South Idaho Bird Alert
September, 15, 1998

This is the South Idaho Bird Alert for Tuesday, Sept. 15th, brought
to you by the Idaho
Museum of Natural History. To report a sighting call (208) 236-3337.
Highlights for this week include raptor and warbler movements in the area.
In western Idaho there are also many warblers and sparrows as well as hawks
migrating at Lucky Peak, just east of Boise.
Several species of warblers were seen Sunday, the 13th, at Willow
Bay Marina, just east of American Falls. The warblers included WILSON'S,
YELLOWTHROATS, ORANGE-CROWNED, and YELLOWS, but it is the right time to find
rarities among them. There were also both HAMMOND'S and DUSKY FLYCATCHERS
as well as WESTERN TANAGERS and a singing RED-EYED VIREO. A BARN OWL was
also flushed from a willow near the small pond by the path. These birds are
concentrated in the willows along the bike path near the beach access. To
get there take Marina Drive off the By-Pass east of town.
There are several COMMON TERNS as well as FRANKLIN'S GULLS foraging
over American Falls Reservoir, in addition to the usual RING-BILLED and
CALIFORNIA GULLS. At least fourteen GREAT EGRETS were counted near the dam,
as well as many SNOWY EGRETS and BLACK- CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS. Now is the
time to keep your eyes open for a jaeger - watch any bird chasing gulls or
terns. For a good vantage point you can park along the By-pass and walk on
the sidewalk out on the south side of the dam.
Twenty FERRUGINOUS HAWKS, as well as 14 SWAINSON'S and a few
RED-TAILs were seen yesterday southwest of Kilgore. This is near C-3 on
page 48 of the Idaho DeLorme Atlas. To see them take the Spencer-Kilgore
road west of the ghost town of Idamon. There are also many raptors around
Henry's Lake, which is at about B-5 on page 49 of the Atlas. Yesterday
there were 139 raptors seen, including 49 RED-TAILS and 30 SWAINSON'S
counted in a 35 mile loop around Henry's Lake.
Many warblers (including NASHVILLE. MACGILLIVRAY'S and TOWNSEND'S,
as well as four BLACKPOLLS) and sparrows (CHIPPING, LINCOLN'S and BREWER'S
and GOLDEN- CROWNED) have been caught and banded in the last few weeks at
Lucky Peak, just east of Boise. The accipiters and buteos are starting to
migrate past the peak also, especially in the afternoon. Over 130 were seen
one day, including an early BROAD-WINGED HAWK. You can find out how to get
there by calling Greg Kaltenecker at (208) 377-1440.
Deborah K. Beutler
Department of Zoology
Washington State Univeristy
Pullman, WA

dbeutler at wsunix.wsu.edu