Cub Scouts and Owls!

Before I headed out to Fort Boise WMA Saturday morning, I first waited with my son Kyle for his Cub Scout Pack to stop by to pick him up on their way to Round Valley for the annual Klondike Derby.  We decided to wait at the entrance of Avimor for their convenience.  It was foggy and cold, so what did we do?  We jumped out of the truck and spent some precious minutes together birding! 

A Black-capped Chickadee called from a nearby tree.  A flash of red whizzed by as a Northern Flicker flew overhead.  We heard the distant quacking of Mallards and within seconds they shot out of the fog in clear view.  We were delighted to find Avimor's 1st Couple, the Great Horned Owls in the tree they seem to reside in most mornings.

When the two car loads of Cub Scouts arrived I casually asked if they'd like to see some owls.  Cub Scouts and leaders literally spilled out of the doors and lined up along the rail of the bridge overlooking the stream and trees where the owls tend to hang out.  Lots of "ooo's" and "ahh's" from the boys, for most of whom this was the very first owl sighting in the wild!  Ya just gotta love it!

Snow Geese! Fort Boise WMA

Snow Geese by Jonathan Stoke

Saturday morning I met up with Canyon County birders, my father-in-law Lynn Davenport and Cheryl Huizinga, at the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area.  Located at the confluence of the Boise River and the Snake River one could expect a confluence of birds in such a riparian area in the midst of the southwestern Idaho desert.  Fort Boise WMA is one of the best places I know of to watch the spring migration of Snow Geese in all of its glorious abundance.  Though seemingly early in the year, Saturday morning presented a Snow Goose spectacular!

The deafening majesity of wingbeats and honking is just one of those things that everyone should experience in life, birder or not.  We stood on the edge of the road in wonder and awe as the flock of 2000+ Snow Geese circled and landed in nearby ponds, only to lift up into the air again.  In the coming weeks the numbers could soar upwards of 10,000 Snow Geese.  The light of the late morning was amazing as it reflected off the white bodies.  We had a blast picking out dark morphs, along with Greater White-fronted Geese and a handful of Ross's Geese in the mix (Just try to effectively point out to another birder a single Ross's Goose in the middle of a huge flock of Snow Geese circling overhead!  We must have looked like the Three Stooges.)...and that wasn't even the reason we met up at Fort Boise WMA.

Reported Bewick's Wrens took as to Fort Boise along with the potential Winter (Pacific) Wrens.  Our initial efforts to find them didn't work, so we played their call using BirdJam to see if they were indeed in the area.  Immediately we started hearing birds call back, so we tracked them down.  Wouldn't you know it?!  We found Song Sparrows imitating the Bewick's Wren calls, mocking us right to our faces!  Oh well.  The other 30 species we enjoyed, especially the Snow Geese bonanzan, made up for dipping on the wrens.

Amazing Photo of the Day

Check out this Yellow-throated Warbler eating something you wouldn't think a warbler would eat!

http://stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/yellow-throated-warbler-get-out.html

Pretty cool.  Another great photo from Lillian Stokes!

Idaho Birder: Brian Cooper

Brian Cooper

Nampa, Idaho

How and when did you get first get involved in birding? What was your “Spark Bird”?

My grandfather used to take me for walks when I was 5 years old in Steamboat Rock, Iowa. The first bird I remember was a male Indigo Bunting. I have watched birds ever since that time.

Did you or do you have a birding mentor and can you tell us about that person?

I had a college professor in California who channeled my passion. Since I have been in Idaho, Dr. Leon Powers, who recently retired from NNU. I think that he is one of the best teachers I have come across.

How long have you been birding in Idaho?

Since 1977

How often do you go birding? And where do you regularly go birding?

I am always looking! I live across the street from Deer Flat NWR, so I bird there a lot.  I go to Malheur and the Oregon Coast every year.

Where is your favorite place to bird in Idaho? In the U.S.? in the world?

In Idaho it would Deer Flat NWR, since I bird there almost every day.

In the US, it would a hard choice, because there are many great places that I have been; The Dry Tortugas, SE Arizona, Texas and Ohio to name a few.

I have spent a lot of time in Mexico, and love the Yucatan and San Blas. My wife was born in Holland, so we go to Europe every 3-4 years. My favorite place there is in Spain.

Do you have any local birding hotspots that may be yet unknown to Idaho birders that you would be willing to share with us?

The Tio Lane access to Deer Flat NWR in Nampa. There have been a lot of rarities found in this area over the years.

Where in Idaho would you say is the most under-birded place that may have great untapped potential?

Owyhee County.

How would you describe yourself as a birder? A “watcher”, a “lister”, a “chaser”, all of the above, or something else?

All of the above.

What kind of birding equipment do you use?

Nikon and Bausch and Lomb 10x40 binoculars and a Swarovski spotting scope.

How do you keep track of your bird observations?

I keep a year list, a state list and Life list in notebooks. I have kept these in notebooks since I was 8 years old.

What is your favorite bird sighting and what is the story behind it?

When I was in college I spent three weeks doing bird studies on Angel de la Guardia Island in Baja Calif., Mexico.  I was photographing a pair on American Oystercatchers on their nest when a Peregrine Falcon dove on them and knocked one to the ground. This has always stuck in my mind.

Which birding publications and websites do you read and recommend?

Birdwatcher's Digest, Birding and Birder's World. I visit IBLE every day and many others.

Which is your favorite field guide and why?

I still like the NGS Guide and use Sibley’s as well. The NGS is easier to carry.

Which five books from your personal birding library would you recommend?

I like to read and have over 250 bird books. I especially like to read about big years. So it would be: Feather Quest, Kingbird Highway, Wild America, The Big Year, and A Supremely Bad Idea.

Do you have any formal bird-related education background?

College Zoology at Palomar College in San Marcos, California.  Hated classwork, loved the fieldwork.  I have also led the birding part of whale-watching trips in Mexico for a few years during breaks.

If a fellow birder had a question about a bird, do you consider yourself an expert (or at least proficient) on any specific family of birds?

I can’t hear bird songs, so I would not expert on the tough songbirds, so I have spent a lot of time on Pelagics.

What future birding plans do you have?

To see 700 species in ABA area.

Total life list?

Idaho-328
ABA-621
World-1,010

What is your nemesis bird?

Whip-poor-will  (eBird map of North American sightings from 2000-2010)

Anything about your family you’d like to share with us?

My wife Helen goes with me birding, she listens and points and I help her identify birds.  I used to pay our four boys to go birding on family vacations. So much per new bird they found for me, based on rarity. SE Arizona cost me $ 35.00 in “guide” fees. 

Any funny birding experiences you could tell us?

One that comes to mind was in Mexico. I stepped over a rattlesnake hidden in a bush. Just as my wife stepped over the bush, it rattled. She did a standing 5’ broad jump and landed on my back and kept climbing. I had to carry her that way for a good ways until she decided it was safe to come down.

If you were a bird, which species would you be and why?

How cool is a Peregrine!

Most exotic place you’ve gone birding?

Morroco

Your mission in life as birder?

Help others enjoy it.

Review: Hummingbirds - Popular Birding Series

I just received my special issue of "Hummingbirds", volume 2 of the Popular Birding Series magazine by the editors of WildBird Magazine.  What a treasure!  Fantastic photos of all of the hummingbird species you might see in the United States, great descriptions about them, articles about their behavior, how to attract them to your yard, and much more!  There's even a little snippet that I submitted that they were kind enough to include.

Here is a link to Volume 1 about backyard birding.
Volume 2 must be so new that I can't find where to buy it online yet!

Avimor's Great Backyard Bird Count

Avimor is hosting our second annual Great Backyard Bird Count event on Saturday, February 13th at 10:00am to 11:30am Mountain Time. The public is invited to join me to learn basic birding skills, like how to use binoculars and traits to identify birds. We will take a bird walk that will last approximately one hour. Dress appropriately for the weather and wear sturdy shoes. Most of the walk will be on improved trails along Spring Valley Creek. Children are welcome! At the conclusion of the bird walk, I will demonstrate how to submit the bird sightings data through the GBBC website as well as demonstrate how to use eBird checklists. Invitamos a la comunidad hispana al Paseo de Aves. Free full-color Avimor Bird Guide booklets are available. Avimor is located on Highway 55 north of Shadow Valley Golf Course.

To learn more about the Great Backyard Bird Count check out these links:
GBBC Video Clip
How to Participate - GBBC Website

Idaho Wildlife Viewing Fees?

An article was published recently about Idaho Fish and Game looking for a way to generate revenue by imposing fees on wildlife viewing.  A discussion started on twitter which I carried over to IBLE (Idaho Birders Linked Electronically).  The comments have been pretty interesting and have made me think deeper about the issue. 

Most comments are in support of some sort of fee structure with the hope that the new revenue goes toward establishing, preserving, enhancing or maintaining public wildlife viewing areas.  Admittedly, my initial gut reaction to almost any type of government program or taxation is to oppose it.

We already pay for Idaho State Park access and National Parks have entrance fees as well.  Most, if not all, wildlife refuges and management areas in Idaho do not require a fee or license unless you are hunting or boating.  I suppose I'd be okay paying for a year pass to these locations, using a system something like the Duck Stamp.  Wouldn't it be a great if there was a single type of wildlife viewing pass that would cover entry into all of these areas?!

I would never want to see a fee imposed on birdwatching/wildlife viewing where a game warden could fine people for watching birds on private land or ticket me for looking at birds along the side of the highway.  Its just not reasonable! Not to mention, hard to enforce.

The Nature Conservancy has preserves that require a fee to enter.  Botanical gardens and arboreta generally charge for entrance. While many depend on some government funding, to my knowledge, they largely rely on private donors for their maintenance. The more private funding the better, I say.  I have a tough time trusting that government agencies will administer my hard earned money to its best use (no offense to all you agency employed birders out there).  I would hate for new wildlife viewing revenue to be whisked away to unrelated projects.

Privately owned preserves probably manage the land better because they have an economic incentive to do so.  We need more of them!  I'd be willing to turn public lands over to private organizations to manage; not to own, just to manage.  I'm sure there are some private individuals out there that are smart and entrepreneurial enough to make a buck while keeping open some of Idaho's State Parks that are now closed due to budget cuts.  We may have to pay more to get in, but it would be worth it!

Even though I am an "evil" Ayn Rand-capitalist, land-developer and home-builder, I strongly support the preservation of public and private land.  I also strongly support public access and enjoyment of the outdoors and I'm willing to pay an annual fee for it.  No matter how we look at it, its gonna cost money and we wildlife watchers will have to pay more.  It all comes down to what is the best and most efficient way to collect and use the money.

Small and Simple Birding Discoveries

Some days a slow bird walk along the creek yields an abundance of enjoyable small and simple discoveries.  Today was one of those days. 

Red-winged Blackbirds, all males so far, returned to Avimor on January 26th this year.  Last year, it wasn't until mid-February.  Does that portend anything?

The American Goldfinches are getting more and more yellow each week. I've found a Pine Siskin or two hanging out with the goldfinches.  I wonder if they got left behind by the large Pine Siskin flocks or if they just like to pretend they are goldfinches. 

I am still conducting BirdJam experiments and tracking each species responses to calls.  I'll have a later post on that when I've collected more data, but today I discovered that Pine Siskins are very responsive to their own calls.  I saw them before I played their sound and I wondered what they would do when I played it.  They got quiet at first and then flew by steps directly to me and approached within two feet where they chirped and sang back to me.  Kind of cool to see them so up close without needing optics.  I also made a note today that several species will mob toward the sound of a Marsh Wren call.  The Juncos, Song Sparrows, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and Black-capped Chickadees came toward me in droves. Interesting!

One of Avimor's Great Horned Owls was perched low in a tree and gave me a bit of of start when it flushed.  It flew to a nearby tree where I got great looks at it.  A pair of Red-tailed Hawks that had been perched on the power pole across the highway also saw the owl flush.  One of the Red-tails dove at the owl a couple of times to let it know it was staking its claim to the voles in the area.

Whenever I see Common Ravens here, they are always flying from the north toward the south.  Hmm...I don't really know why.  The dump is southeast of here.  They could be cruising from the Payette River toward the Boise River.

Conspicuously absent this winter at Avimor have been American Robins and the Cedar Waxwings.  I haven't had a Robin here since last October and I haven't had a Cedar Waxwing since last September.  Last year I had a couple of flocks through the winter.  I have seen both species in good numbers just a couple miles away at the Dry Creek Cemetery.  I'm sure they'll be back at Avimor in spring when the currant bushes are producing that yummy juicy fruit.  Both species have been documented nesting here.

As I write this a female American Kestrel is dive bombing a Cooper's Hawk in the big cottonwood down by the creek I can see out my office window.

How productive was your lunch hour bird walk?!

210 in 2010: eBird Idaho - week five

Species Leaders:

1.  Darren Clark - 96
2.  Steve Butterworth - 93
3.  Terry Gray - 89
4.  Cheryl Huizinga - 82
5.  Charles Swift - 80
6.  Cliff Weisse - 78
7.  David Lawrence - 75
8.  Denise Hughes - 67
9.  Robert Mortensen - 66
10.  Lewis Ulrey - 63

Checklist Leaders:

1.  Robert Mortensen 122
2.  Jackson Whitman 104
3.  Lewis Ulrey 69
4.  Charles Swift 43
5.  Cheryl Huizinga 33
6.  Steve Butterworth 29
7.  Jonathan Stoke 27
8.  David Lawrence 21
8.  Denise Hughes 21
10.  Cyndi Coulter 18
10.  Rohn McKee 18

eBird Tip of the Week:
How scientists use your observations!

Review: Sportsmans Warehouse Vest

I've decided to advance in the birding world with an increased level of nerdiness.  My wife got me this Sportsman's Warehouse vest for Christmas.  It is intended to be a shooting vest and was not specifically made for birdwatching.  When we looked at birding vests online the prices were a little too rich for my blood, so we saved about $40 by getting this one with plans to have my seamstress wife modify it as I determine how I like to use it.  I selected this particular vest because of the sturdy mesh material that will work for me in summer and can be worn over my coat in winter.

The left breast pocket is perfect for my pocket notebook and pen.  The lower left pocket houses my optics cleaning kit (inspired by Bill Thompson III's essay in "Good Birders Don't Wear White").  The smaller lower front pocket is for my skeeter-spray and sunscreen.  The lower front right large pocket fits any of my field guides perfectly.  One thing about the location of this pocket however is that my walking motion starts the field guide a-swingin' and its perfectly placed to do the most damage to my man parts (see photo below).  I quickly learned that if I keep the vest unzipped that I don't have this problem, otherwise, I leave the field guide in my truck.  I sometimes use this pocket to carry my iMainGo2 portable speaker with Zune MP3 player loaded with BirdJam or a GPS device.  This vest also has a large mesh back pocket that I have discovered works well for my winter gloves or even for a water bottle.

I plan to have Jessica add a magnetic button clasp (more quiet than Velcro) to the pocket holding the optics cleaning kit and the pocket with the bug spray and sunscreen, just so they don't fall out easily.  We'll probably modify the bullet sleeves to be longer to hold a pen or two.  We may even stitch in padding under the shoulders to provide additional comfort when packing around my spotting scope and tripod.

Using a birding vest has proven to be more accommodating then the hip pack that I used for several years.  Easier access to birding tools and better weight distribution.  Even with my binocular shoulder harness underneath of the vest, I still get the full range of motion needed to use my binoculars with ease.

If any birding vest makers out there want me to try out and comment on one of your vests, I'd be happy to do so.  Just click the "Ask the Avimor Bird Guy" button in the side-bar of this website and send me an e-mail.