Date: 8/30/25 6:36 pm From: lcarrigan_55 via groups.io <carriganbw...> Subject: [IBLE] Fall Migration Exodus
3 days of some good rains & cooler temps must have triggered birds to head south. Today, have only seen a single juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird hitting the feeder. And one juvenile Black-headed Grosbeak at the seeds. When the Black-capped Chickadees & House Finches return to the platform feeder, know fall migration is well underway. Had one Yellow Warbler working through cottonwoods & Gray Catbirds must be staging to head south. Very vocal in the willows & brush. Got a good look at one for a minute.
Date: 8/29/25 9:50 am From: lcarrigan_55 via groups.io <carriganbw...> Subject: [IBLE] Juvenile Hummingbirds
Past couple of days have seen mainly juvenile Rufous & Calliope Hummingbirds push through. No Black-chinneds for a few days. As many Hummers hit the petunia baskets as go to the nectar feeder. Today, both are still coming through.
Interestingly, the most common birds today are Gray Catbirds. Pushing through the lilacs & willows. Black-headed Grosbeaks appear to be down to a handful of juveniles going to sunflower seeds.
Date: 8/25/25 5:53 pm From: Eric Pratt via groups.io <Ericpratt.ggow...> Subject: Re: [IBLE] Hummingbird identification help
There is also the possibility that it could be a female or immature Anna’s hummingbird, as they show less dark in the lores, and a less conspicuous postocular spot.
Eric
Date: 8/24/25 11:20 am From: Linda Lamb via groups.io <lamreeves58...> Subject: Re: [IBLE] Hummingbird identification help
Thanks for your input. I have also come to the conclusion that it was an immature black-chinned as well. We were able to locate one photo similar to mine on the internet and it was labeled as an immature BC.Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy tablet -------- Original message --------From: "lcarrigan_55 via groups.io" <carriganbw...> Date: 8/21/25 9:28 PM (GMT-06:00) To: <IBLE...> Subject: Re: [IBLE] Hummingbird identification help Ok, one more response. Think your hummingbird may, indeed, be female, as you noted, & a Black-chinned. Couldn't get a photo, & the eye patch wasn't as black as on yours. However, this evening I had a definite female BC arrive at the feeder with quite dark, not fully black & not as triangular, patches around both eyes. Perhaps, yours had a melanistic trait causing the increased markings around the eyes.
In any case, it's been interesting researching possibilities for your bird. Glad you posted. Have enjoyed pondering the possibilities!
Date: 8/21/25 7:28 pm From: lcarrigan_55 via groups.io <carriganbw...> Subject: Re: [IBLE] Hummingbird identification help
Ok, one more response. Think your hummingbird may, indeed, be female, as you noted, & a Black-chinned. Couldn't get a photo, & the eye patch wasn't as black as on yours. However, this evening I had a definite female BC arrive at the feeder with quite dark, not fully black & not as triangular, patches around both eyes. Perhaps, yours had a melanistic trait causing the increased markings around the eyes.
In any case, it's been interesting researching possibilities for your bird. Glad you posted. Have enjoyed pondering the possibilities!
Date: 8/20/25 4:12 pm From: lcarrigan_55 via groups.io <carriganbw...> Subject: Re: [IBLE] Hummingbird identification help
Very interesting. If it's indeed a native hummingbird (& not some non-native escape from somewhere), my best guess is a juvenile Black-chinned Hummingbird. Based on size, coloring description & looks like it has a longer bill. The confusion is, indeed, from the triangular black eye patch. Possibly, it's a male juvenile & just getting its black feathering around the eyes. I may be way off base, but best I can come up with.
Here in SE ID along the Snake, only hummingbirds I've seen since last Fri are all Black-chinneds: adults & juveniles, males & females of both. None quite like yours, however. Thanks for sharing!
Date: 8/19/25 7:04 pm From: Linda Lamb via groups.io <lamreeves58...> Subject: [IBLE] Hummingbird identification help
We had this female hummingbird visit our fuchsia plant today. I apologize for the horrible photos taken with my cell phone, zoomed in through the window. The bird was large for a hummingbird. No signs of rust anywhere. All green back. Very white under the throat. The bird had a very distinct black eye patch in a triangular shape with white above the eye. Our hummingbirds have headed south a couple of weeks ago with an occasional blackchin straggler so not really sure what kind of hummingbird this is. Thanks for any help in identification.
Date: 8/13/25 3:57 pm From: Cheryl Huizinga via groups.io <bchuizinga...> Subject: [IBLE] Info about Lynwood Drive Dairy Ponds in rural Canyon County, SW Idaho
There are 2 dairy ponds along Lynwood Drive south of Nampa in Canyon County. With shorebird migration upon us, there have been quite a few sightings of shorebirds at these two ponds. The Sunridge Dairy pond is on the west side of Lynwood between Bennet Rd. and Big Foot Rd. We can scope *only from the road *at this big pond. The 2nd pond is at Moo-riah Dairy between Big Foot Rd. and Melmont Rd. on the east side of the road and gives much closer birding. There's been more sightings of shorebirds here recently. I talked with the owner of this dairy today and here are the guidelines for us birders to follow if we want to continue birding there. 1 -TEXT her - Siska Reece 208-409-2996 - when planning on birding there so she'll know who's there. 2 - Park at the dirt road entrance to the pond and scope or binoc from that corner only. Please don't drive/walk around the pond on the berm. 3 - If photos are taken she wants them passed though her before posting any of them to any social media including eBird as she wants control of where her property is being seen. Fair enough. Just text them to her for her approval. She also owns Copper Cow Creamery on Hwy 45 with lots of great dairy products so check out her store. Thanks Birders! Cheryl Huizinga <bchuizinga...>
FWIW, I'm seeing a bunch of eBird reports for juvenile Herring Gulls in
Idaho lately so I thought I'd comment. This is extremely early for
juveniles in this area (or any other age). All the photos I've looked at
are of juvenile California Gulls. They look much like juv HEGUs but
they're smaller, lack the pale window in the inner primaries, and they
have a more attenuated look with long primary extension. The bill is
black and gradually gets pale as they age - I've seen some in December
that still have a mostly black bill rather than the sharply bicolored
bill typically shown in field guides. Just wanted to make everyone aware
of this ID pitfall.
Cliff
--
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
<cliffandlisa...>
Date: 8/13/25 9:49 am From: Louisa Evers via groups.io <elouisa603...> Subject: [IBLE] Sanderling at Lower Dam on Lake Lowell
Working its way along the lower step towards the west. Headed toward the water control structure when last seen. Found by JC Clancy. Occasionally moves out of sight when gets next to the riser.
Louisa Evers <elouisa603...> Take care of the birds and you take care of the world
Date: 8/10/25 1:48 pm From: Louisa Evers via groups.io <elouisa603...> Subject: [IBLE] Shorebirds at American Falls silo area
Saw godwits, ibis, egret, willet, greater and lesser yellowlegs; Baird’s,
pec,least, western, and semipalmated sandpipers, and lots of spotted
sandpipers and killdeer. Other birds were grebes, pelicans, a few ducks,
tons of Franklin’s and ring-billed gulls. Hit the filter for both Caspian
and Forster’s terns.
Louisa Evers
<elouisa603...>
Take care of the birds and you take care of the world
Date: 8/10/25 10:57 am From: lcarrigan_55 via groups.io <carriganbw...> Subject: Re: [IBLE] Hummingbirds
Thanks for the response! Yup, not even close to your numbers, Bill. But, that's good to hear. Interesting... their migration corridors.
Most entertaining birds today are the W Wood-Pewees. Yesterday, I heard & saw one miss a cabbage butterfly flitting across the yard. Could hear the Pewee's bills "clacking" together as it missed 3 times, then returned to its perch with no luck. Today, while watching the nectar feeder, heard that same clacking sound, just in time to see a W Wood-Pewee snatch a cabbage butterfly from the air & return to its perch to, literally, gulp it down. A minute later, same Pewee caught another of the butterflies trying to dodge the bird to no avail. 4 zig-zags & down the butterfly went, mid-flight, before the Pewee returned to its perch. Amazing flight maneuverability of the little birds!
Great-horneds are calling &, hear in early AM hours, too. A hen turkey with 3 young comes in towards evening. No Sandhills close by that I've seen this year. Haven't checked out backwaters of Amer Falls lately, tho. In past, have always found a few there. Most abundant seed feeder bird is Black-headed Grosbeak. The young are all flying now &, at times, will have up to 11 (adults plus juvies) vying for space atop the platform feeder.
Date: 8/10/25 8:11 am From: lcarrigan_55 via groups.io <carriganbw...> Subject: [IBLE] Hummingbirds
Getting 3 hummingbird species at feeders: Black-chinned, Rufous & Calliope. No Broad-tailed, as of yet. Have seen adults & juveniles of all the 3 that are pushing through, at present. But, in noticeably fewer numbers than past years. Only going through 2 to 3 oz, total, per day of nectar.
Be curious if Bill Moore will weigh in & let us know his numbers? I did read where E Oregon birders noted a significant decrease in Spring arrivals, of all bird species usual for their region, this year. Various explanations, including drought conditions in Western US. I'll be curious to see what rest of the month & Sept brings at my location. But, so far, a decrease in hummingbird migrants at my spot on the map.
Just saw my first Calliope Hummingbird of the season, a female, come into the feeder this evening. As usual, she's even more aggressive than the Rufous! Battling off both Black-chinned & Rufous Hummingbirds, and taking over the feeder for herself.
In theory, we'll see a lake again but from what I understand, IDFG has
plans to refurbish the main pond much as they did with the south ponds.
Don't know when that will happen though. The gate that accesses Sparrow
Alley has been a problem ever since they rebuilt the fence. Whoever did the
work made it too tight.
On Mon, Aug 4, 2025 at 11:01 AM John Shortis via groups.io <john_shortis=
<yahoo.com...> wrote:
> Hi birders,
>
> The lake itself is completely covered with tall vegetation with some reed
> beds around the edges, but these looked dried up also. There is some water
> in the marshy areas near the top of the road on the corner of the WMA,
> where we heard a Virginia Rail. The marshy area on the other side of the
> road looked much the same but the trail there has been turned into a gravel
> road. Access to this is almost impossible since the gate there was so tight
> it was v difficult to unfasten, even with both Amy & I trying. There is
> also a new gravel road alongside the length of the WMA, below the
> observation platform.
>
> Does anyone have any idea what is going on here? I am just wondering if we
> will ever see a lake again.
>
> John Shortis.
>
>
>
--
Louisa Evers
<elouisa603...>
Take care of the birds and you take care of the world
Date: 8/4/25 10:01 am From: John Shortis via groups.io <john_shortis...> Subject: [IBLE] Ted Trueblood WMA
Hi birders,
The lake itself is completely covered with tall vegetation with some reed beds around the edges, but these looked dried up also. There is some water in the marshy areas near the top of the road on the corner of the WMA, where we heard a Virginia Rail. The marshy area on the other side of the road looked much the same but the trail there has been turned into a gravel road. Access to this is almost impossible since the gate there was so tight it was v difficult to unfasten, even with both Amy & I trying. There is also a new gravel road alongside the length of the WMA, below the observation platform.
Does anyone have any idea what is going on here? I am just wondering if we will ever see a lake again.
John Shortis.
