
Merlin - eating a American Robin on Power Poll
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Northern Flicker
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-capped Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Bewick's Wren
American Robin
European Starling
Bohemian Waxwing
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
House Finch
COMMON REDPOLL - 4 birds with American Goldfinch and Pine Siskins east of
Buffalo Hill in the south subdivision near the turnoff to the Latah County
Transfer Station.
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch

Good Birding!

Terry Gray
890 Stefany Ln
Moscow ID 83843

The common moorhen continues to stay at Wilson Spring Ponds in Nampa. I was at 
the ponds at noon today, Dec. 14, and saw the moorhen right away from the 
fishing dock. 


Jim Holcomb, Nampa

This is an open invitation to all birders to come to see the Clay-colored
sparrow
here in Garden Valley.  You may have a hard time seeing it, though, unless
we're home 
and can let you into the house so you can watch out the kitchen window.  It
s a very 
skittish bird  and goes and hides if someone is out in the yard ...
 
If we're not able to be home, you can probably make arrangements with either
Spencer
or Linda.  Either one of them can let you into our house ...
 
We are located in Garden Valley very close to the high school.  I will give
my phone
number and explicit directions to the house to anyone who emails me with the
request.
 
I didn't see the Clay-colored sparrow today until about 2:00 p.m.  I think
there was
a Sharpie in the yard all morning someplace ...   But the sparrow is back
this
afternoon feeding in his usual place outside my kitchen window.   John Foote

came over this afternoon and was able to get really good looks and a life
bird ;o)
 
Sheri Foote
Garden Valley, Boise County
 
 

Spencer has been checking on the Clay-colored sparrow when we're not able to
be home to check.  He left me a note that he saw it again this afternoon
around 3:25.  So, it's still hanging around ;o)
 
Sheri Foote
Garden Valley, Boise County

Hi Birders,
Here's the latest for Canyon Co. Hope to have more after this Saturday's 
Christmas Bird Count! 

But these are a couple of very nice species!!

186.  White-throated Sparrow - 11/11 - So. of Caldwell - Cheryl Huizinga
187.  Common Moorhen - 12/5 - Wilson Spring Ponds - Jim Holcomb

Thanks!  Cheryl Huizinga
 
 

Just posting an update for those interested in coming to see the
Clay-colored Sparrow this weekend.  As of 10:45 this morning it was
still hanging out at Ralph and Sheri Foote's house.  It is pretty
skiddish and will fly when any Steller Jays come in, but with patience
you should be able to see this bird.  Let's hope it stays until our
Christmas Bird Count on January 3!  
Also, for those interested, the Harris's Sparrow is still being seen
at Linda Yearsley's feeders and appears to have set up shop for the
winter.  We have not seen any Common Redpolls for a few days now so
not sure if they will come back or not.  The White-headed Woodpeckers
have been showing consistantly at Michael Wiegand's cabin but, I have
not seen any Pygmy Nutatches for a week or so.
Good birding,
Spencer Walters
Garden Valley, Boise County

I was out scouting for the Idaho Falls Christmas Count this afternoon and
was delighted when a mixed flock of starlings and magpies flushed and chased
a Short-eared Owl out north of our property west of Idaho Falls.

 

Earlier I had seen a total of 7 Rough-legged Hawks northwest of town-also 3
N Harriers, 7 Mourning Doves, 5 American Kestrels, 1 Northern Shrike, and 12
Gray Partridges.  A group of 4 small birds flew off from the ground in the
distance; they were probably Horned Larks but were too far away.  Not much
snow to drive them to the roads.  On the Snake River downtown I saw the
usual Canada Geese and Mallards plus Common Goldeneyes, Lesser Scaup, and
Ring-necked Ducks.

 

Kit

 

Kit Struthers, Idaho Falls, ID

kit619 AT ida.net

 

Spencer,

Contact me on how to participate this Friday on the Bird county.  Cell phone
is 

 

Russ Manwaring

Emmett, ID

 

Just reporting in on the Clay-colored sparrow.
 
Once I scared the Cooper's hawk out of my yard, the
Clay-colored sparrow showed up about 5 minutes later
feeding on the ground feeders with the Juncos  ;o)
 
Sheri Foote
Garden Valley

Well, I guess you all can figure this is a new bird for us for the
county!  This is also a life bird for me!  Who says winter birding is
boring?!  Anyway, this is #187 for us for the year (12/10 was initial
sighting, 12/11 was the confirmed sighting).
Cliff informed me that this is only the second winter record for Idaho
and that last winter had the first record.  Are we seeing the first
signs of things to come, or is this just a fluke, to get them to show
up two winters in a row after never being seen before that?  Time will
tell I guess.
Spencer Walters
Garden Valley, Boise County

Hi, All!
 
Here are a few pictures taken this morning of the Clay-colored sparrow at
our house here in Garden Valley.  Sorry, they're not the best pictures!  We
took them through the kitchen window and there was some glare from the sun.
 
The BEST way to view the pictures so that they are larger in size is to hit
the "Slideshow" button above the first picture.  You will then have controls
on your screen to view each picture.
 
Four of us saw the bird today ;o)
 
Any comments would be appreciated!!!
 
Sheri & Ralph Foote
Garden Valley, Boise County
 
http://picasaweb.google.com/featherchaser/ClayColoredSparrow

I had to go to Rexburg today so I decided to see if I could find some 
Redpolls.  I drove around town for a short time and there wasn't much 
around, other than a small flock of Bohemian Waxwings, so I drove out on 
the bench south of town to see if there were any Horned Lark flocks to 
pick through.  I didn't cover much ground but I saw a lot of Horned 
Larks.  Two of the flocks contained single Snow Buntings and one of 
those flocks also had a longspur.  It was really warm and buffy on the 
breast but the belly looked white, the greater coverts were extensively 
rufous, and the legs looked black so I'm calling it a Lapland.  I never 
got a look at the tertials or wings because it was always facing me.  
The flock flushed quite a few times and came back to the same place.  
Then a Prairie Falcon buzzed the flock and made a serious attempt at a 
Horned Lark.  I never saw the longspur again but I heard it rattling as 
it flew to the south.  This flock was about 1/2 mile north of Walker 
Siding in the same area the Snowy Owls frequented a couple years ago.  
Poleline Rd runs east/west over the bench.  If you're heading east on 
Poleline it bends to the right around a shallow draw and you stay to the 
right and curve around and head south.  The road goes through a shallow 
dip and the longspur was between the dip and the next curve to the right. 

On the way down I mentioned to Lisa that I'd seen a Pygmy Owl perched in 
a tree near Ashton.  When we got to the area I looked up and there was a 
Pygmy Owl, I assume the same one, perched on top of a tree, maybe the 
same tree.  I can't ever recall seeing one in the same location like 
that before so I'm hoping this one hangs around the area.

Cliff

-- 
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa AT octobersetters.com

Howdy

First, I apologize for forgetting to post this until now .... on
Friday (Dec 7) I found 3 Cackling Geese in among the hordes in Ann
Morrison Park in Boise.  My best estimate was that one was a taverneri
(based on the darker chest) and the other 2 were hutchinsii
("Richardson's).  

A couple hours ago, I cruised thru the park by bike and was able to
locate one Richardson's as well as the first of the minima subspecies
(the smallest/darkest subspecies) that I have seen this season.  I
have just placed a picture in the IBLE 'Cackling Goose' photo folder
that Harry created ... it's the 5th picture (and not nearly and
close-up as Harry's 2 other minima shots in the same folder - but it
does show size/color/shape relative to nearby Canadas).

Cheers,

Jay

Hi Folks

For those curious (and in case it wasn't already clear yesterday),
I've now gotten comfortable with the ID of the dark-backed gull I saw
at Hagerman yesterday as a 4th winter Lesser Black-backed Gull.  My
main sticky point was the leg color (fleshy as opposed to yellowish)
but structurally it's right for Lesser Black-backed.  Also, I knew I'd
heard of this species sometimes retaining non-yellow legs for longer
than expected and last night I did some research and found this quote
in the book, 'Gulls: A Guide to Identification' by PJ Grant: 

from the 'adult winter/4th-winter section, bare parts' section of
Lesser Black-backed Gull:

"Legs deep- or creamy-yellow: a few (as high as 3% in some large
samples) have adult plumage but fleshy or grayish legs.  These birds
usually also have dark on the bill of variable extent, and are then
ageable as probable adult fourth-winters which have yet to acquire
fully adult bare parts coloration."

This description seems to fit the Hagerman bird pretty well.  Thanks
to Cliff for helping me through the ID process.

Cheers,

Jay

Does anyone have information about the trumpeter swans near Fairfield 
this year. Typically attempt to nest on Spring Creek Reservoir.

Dates seen?

Nest attempt?

Success?      

Thanks!

Justin

I'm at Sheri's house right now and the Clay-colored Sparrow just showed 
up.  He's eating out of the ground feeders and gave great looks to both 
of us.  She got some pictures and hopes to get more.  Will post some of 
them tonight hopefully.

Spencer Walters
Garden Valley, Boise County

After getting off of work this morning I made may way to Ralph and
Sheri Foote's house in Garden Valley to see if the Common Redpolls
were still frequenting the feeders.  Upon arriving, I noticed a
sparrow perched in the lilac bushes beside the feeder and upon further
inspection, noticed this was something different than I was used to
seeing.  The bird was facing me and I could see a pale, grayish to
almost yellowish color on the breast, no markings of any kind on the
breast, along with a pink bill.  The face pattern seemed to fit with
Clay-colored, but I also read in Sibley's that Brewer's and
Clay-colored are similar.  I was unable to get a look at the back or
nape so don't have any info there.  I let Sheri know about what I saw
and she continued watching after I left.  She said the bird showed up
a couple more times and that it looked to her to be Clay-colored
Sparrow.  
I am no expert by any means on sparrows, but I'll be going back up
tomorrow to see if it comes back in.  I don't know if anyone that
knows Clay-colored Sparrow would want to come and help make a positive
ID, but you're welcome to join me if you want.
Spencer Walters,
Garden Valley, Boise County

Saturday was a great day to watch yard birds as it was cold.  Around 10:30
birds started to arrive. 9 Red Crossbills checked out all the feeders that
offered sunflower seed, but I also saw them eat cracked corn, milo and
wheat.  A lot of Juncos finally, 2 Slate-colored ones preferred ground
feeding. A very busy Red-breasted Nuthatch stashed seeds in the larger tree
bark crevasses.  Later everything was disrupted by a Sharp-shinned and I got
busy doing other stuff, too.

 

Russ Manwaring

Emmett, ID

 

Reminder from: ible Yahoo! Group
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ible/cal

Southwestern Idaho Birders Association
Thursday December 13, 2007
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location: Deer Flat NWR Visitor Center, Lake Lowell, Nampa

Notes:
BSU Biology Professor Jim Belthoff, Ph.D., active member of the raptor research 
program, will give a program on the extreme highway mortality of the Barn Owl. 
He will bring more insight to this problem and an update on this disturbing 
subject. This meeting will also feature a Silent Auction of "collectable-type" 
nature books and field guides. For more information call Cheryl at . 



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