Date: 10/19/25 8:01 am From: Jeff Fleischer via groups.io <raptorrunner97321...> Subject: [IBLE] Winter raptor surveys
Hi Everyone,
Over the years, I have advertised vacant winter raptor survey routes in Idaho on IBLE. In two weeks we are about to embark on our 22nd season of surveys for the Winter Raptor Survey Project sponsored by the East Cascades Bird Alliance (formerly Audubon Society). Surveys will be conducted on 629+ survey routes covering more than 35,000 miles of transects throughout all of ID, OR, and WA, throughout the northern tier of CA and UT, throughout western MT, and in southern BC Canada. More than 500 primary volunteers will do once a month surveys from December through February, with additional options to survey in November and March.
I would like you to know that the following survey routes, with their mileage lengths, are still available for volunteers to be assigned to this winter :
Lake Lowell South 85
Emmett South 66
Emmett - Horseshoe Bend. 84
Weiser West 32
Craigmont - Mohler. 60
Nez Perce 71 Churchill - Oakley 68
Richfield 44
Heyburn 41
Minidoka NW 85
Rupert North 69
Burley East - Lake Walcott 67
Burley SW 51
American Falls - Rockland. 75
Arimo - Virginia 56
Ashton 76
Dubois 51
The fact that we have 153 routes throughout Idaho and that we only need these 17 routes to fill the entire state for this project says volumes regarding the dedication that Idaho volunteers in this project put forth :)
To participate, I ask that our volunteers commit to doing one survey per month during the primary survey period from December through February. Volunteers can select survey dates each month to dovetail with their own life schedules. November and March are also available for surveying but these are optional months as they do contain migrational activity and this is a wintering project. You should have at least a pair of binoculars to help you find and ID the birds, spotting scopes are encouraged but not mandatory and you should be comfortable with IDing the common raptor species in these areas.
If this sounds like something that you would like to do, I encourage you to email me soon so that you can hopefully cover the route(s) of your choice, I will necessarily fill these on a first come first served basis. If you make that decision, I will provide additional information and instruction to get you properly prepared for what you will be doing on these surveys. This is a fun way to enjoy winter birding while at the same time collecting valuable population data for this wonderful family of birds, I hope that you will join us this winter! :). Thank you,
Jeff Fleischer
Project Developer / Manager
Winter Raptor Survey Project
East Cascades Bird Alliance - Bend, OR (project sponsor)
