Fall Migration
I've managed to do a little birding the last two or three days. Fall migration for shorebirds has been going strong for a while now and songbird migration is just getting started.
I've discovered a nice little shorebird pond near Rexburg, with the price of gas it's nice to have a place close. I've seen ca. 16 species of shorebirds in the pond this fall. The most unusual being Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, and Baird's Sandpiper (none of these are especially rare, but they are good birds for Madison County). On Thursday I was there and had a cool experience. I was watching a flock of Sandpipers when they all took off, with the exception of an Avocet. Anytime this happens it's a good bet there's a Peregrine Falcon in the area. I looked up and saw a young Peregrine chasing a Baird's Sandpiper. It escaped and the falcon then turned its attention to the Avocet sitting in the pond. It dive-bombed it 4-5 times. When it did the Avocet would squat down in the water with a splash. The Peregine finally gave up and took off. That was great.
Today I went out to Camas NWR, an oasis with wetlands, cottonwoods, willows, and russian olives out in the middle of the sage-brush desert. It's got a good track record of producing some amazing birds. This fall a crew from the Idaho Bird Observatory is banding birds. I didn't think it would bother me that much, but it wasn't as enjoyable as usual seeing birds hanging in the nets waiting to be weighed, sexed, banded, and eventually released. The research they are doing will hopefully lead to more funds for the refuge, but it's pretty invasive. Anyway, here are some sort of disturbing pictures for your viewing.
Clockwise from the upper left:
MacGillivray's Warbler, Empidonax Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler
I've discovered a nice little shorebird pond near Rexburg, with the price of gas it's nice to have a place close. I've seen ca. 16 species of shorebirds in the pond this fall. The most unusual being Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, and Baird's Sandpiper (none of these are especially rare, but they are good birds for Madison County). On Thursday I was there and had a cool experience. I was watching a flock of Sandpipers when they all took off, with the exception of an Avocet. Anytime this happens it's a good bet there's a Peregrine Falcon in the area. I looked up and saw a young Peregrine chasing a Baird's Sandpiper. It escaped and the falcon then turned its attention to the Avocet sitting in the pond. It dive-bombed it 4-5 times. When it did the Avocet would squat down in the water with a splash. The Peregine finally gave up and took off. That was great.
Today I went out to Camas NWR, an oasis with wetlands, cottonwoods, willows, and russian olives out in the middle of the sage-brush desert. It's got a good track record of producing some amazing birds. This fall a crew from the Idaho Bird Observatory is banding birds. I didn't think it would bother me that much, but it wasn't as enjoyable as usual seeing birds hanging in the nets waiting to be weighed, sexed, banded, and eventually released. The research they are doing will hopefully lead to more funds for the refuge, but it's pretty invasive. Anyway, here are some sort of disturbing pictures for your viewing.
Clockwise from the upper left:
MacGillivray's Warbler, Empidonax Flycatcher, Yellow Warbler, Wilson's Warbler
2 Comments:
how many of them birds do you have to net to make a meal?
Do you find all of these birds in Idaho or elsewhere?
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