some late (and not late) Moscow migrants on June 1

I had an Orange-crowned Warbler and a female Townsend's Warbler in and around my yard last evening. The Townsend's doesn't seem that unusual but I was quite surprised to see an Orange-crowned wandering around my yard on June 1. Earlier in the morning I had a calling Hammond's Flycatcher (getting a bit late for a migrant I think) and a Wilson's Warbler which on the other hand is not unusual to be migrating into early June (possibly heading way up north to the muskeg of the Yukon or similar exotic locale). No hordes of Western Tanagers this year as in some previous cool wet late spring periods. 

A rainy walk late in the afternoon through the UI Arboreta produced little except for several Calliope Hummingbirds guarding their (presumed) territories from high perches and Golden-crowned Kinglets which seem to regularly nest in the older conifer-dominated Shattuck Arboretum. I was hoping for maybe an Olive-sided Flycatcher which would be expected this late in migration but no luck -perhaps in the next few days though. 

Nothing new (or even much at all) this morning but perhaps when this latest system clears out we will get some more late migrants.

thanks, Charles.

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

Moscow area birds week in review (5/23 - 5/28)

I've been checking my neighborhood most mornings this week for migrants, checked the UI Arboretum one day and noted birds around town and on campus. There has been a thin trickle of migrants during the week as summarized below. A few regular species are still missing locally such as Western Wood-Pewee and Western Flycatcher (both nest in town/campus) but typically are a bit later in town than elsewhere. I've also had no Western Tanagers this week and we typically get a late May push of this species - especially noticeable when we have cool, wet weather at the end of the month. Also of interest in town were a pair of Western Kingbirds at the UI Dairy  on 5/24 (although they usually nest just to the north near the UI Sheep Farm) and a Say's Phoebe at the medical campus above the old Moscow Wal-Mart (although they probably nest most years just to the south at the UI Cow barns). Finally I had a couple more Lesser Goldfinches along Paradise Creek on the southeast side of campus n 5/25.

Dusky Flycatcher - several

Hammond's Flycatcher - several

Warbling Vireo - most days (possibly some are local breeders)

Cassin's Vireo - 5/27

Yellow Warbler - most days, probably all local breeders

Townsend's Warbler - 5/24 UI Arb

Wilson's Warbler - only a couple

Lazuli Bunting - most days, 5 in neighborhood 5/28

Chipping Sparrow - most days, 30 UI Arb 5/24

Lesser Goldfinch - 5/25, 2 on southeast side of campus along Paradise Creek

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

early spring on the Palouse (birds, bugs, and herps)

I was able to get out this afternoon w/ Tom Besser for hikes at Phillips Farm County Park and at his property on the west end of Moscow Mountain. It was a typical spring day hereabouts - cloudy and cool at times but pleasant when the sun came out. Heading up US 95 north of Moscow I noticed the Loch 95 seasonal ponds was mostly cleared out of the ~250 ducks present yesterday. We had a nice hike at Phillip's (eBird list below) and in addition to birds noted swarming ladybugs, calling Pacific Chorus/Tree Frogs, and silent Columbia Spotted Frogs. Later at the Foothill Rd. lower pond we found a drake Cinnamon Teal, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs among others. We noted and confirmed in Sibley the strong flank markings on the breeding plumage Greater Yellowlegs and lack of the same on the Lesser (in addition to bill differences and overall size this appears to be useful characteristic for separating breeding plumage yellowlegs). A nice variety of species were around Tom's place including a couple Ruffed Grouse flushed by his dog, an impressively close Cooper's Hawk rocketing through his feeders, and a "white belly" immature Bald Eagle heading south over Moscow Mountain.

Phillip's Farm eBird list

Canada Goose  2
Northern Harrier  3     appeared to migrating in a small group
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Red-naped Sapsucker  1     heard drumming
Northern Flicker  6
Common Raven  2
Black-capped Chickadee  4
Red-breasted Nuthatch  5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  2
Western Bluebird  2
American Robin  25
European Starling  1
Spotted Towhee  2
Song Sparrow  2
Dark-eyed Junco  40
Red-winged Blackbird  2
Western Meadowlark  2
House Finch  5
Red Crossbill  2
Evening Grosbeak  25

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org) 

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

Moscow area birds, 4/1 & 4/2 (feeder, neighborhood, and waterfowl)

Howdy All - 

Lots of fun birds (and fun weather!) in and around Moscow these first two days in April. The continuation of various finches in my yard and east side Moscow neighborhood - Cassin's Finches and Pine Siskins in particular and finally yesterday I've got some goldfinches showing up at my feeders and today a few Evening Grosbeaks (plenty of fly overs but few stopping at my on again off again feeders - at least while I'm home). Also lots of singing birds around the neighborhood including among others flickers, robins, starlings, juncos, cassin's & house finches and several Varied Thrushes again after a several week absence. Yesterday morning a pair of Mallards walked through my neighbor's yard which I don't see too often. Probably scouting out nest sites even though we're a good 4-6 blocks from Paradise Creek. Also Friday evening while it was still calm and mild I could hear Pacific Tree Frogs calling down along the creek from my house.

There are also a very nice variety of waterfowl (11 species of ducks plus C. Goose) close to town right now based on some quick checking mostly this morning - as follows below.

thanks, Charles.

UI Dairy (yesterday 4/1)

Mallard 6

Green-winged Teal 2

Northern Shoveler 4

Lesser Scaup 3

A. Coot 1

following all this morning (4/2)

UI Dairy

American Wigeon 2 (all of above apparently departed)

Mallard 8

Loch 95 (seasonal pond on east side of US 95 n. of Moscow near Estes Rd.) - 250-300 ducks including the largest group of pintail I've personally seen in the county, could have been a E. Wigeon in there somewhere but I couldn't find one (also viewing conditions are a bit challenging here)

American Wigeon 80

Mallard 20

Northern Shoveler 5

Northern Pintail 150

Green-winged Teal 4

Hooded Merganser 2 (pair)

Foothill Rd. ponds - only a few mallards but a Say's Phoebe was also present struggling against the wind to hawk insects over the pond outflow

Sora wetlands on Moscow Mountain Rd.: 

Gadwall 2

Mallard 16

Green-winged Teal 2

Syringa Ponds

Mallard 6

Ring-necked Duck 1

Bufflehead 4

Common Goldeneye 1

American coot 3

Tree Swallow 2

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

Moscow - UI Campus migrants, 3/31/11

Despite the gusty winds on the Palouse today there were a nice variety
of birds on campus during an afternoon walk (eBird list for UI
Arboretum below). It started out w/ a flock of ~75 Bohemian Waxwings
in the middle of campus which then flew over to the Arb (although
there might have been several flocks around). At the Arb were several
Ruby-crowned Kinglets associating w/ a small flock of Golden-crowned
Kinglets and BC Chickadees. As I was leaving the Arb a couple of
Violet-green Swallows zipped over heading south (interestingly).
Walking back through the Shattuck Arboretum I was alerted to the
presence of a Great Horned Owl by a noisy crow (which could be one of
a pair nesting somewhere in the Shattuck).

Charles.

Moscow - UI Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Latah, US-ID
Mar 31, 2011 1:40 PM - 2:50 PM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Gusty winds but mild and nice variety of birds from
ponds up (the upper parts seem to have the best shelter).
20 species

Canada Goose 4 (on nest on lower pond)
Mallard 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 1
Rock Pigeon 6
Common Raven 1
Violet-green Swallow 2
Black-capped Chickadee 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
American Robin 15
Varied Thrush 1
European Starling 1
Bohemian Waxwing 75
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 5
House Finch 5
Pine Siskin 10
Evening Grosbeak X

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2 (http://ebird.org)

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

Pullman, WA Bewick's Wrens/Spotted Towhee - Lawson Gardens/Kruegal Park , 3/6/11

I had a few hours to kill in Pullman this afternoon and stumbled upon Lawson Gardens in the southeast part of Pullman. It was quite full of birds including a pair of Bewick's Wrens (male singing) and a female Spotted Towhee. The towhee may be an arrival but it also seems a reasonable place for an over-wintering bird. This seems like a good urban park for wintering birds and perhaps could be in migration as well. The eBird list below includes some birds from the surrounding neighborhood.

thanks, Charles.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <do-not-reply@ebird.org>
Date: Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 10:23 PM

Location:     Lawson Gardens/Kruegal Park
Observation date:     3/6/11
Number of species:     19

California Quail     5
Rock Pigeon     1
Northern Flicker     5
Black-billed Magpie     20
American Crow     8
Black-capped Chickadee     1
Red-breasted Nuthatch     2
Bewick's Wren     2
Golden-crowned Kinglet     4
American Robin     10
European Starling     5
Spotted Towhee     1
Song Sparrow     3
Dark-eyed Junco     25
Cassin's Finch     1
House Finch     20
Pine Siskin     35
American Goldfinch     2
House Sparrow     30

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

Moscow area birds - in and a few out of town

There are quite a few birds in Moscow right now most notably it seems large numbers of Cassin's Finches. We had a flurry of activity in our yard Saturday AM and this morning which included a hard to count group of Cassin's (probably 15-20) which I think is a high count for our yard. Over President's Day weekend a report of  50 was submitted to the GBBC from a resident on the east side of Moscow which seems plausible given the numbers around (but one has to be careful of the possible confusion w/ House Finch in these cases).

This morning walking in to work I had more Cassin's Finches and several singing Varied Thrushes  (hard to tell how many due to difficulty in localizing this species by their song). There has also been a Varied Thrush on campus singing from a little bramble on the east end of the Life Sciences bldg. Also on my walk I had a Yellow-rumped Warbler in an east side neighborhood. There are still plenty of Evening Grosbeaks around including a few that came into our feeders on Saturday AM which we don't see very often despite them being regular fly overs. And some occasional small groups of fly over Red Crossbills. Also nice to hear all the singing Dark-eyed Juncos around town at this time of year.

On Saturday I had a couple of brief opportunities to check areas on the outskirts of town and had a couple of Killdeer, an adult Bald Eagle, and small dark goose w/ about 30 Canadas north of town that I thought was a good candidate for Cackling (Taverner's) Goose. There was also a couple of Killdeer near Paradise Creek on the southeast side of campus yesterday (Monday).

thanks, Charles.

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

silo geese and butter-butts, Moscow, 1/25/11

I noticed in the past couple of days that a pair of Canada Geese has staked out their high perch on top of one of the silos in town. This happens every spring and although I've never monitored them (perhaps I will this year) I presume they are nesting here (presumably successfully or a pair wouldn't show back up every year). Sometimes there is squabbling at the site which I presume is from competing pairs or individuals so it must be a highly prized site.

Also walking in to campus I had 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers (aka butter-butts) at their traditional Greek row wintering site - today near the Delta Gamma sorority house.

--
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

Moscow area, 1/22/11 - Geese, owls, and Rough-legged Hawks

Hi All - 

I got out around Moscow for a few hours yesterday. At Darby and Mountainview Rds. I had 1 or 2 Cackling Geese (B.h.minima) with ~800 Canada Geese and ~200 Mallards (see attached). Several other small geese present were probably Lesser Canada Geese (B.c.parvipes) but I didn't get conclusive looks. 

At Doug Rudolph's place on Estes Rd. just into Whitman Co. I had a Long-eared Owl and a pair of Great Horned Owls. The Long-eared Owl did the typical thing of flushing and flying around behind me every time I got close to it. I talked to Doug when I arrived and he said it was fine to wander around and look for birds. He used to feed birds and occasionally had Gray-crowned Finches at his feeders. I believe a number of owls were found here last winter. 

I also had 3 Rough-legged Hawks while wandering around which seems normal for the area covered. As mentioned a while ago Rough-legged Hawks roost communally on Moscow Mountain. Some long-time area birders like Dave Holick probably know how long it's been there but I bet it's been many years. At the right time and place it's possible to see Rough-legs leaving or returning to the roost. Some of these communal roosts get quite large, for example the Ronan, Montana roost in the Mission Valley has had over 300 some years but more usually ~200 and some years much less (see: http://iba.audubon.org/iba/profileReport.do?siteId=2977). The natural variability in these roost counts suggests that numbers of wintering Rough-legged Hawks can vary from year to year and place to place.

thanks, Charles.

-- 
Charles Swift
Moscow, Idaho
(north-central Idaho, 80 miles SE of Spokane, WA)
46°43′54″ N, 116°59′50″ W
email: chaetura@gmail.com
skype: charles.swift
google voice: 208-991-2473

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

Latah Co. Long-billed Curlew, etc. 4/3/2010

This afternoon I found a Long-billed Curlew out along Little Bear Ridge Rd. southeast of Troy (which is east of Moscow). It was in a seasonally wet field depression just before the farm at 1550 Little Bear Ridge which is about 6.5 miles from Troy and .5 mile north of the cemetery. It was foraging at the back of the wet area in a fairly tall grass and I watched it eat several large earthworms. At times it was hard to see in the grass especially while resting. 

This is a species that I had wondered about occurring in Latah Co. (probably nested formerly) but wasn't really on my radar until several were seen around this time last year (just north of Moscow and near Genesee). I presume these are migrants heading northeast to w. MT or Alberta from the west coast. It was kind of a fluke that I was out birding this afternoon, I had a small person (my daughter) who would not settle down for a nap at home so I was forced to take her for a drive and do some birding! 

I've attached an out of focus digiscoped image of the curlew.

At the bottom of Little Bear Ridge Rd. at the confluence of Little and Big Bear Rd. near Kendrick there was a nice collection of birds that had either retreated or were just backed up down at lower elevations w/ the unsettled weather up higher (low 40's and very windy up on the Palouse; Kendrick at ~1200 ft. lower was calm and about 49 F). I've seen this happen at this locale several times in the past couple of years. This group included ~50 Mountain Bluebirds, ~20 Western Bluebirds, a couple each Townsend's Solitaires and Say's Phoebes, and a Spotted Towhee. The bluebirds (especially Mountains) were very flighty. There was also a nice flock of Lesser Goldfinches here (20+) and a bunch of Violet-green Swallows (50+). 

Elsewhere I found a couple Ruddy Ducks at a pond near the curlew spot, and a number of Turkey Vultures both east and west of Troy. All told I picked up 4 year birds and the LB Curlew is a new county bird. A nice few hours out in the field on this chilly Easter weekend!

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

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

South Carolina trip list

Final species list for my South Carolina trip (12/29/09 - 1/6/10) showing date and location of first sighting of each. Total species seen 95. Data from ebird.

  
   
Species
   
Count
   
Location
  
  
   
Canada Goose
   
5
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Wood Duck
   
2
   
Palmetto Island County Park
  
  
   
Mallard
   
25
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Green-winged Teal
   
5
   
Huntington Beach SP
  
  
   
Redhead
   
6
   
Huntington Beach SP
  
  
   
Bufflehead
   
1
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Hooded Merganser
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Red-breasted Merganser
   
3
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Ruddy Duck
   
50
   
Huntington Beach SP
  
  
   
Red-throated Loon
   
15
   
Atlantic Beach -- south end
  
  
   
Common Loon
   
2
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Pied-billed Grebe
   
1
   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Horned Grebe
   
2
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Northern Gannet
   
3
   
Atlantic Beach -- south end
  
  
   
Brown Pelican
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Double-crested Cormorant
   
15
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Anhinga
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Great Blue Heron
   
1
   
Isle of Palms - Breach Inlet
  
  
   
Great Egret
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Snowy Egret
   
3
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Little Blue Heron
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Tricolored Heron
   
3
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
White Ibis
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Black Vulture
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Turkey Vulture
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Osprey
   
1
   
Palmetto Island County Park
  
  
   
Bald Eagle
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Northern Harrier
   
1
   
Huntington Beach SP
  
  
   
Red-shouldered Hawk
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Red-tailed Hawk
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
American Kestrel
   
1
   
Myrtle Beach
  
  
   
Clapper Rail
   
2
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Common Moorhen
   
2
   
Atlantic Beach -- Marsh Oaks area
  
  
   
American Coot
   
2
   
Myrtle Beach
  
  
   
Black-bellied Plover
   
1
   
Pitt Street Causeway
  
  
   
Semipalmated Plover
   
50
   
Pitt Street Causeway
  
  
   
Killdeer
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
American Oystercatcher
   
2
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Spotted Sandpiper
   
1
   
Palmetto Island County Park
  
  
   
Greater Yellowlegs
   
3
   
Atlantic Beach -- Marsh Oaks area
  
  
   
Willet
   
30
   
Isle of Palms - Breach Inlet
  
  
   
Lesser Yellowlegs
   
1
   
Atlantic Beach -- Marsh Oaks area
  
  
   
Marbled Godwit
   
5
   
Pitt Street Causeway
  
  
   
Ruddy Turnstone
   
3
   
Isle of Palms - Breach Inlet
  
  
   
Sanderling
   
20
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Western Sandpiper
   
20
   
Pitt Street Causeway
  
  
   
Dunlin
   
5
   
Pitt Street Causeway
  
  
   
Short-billed Dowitcher
   
1
   
Pitt Street Causeway
  
  
   
Wilson's Snipe
   
1
   
Atlantic Beach -- Marsh Oaks area
  
  
   
Bonaparte's Gull
   
6
   
Huntington Beach SP
  
  
   
Laughing Gull
   
2
   
Patriot's Point
  
  
   
Ring-billed Gull
   
130
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Herring Gull
   
1
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Forster's Tern
   
1
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Royal Tern
   
1
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Black Skimmer
   
7
   
Isle of Palms - Breach Inlet
  
  
   
Rock Pigeon
   
20
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Eurasian Collared-Dove
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Mourning Dove
   
1
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Belted Kingfisher
   
1
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Red-bellied Woodpecker
   
2
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Downy Woodpecker
   
4
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Northern Flicker
   
2
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Pileated Woodpecker
   
2
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Eastern Phoebe
   
1
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Loggerhead Shrike
   
1
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Blue-headed Vireo
   
1
   
Palmetto Island County Park
  
  
   
Blue Jay
   
7
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
American Crow
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Tree Swallow
   

   
Myrtle Beach
  
  
   
Carolina Chickadee
   
8
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Tufted Titmouse
   
2
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Brown-headed Nuthatch
   
1
   
Palmetto Island County Park
  
  
   
Carolina Wren
   
4
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
   
5
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Eastern Bluebird
   
5
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Northern Mockingbird
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
European Starling
   
50
   
Patriot's Point
  
  
   
Cedar Waxwing
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Yellow-rumped Warbler
   
1
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
Pine Warbler
   
1
   
Palmetto Island County Park
  
  
   
Palm Warbler
   
1
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
Eastern Towhee
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Chipping Sparrow
   
6
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Song Sparrow
   
1
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Swamp Sparrow
   
5
   
Mount Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park
  
  
   
White-throated Sparrow
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Dark-eyed Junco
   
6
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Northern Cardinal
   

   
Mount Pleasant
  
  
   
Red-winged Blackbird
   
10
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
Boat-tailed Grackle
   
100
   
Isle of Palms County Park & Beach
  
  
   
House Finch
   
2
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
American Goldfinch
   
4
   
Mt. Pleasant -- Brickyard Plantation
  
  
   
House Sparrow
   
25
   
N. Myrtle Beach Wal-Mart
  
 

eBird Report - Brickyard Subdivision, Mt. Pleasant, SC

Location:     Brickyard Subdivision

Observation date:     1/1/10

Notes:     New Year's Day walk around my brother Kevin's neighborhood in Mt. Pleasant, SC w/ Kevin & Deb. A nice variety of typical birds on a cool and cloudy afternoon. Loads of Myrtle Warblers are in the area for the winter. With a bit more effort I could have had 40 species. Happy New Year to all!!

Number of species:     37

Canada Goose     5
Mallard     25
Common Loon     1
Pied-billed Grebe     1
Brown Pelican     4
Double-crested Cormorant     3
Anhinga     1
Great Blue Heron     2
Great Egret     3
Little Blue Heron     1
Black Vulture     8
Turkey Vulture     30
Bald Eagle     1
Red-shouldered Hawk     1
Ring-billed Gull     15
Herring Gull     2
Belted Kingfisher     1
Red-bellied Woodpecker     1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker     1
Northern Flicker     2
Pileated Woodpecker     2
Blue Jay     2
American Crow     15
Carolina Chickadee     7
Tufted Titmouse     1
Carolina Wren     2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet     1
Eastern Bluebird     6
Northern Mockingbird     3
Yellow-rumped Warbler     300
Chipping Sparrow     6
White-throated Sparrow     4
Dark-eyed Junco     6
Northern Cardinal     4
Red-winged Blackbird     10
House Finch     6
American Goldfinch     4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

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

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.

East Moscow neighborhood birds, 11/14/09

Location:     Moscow - East City Area (centered on E. City Park)
Observation date:     11/14/09
Notes:     Beautiful, sunny, cold, snowy fall morning. About 2" fresh snow, temp. 36-38 F, sunny w/ broken cloud. Roads fairly slick. Many birds right in our block w/ a nice group of robins, starlings, and juncos w/ 3 Varied Thrushs.
Number of species:     15

Canada Goose     X
Rough-legged Hawk     1     dark morph, dark carpal patches visible, dusky white undertail coverts and dark sub-terminal tail band
Northern Flicker     6
American Crow     4
Black-capped Chickadee     2
Red-breasted Nuthatch     6
Golden-crowned Kinglet     1
American Robin     15
Varied Thrush     3
European Starling     30
Cedar Waxwing     30
Dark-eyed Junco     35
House Finch     20
American Goldfinch     1
House Sparrow     5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

These pictures were sent with Picasa, from Google.
Try it out here: http://picasa.google.com/

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

fall birding at the University of Idaho Arboretum

I had 7 Bohemian Waxwings this morning at the UI Arboretum w/ about 70 Cedar Waxwings (total 150 for my morning walk). This is about the earliest I've had them in Moscow although I'm sure it's not unprecedented. I had a flock of ~300 Cedar Waxwings on campus Thursday (10/29) and was looking carefully for them then but no luck. There have been reports of Bohemians in southern British Columbia and w/ the unsettled and at times cold October weather I figured there was a good chance we'd get some early ones here. Also this morning among 26 species were 2 Cooper's Hawks, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfisher and Great Blue Heron (both present Thursday), flock of 5 Townsend's Solitaires (always nice!), ~10 Black-capped Chickadees, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and others.

I haven't had much of a chance to put together a report but have covered the UI arboretum complex 6 times now in the past 2 weeks and birding has continued to be quite good (20+ species on all visits and a good diversity overall). Seems like I usually curtail my fall migration birding here after mid October but this is clearly a mistake! I'll try to post a summary in the next few days but here are a few items of interest.

On Tuesday (10/27) I had an immature Northern Goshawk flying south through/over the arb. (this is a good time for migrating Goshawks). The Goshawk initially gave the impression of a Sharpie until it got closer and I realized it was much too large to be a Sharpie. "Hawks in Flight" (Dunne et al.) notes that Goshawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk have very similar wing and tail proportions and this is useful (among other things) in separating immature Goshawks and Cooper's Hawk in the field. (According to Dunne et al. "If Sharp-shinned Hawks were the size of Cooper's Hawks, distinguishing between them and Goshawks would border on the impossible". It also notes that high flying Goshawks at hawk watches are likely to be initially mis-identified as Sharpies - until they flap that is.) 

The past couple of weeks (but not today) I've been observing a flock of ~15 or so Yellow-rumped Warblers - I presume mostly the same birds - frequenting the same general part of the arb. It turns out there are a couple of "Myrtle Warblers" in this group but my post a couple weeks ago was wrong (sort of) in pointing to pale throats as a key feature in separating Myrtles from Audubon's. In actuality basic (fall plumage) Audubon's can have fairly pale throats (most probably 1st fall females). However, with basic plumage Myrtle Warblers the white throat extends in thin arcs under the auriculars (cheek area) and this along w/ several other features makes the face pattern fairly distinctive from Audubon's. This is pointed out well in the big Sibley and in more detail in Dunn and Garret's "Peterson Field Guide to Warblers". Fortunately I was able to study the guides at home and then study this flock further on successive visits. It also turns out after some study there were a good number of adult (after hatch year) male Audubon's Warblers in the group as evidence by the gray streaking on their backs. It may well be that there were both male and female 1st year (hatch year in banding lingo) and adult (after hatch year) Audubon's in this group. According to Dunn and Garret the dullest pale throated birds likely are 1st year (hy) females and the brightest, distinctly marked, yellow-throated birds are adult (ahy) males with the others hard to separate (this is typical of many passerines and often only these 2 plumages are depicted in the major field guides). BTW this may be of more than just academic interest as there is recent research on this species complex that may result in Myrtle and Audubon's Warblers being un-lumped (Dunn and Garret seem to be of the opinion that the split was incorrect and indeed if you look at these 2 they are quite different in appearance although their similarities certainly point to a common ancestor species, and yes they do hybridize in a narrow zone in British Columbia.)

It's always nice to go out and learn new things in your own backyard and to have cooperative birds stay around to be studied on successive visits! More later (hopefully) on my recent UI Arboretum birding - time to go do some raking!

thanks, Charles.

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

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

West Mountain, Valley Co., Idaho (9/13/09)

Cascade Reservoir from West Mountain, looking northeast

I explored up West Mountain (Valley Co.) a bit on my way home from Boise a couple weeks ago. This is a very attractive area and it seems to me birding could be quite good along the road up to the ridge in breeding season. The road is actually in pretty good shape although narrow in spots due to encroaching vegetation. I only went as far as the main West Mountain ridge but one could continue further west into the mountain range and eventually all the way to Council. There is a lookout on a bald further west that also looks interesting. There was a Dusky Grouse carcass at the saddle/road intersection. Complete eBird list is below.

More photos of area here: http://tinyurl.com/ydhy5qy

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Location: West Mountain Saddle
Observation date: 9/13/09
Notes: This is the first main (West Mountain) ridge line up USFS Road #435 - about 20 minutes from the west side of Cascade Lake (West Mountain Rd.) A nice area of mixed conifers w/ jeep tracks going north and south from the saddle. The road up looks like it could be quite good in the breeding season w/ lot of deciduous understory. Also some great views of Cascade Res. along the way. A Dusky Grouse carcass was near the saddle. There is also a warming hut for snow mobilers.
Number of species: 12

Hairy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 2
Steller's Jay 1
Clark's Nutcracker 3
Common Raven 2
Mountain Chickadee 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 10
Chipping Sparrow 20
Dark-eyed Junco 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Fwd: eBird Report - Moscow - UI Arboretum and Botanical Gardens , 9/17/09

University of Idaho Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, from north entrance

It was pretty birdy in the UI Arboretum at noon today w/ lots of YR Warblers and Cedar Waxwings and smattering of others. A bunch of waxwings were scattered around feeding and then a flock of ~150 and another of ~50 flew over. Many Yellow-rumps were feeding on the ground and low in an open oak grove and of course doing lots of fly catching. Also of interest were a couple each of both kinglets, a Hermit Thrush (responded to owl imitations, fist alerted to its presence by 'chuk' call notes), and a few juncos. Also a lingering House Wren (same area it's been in for several weeks now) and smattering of migrants other than YRWA. I wonder if it will be cool enough this weekend to clear out some of the lingering breeders?

Complete eBird list is below.

Charles.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <do-not-reply@ebird.org>
Date: Thu, Sep 17, 2009 at 2:48 PM
Subject: eBird Report - Moscow - UI Arboretum and Botanical Gardens , 9/17/09
To: chaetura@gmail.com


Location: Moscow - UI Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Observation date: 9/17/09
Notes: Very birdy lunch hour walk through Arboretum. Most notable large number of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Cedar Waxwing and a smattering of other migrants. Hermit Thrush responded to my owl imitation. Most birds were below the lower pond and in the oak grove. Many Yellow-rumps were feeding on the ground. First RCKI and DEJU of fall locally for me.
Number of species: 26

Canada Goose 8
Mallard 2
Swainson's Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker 6
Warbling Vireo 1
Black-billed Magpie 3
Common Raven 2
Barn Swallow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Mountain Chickadee 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
House Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 2
Cedar Waxwing 250
Orange-crowned Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 70
Western Tanager 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-crowned Sparrow 10
Dark-eyed Junco 3
American Goldfinch 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

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

Hatter Creek Rd.

I had a nice mixed flock of up to 100 birds in the field pictured above (complete list below). Included in this flock was a Lark Sparrow, seen initially perched on the barbed wire fence and then later foraging on the ground with Chipping Sparrows etc.. A pretty uncommon species in Idaho north of the Palouse as far as we can tell.

The location was along Hatter Creek Rd. on the north side of Moscow Mountain accessed from ID-6 at the small town of Princeton. The birds were working a weedy field w/ nearby shrub cover and scattered Ponderosa Pines where they would retreat when spooked. I presume these fields are full of insects at this time. This type of habitat seems quite good in fall migration for bluebirds, YR Warblers, and Chippies and other species that may attracted to the gathering.

Location: Hatter Creek Rd.
Observation date: 9/5/09
Notes: A nice mixed flock included a single well seen Lark Sparrow. Distinctive face pattern and white tail corners well seen and larger size than Chipping Sparrows it was found with noted. Probably a fairly uncommon fall migrants in this region.
Number of species: 12

Turkey Vulture 2
American Kestrel 1
Mountain Chickadee 1
Pygmy Nuthatch 2
Western Bluebird 10
American Robin 4
Cedar Waxwing 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 20
Chipping Sparrow 40
Lark Sparrow 1
Red Crossbill 4
Pine Siskin 10

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

Fwd: eBird Report - Moscow - UI Arboretum and Botanical Gardens , 8/30/09

I had a great couple of hours at the UI Arboretum this morning (complete eBird list below). Lots of birds moving through with activity increasing as the morning progressed (presumably arriving migrants, some of which may continue moving for some time after dawn under good flight conditions). With so much going on I'm sure I missed more than a few birds and a good number of empidonax flycatchers went unidentified (although Hammond's seemed to be the dominant species). Also a good number of pewees and at least 2 Olive-sided Flycatchers were present. The highlight was probably a Gray Catbird which although a fairly common breeder nearby seems to be quite uncommon in migration. I think this is my first record for Moscow proper.

I checked the Spokane radar loop last evening using http://www.rap.ucar.edu/weather/radar/ and it appeared to be showing a good flight early in the evening. I've been interested in Colby Neuman's nocturnal migration monitoring and he's given me some help on reading the radar loops for migrating birds. Cool stuff.

thanks, Charles.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Location: Moscow - UI Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
Observation date: 8/30/09
Notes: Great morning at Arboretum a day and half after a cold front. Started out slowly but birds arriving migrants moved in as it warmed up. Lots of squabbling and chasing was observed. A large flock of Cedar Waxwings was spread out and actively feeding. A good # of empids went unidentified although Hammond's seemed the dominant species. Warbling Vireos probably underestimated, some in small flocks. Warblers were a bit tricky to pick out of all the other birds presents. The Gray Catbird was probably the best bird - probably my first for Moscow and hard to find as a migrant (which this one presumably was).
Number of species: 35

Mallard 5
California Quail 10
Swainson's Hawk 3
Mourning Dove 10
Northern Flicker 4
Olive-sided Flycatcher 2
Western Wood-Pewee 6
Hammond's Flycatcher 8
Dusky Flycatcher 2
Cassin's Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 12
Common Raven 3
Barn Swallow 4
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 2
House Wren 1
American Robin 1
Gray Catbird 1
European Starling 5
Cedar Waxwing 60
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Nashville Warbler 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 5
Townsend's Warbler 2
MacGillivray's Warbler 2
Wilson's Warbler 5
Western Tanager 8
Chipping Sparrow 10
Song Sparrow 2
Lazuli Bunting 2
House Finch 5
Pine Siskin 8
American Goldfinch 5
Evening Grosbeak 2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

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

Moscow migrants, Am. Redstart etc., 8/16/09

I had a nice group of migrants coming through Moscow this morning highlighted by a female American Redstart (complete eBird list follows). Most were seen on a walk through the small Heron's Hideout Park in southeast Moscow. This is a nice little linear park along Paradise Creek that includes some nice willow stands, weedy/seedy fields, and cattails, a great combination for fall migrants. The urban location also accounts for the large number of urban species (quail, starlings, house sparrows, etc.) The weedy areas were loaded w/ Pine Siskins working the seed heads this morning.

Also in my yard this morning were MacGillivray's, Townsend's, and a couple Wilson's Warblers, and Warbling Vireo.

Charles.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <do-not-reply@ebird.org>
Date: Sun, Aug 16, 2009 at 9:45 PM
Subject: eBird Report - Moscow - Heron's Hideout/Brink Park , 8/16/09
To: chaetura@gmail.com

Location:     Moscow - Heron's Hideout/Brink Park
Observation date:     8/16/09
Notes:     Morning walk through just Heron's HIdeout was very rewarding w/ a nice diversity of migrants, residents, and local breeders. Highlight was a female American Redstart flitting in the Willows at the north end of the park (behind houses).
Number of species:     32

Mallard     2
California Quail     20
Killdeer     2
Mourning Dove     1
Black-chinned Hummingbird     1
Calliope Hummingbird     1
Rufous Hummingbird     1
Downy Woodpecker     3
Northern Flicker     3
Western Wood-Pewee     5
Western Kingbird     1
American Crow     8
Barn Swallow     5
Black-capped Chickadee     3
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1
Bewick's Wren     1
American Robin     5
European Starling     40
Cedar Waxwing     2
Nashville Warbler     1
Yellow Warbler     3
American Redstart     1
Common Yellowthroat     1
Wilson's Warbler     2
Chipping Sparrow     10
Song Sparrow     5
Lazuli Bunting     5
Red-winged Blackbird     50
House Finch     20
Pine Siskin     40
American Goldfinch     5
House Sparrow     30

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)

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