I have recently returned from 4 days of wonderful birding in Kootenai NWR near Bonner's Ferry, ID. We went down hoping there might be some shorebirds left. We don't get many here at the north end of Kootenay Lake (BC). As we walked along a dike, we got a glimpse of a bird working along the mud flats of a small creek. When we finally got it in the binoculars, I was thrilled to discover I was looking at an American Avocet.
We also got to watch a first year Great Horned Owl fly onto a perch on a nesting box, where it remained.
Of course, great flocks of Canada Geese were flying at sundown each day. Although pretty pedestrian, these flocks of calling birds are truly a glorious sight.
The only south bound warblers that we spotted were 2 Solitary Vireos, who hadn't registered their name change yet, and 3 Northern Waterthrush.
Hawk migration seemed to be just getting underway. One day, we spotted at least 20 American Kestrels.
Altogether we saw 54 species.
It is a great spot for birding: good trails and an auto tour, very uncrowded.
Cheers
Gail Spitler
Johnsons Landing, BC
gspitler at awinc.com