~News and Upcoming Events~

• There's a Vermilion Flycatcher in Kimberly, ID!

• December 5th PROGRAM ~ Birding Alaska (Gambell Island and the Pribilofs) ~ with Pat Weber ~ BIRD QUIZ ~ with prizes! Pick up your coffee order at the program.

• Join a Christmas Bird Count ~ Schedule with Contact Information! Volunteers Needed!



Vermilion Flycatcher in Kimberly!

Photograph by Melody Asher

(great shot Melody!)

The southern Idaho birding community is all a twitter! A gorgeous male Vermilion Flycatcher was sighted in Kimberly Thursday morning, almost a thousand miles north of its regular winter range. Paige Blumenthal noticed a brilliant flash of red in her backyard, did a little search through her bird book and identified it as a a Vermilion Flycatcher. Learning that it was an unusual bird for our area, and a splendidly beautiful bird that people might like to see, she contacted a Prairie Falcon Audubon member. Within the hour there were eight birders staged in her driveway, binoculars raised, camera shutters clicking! The bird has been very cooperative, the property owners welcoming, and as of yesterday it was still present. It is possible that it was blown off course as a result of the recent bomb cyclone. But USGS ornithologist Carl Lunblad thinks differently: "There has been a significant influx, or irruption, of Vermilion Flycatchers to higher-than-usual latitudes this fall (going back to at least October), from the Great Lakes region (northern Wisconsin, western Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio) to central Quebec, the north coast of California, and in the interior west (Loveland Colorado, Provo Utah). And this arrival timing, in late fall, is consistent with previous Idaho records (November 2022 in Salmon, late October 2019 in Nampa). So, while this is an exciting record, it fits an established pattern and is hard to attribute to a particular weather event (though the overall pattern may well reflect climate change)." Melody Asher captured this Fantastic shot of a fantastic bird! Special thanks to Paige and Tucker (and Molly) for welcoming the hordes of crazed birders, from Rexburg to Nampa, who have invaded their property to see their special visitor!

FROM MERLIN: Vermilion Flycatcher - Small, gorgeous flycatcher of open habitats. Adult males have brilliant red underparts and crown, with dark brown upperparts and mask behind eye. Females and immature males are much duller grayish-brown, but usually show pink or yellowish color on belly. Widespread; occurs from the southwest U.S. to Argentina. Found in many open woodlands and brushy areas, often seen perched on fenceposts along roadsides. Feeds on insects.

December Program

Birding the Holy Grail - Gambell, Nome, and the Pribilof Islands, Alaska

with Pat Weber

Thursday

December 5th, 2024

7:00 PM

Room 201, Shields Building, CSI

This will be an In-PERSON program

ZOOM link available:

https://csi.zoom.us/j/2730389966

When spring arrives on the shores of Alaska and Siberia, and thousands of birds rush northward to claim nesting territories, witnessing this experience can be found nowhere else on this continent.There is first of all the excitement of seeing many species whose North American range is almost exclusively from Alaska, and hopefully seeing them well. Second, there is the distinctly arctic flavor of high-latitude birdwatching at a season of very long days filled with tundra birdsong. Every year a number of Asian migrants end up on North American soil. Birders have learned that they can intercept some of these strays by positioning themselves at strategic points in western Alaska. Nome, situated where Norton Sound meets the Seward Peninsula, and the Yup’ik village of Gambell, at the northwest tip of St. Lawrence Island, in the Pribilofs are three such strategic points.

Pat Weber is more than willing to share her arctic birding experience with stories and photographs. Don’t miss out on having front row access to a spectacular seabird spring migration!

In the Bag!

Vineyard Lake Cleanup

With the Idaho Conservation League

Was a grand Success!

21 Volunteers and 21 Bags of Trash!

Registration is open for the 125th year of the National Audubon Society Christmas Bird Count. It's the world's longest-running community science project. Prairie Falcon Audubon organizes five counts in the Magic Valley area. Each occurs during the three weeks between Dec 14th and Jan 5th. There are two different ways you can participate and help collect valuable scientific data. 1.) Join one (or more) of the CBCs below by contacting the compiler. You will be put in a small group to survey a portion of a 15 mile diameter circle. If you are an inexperienced birder you will be teamed up with seasoned birders. Using e-bird, every species and each individual bird observed will be tallied. 2.) Alternatively, if your home is within the boundaries of one of the circles below, and you use eBird, you can stay at home and report the birds that visit your yard/feeder on count day as long as you register with the compiler. Sign up! Have fun! Stay warm and out of the wind at home or brave the elements! Either way we can use your help!

Pre-registration is required for all. Contact a compiler listed below:

Ways to help winter birds

From Penn State Extension

1. Leave leaf litter lie on the floor of your gardens.

Most overwintering songbirds spend much of their time foraging through the leaf litter on the floor of your garden looking for the tiny insects and insect eggs that will sustain them throughout the long cold. If you painstakingly clean every leaf off your garden in the fall, you are destroying the birds' main food source.

2. Provide thick growth.

Birds take shelter in the protective boughs of evergreens or within any shrubs that provide thick growth. Juncos and tree sparrows often take shelter on the ground under the warm boughs. They especially appreciate a stand of several evergreens massed together.

3. Clean your birdhouses, then leave them up for the winter.

Many birds take shelter from the wind in an empty birdhouse. Chickadees and downy woodpeckers especially enjoy enclosed cavities. Clean out your bird houses of any old nesting material at the end of the summer. To help prevent disease and possible parasite infestation, wipe them down or spray them with a ten percent Clorox solution.

4. Provide native plants with edible fruit, berries, and seeds.

Most native perennials provide seed heads which birds eat throughout the winter. Rudbeckia, coneflowers, Salvia, Coreopsis, sunflowers and most daisy-like flowers are some of their favorites. Also, asters, goldenrod, and many grasses provide needed food for the birds. Sure, you may want to deadhead some of these for prolonged blooms throughout the summer, but starting in late summer, let the seed heads stand.

Chokecherry, and Virginia creeper do their part by providing berries for hungry birds throughout the winter. In shopping for some of these shrubs, always look for the natives. Most have non-native cousins that the birds will ignore.

Some trees that provide fruit that birds love include American crabapples, serviceberry, mulberry, juniper, and dogwood. If you enjoy seeing songbirds in your garden, make it a late New Year's Resolution to add some of these plants to your property in the spring.

5. Keep bird feeders filled.

This is the time of year when bird feeders are really appreciated. They will probably need to be refilled every day. It's important for the feeders to be close to shelter where small birds can quickly find refuge from predators, however, not so close that a cat can hide within the thick branches then jump out to grab the unsuspecting bird.

Keep in mind that different bird species have different feeding requirements. Some prefer a hanging feeder while others require a

6. Provide drinkable water.

One of the most important things is providing water. Birds need drinkable water which is often difficult to find in icy weather. Use a birdbath heater to prevent the water from freezing, even on the very coldest days.

All these suggestions not only help our bird friends, but provide us with entertainment on long winter days. Obviously, planting native trees and shrubs is not something you can do today, but investing in a feeder, suet holder, birdbath heater, or birdhouse is something you could do immediately. Then plan ahead to invest in at least one native tree or shrub to add to your landscape in the spring.