Friday, December 11, 2009

Fall Season Report for North American Birds

Here is my fall season (August 1 - November 30) for North American Birds (http://www.aba.org/nab/). Dave Trochlell (dtrochlell@verizon.net) is the editor for Idaho and western Montana.

Greater White-fronted Goose - 10/6 @ UI Dairy, discovered by Terry, quite hard to find in Latah Co. although annual in Nez Perce Co. (usually Mann Lake)

Cackling Goose - 11/13, 9 @ UI Dairy, Moscow, presumed Taverner's race, see photos at http://tinyurl.com/yhylt9k, Terry discovered 3 earlier in the day, I went later and found the 9 (5 are in the photos), will be submitted to IBRC (perhaps a record count for Idaho?)

Western Grebe - 150 on 9/10 @ Cascade Res. Sugraloaf area, probably many hundreds total (according IDFG up to 4000 nest here which I can believe, it would be great to do some more complete surveys here)

Clark's Grebe - 9/7 @ Dworshak Res., Clearwater Co, quite uncommon up here

White Pelican - 150 on 9/10 @ Cascade Res. Sugraloaf area (probably more elsewhere) and 150 on 9/13 at the south end of Cascade Res.

Broad-winged Hawk - 1 on 9/12 @ Lucky Peak, I think they had a pretty good number this season, hope you will get a report from Jay on that

Gray Flycatcher - 9/21 @ UI Arboretum, still trying to figure out the status of this species here in migration (and still getting familiar with it!), appears to be regular in e. WA late Aug through Sep. at migrant traps (as is Least FC which I'm still trying to figure out how to identify when silent!)

Bohemian Waxwing - 7 on 11/1 @ UI Arboretum, I had small numbers on 2 other dates in early November. Probably about the earliest they regularly occur in n. ID but not unusually early. Some were near Spokane in late October. (a cool October may have helped)

American Redstart - seen in migration in Moscow on 8/16 and 8/20, rarely detected in migration here. These dates suggest they are early migrants so perhaps they are easily overlooked (really need to start looking for migrants earlier in August). Also being at the ~southwest edge of their breeding range I've always assumed they are migrate east then south but perhaps there is a western migration corridor as well. (There is much still to learn about migration in the western U.S. I think.)

Lark Sparrow - 9/5 north of Moscow, very uncommon migrant here (where are these coming from??)

White-throated Sparrow - 10/20 @ UI Arboretum (present several days, presume same bird)

American Tree Sparrow - 10/20 @ UI Arboretum, rarely detected in migration (by me) in fact quite uncommon overall in our area, Terry has a discovered a couple small groups that winter in the area

Common Redpoll - 11/15 @ UI Parker Farm (Moscow) with about 40 A. Goldfinches, I doubt this is unusually early, just nobody looks much in November.