Friday, March 27, 2009

Birding - March - Camas, Market Lake, Mud Lake...


Two days of birding, Camas Wildlife Refuge, Mud Lake, Market Lake, the Snake River North of Idaho Falls, and my house. I was able to find the Long Tailed Duck on the Snake River, though it took two days of hunting. It was very nifty!! I was also able to plot a path outside of I15 from IF to Market Lake to Mud Lake to Camas. I ended up seeing so many more birds because of this change of path. I really liked the fields filled with ducks (northern pintail mostly...)


Golden eagleRough legged hawks
Swainsons hawksAmerican kestrels
Red tailed hawksNorthern harriers
Red winged blackbirdsYellow headed blackbirds
American robinsDark eyed juncos
Western meadowlarksCalifornia gulls
Ring billed gullsNorthern flicker
Horned larksAmerican crows
Rock dovesMourning doves
House sparrowsHouse finches
Lesser goldfinchesPine siskins
Red breasted nuthatchMagpies
Canada geeseSnow geese
StarlingsRed naped sapsuckers
Trumpeter swansTundra swans
Common goldeneyesGadwall
American wigeonsNorthern pintails
CootsRing necked ducks
Long tailed ducksBlue winged teal
MallardsLesser scaups
Cinnamon tealsRed breasted mergansers
Red headed ducksKildeer
Sandhill cranesGreat blue heron
Chinese pheasantsGreat horned owls
Bohemian waxwingsCedar waxwings
PorcupinesCaptive bison

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Birding around American Falls

3/20/09

I had planned on going to Mud Lake, Camas, and Market Lake, but slept in and missed the timing. Instead I headed for American Falls. There are many great birding spots around this reservoir and the Snake River. Of particular interest is the birding trail that the Audubon society has marked near the fish hatchery.

At my house:
1. House sparrows
2. House Finches
3. Pine siskins

On the road:
4. Rock doves
5. Magpies
6. Western Meadowlark
7. Red tailed hawk

By the marina:
8. Song sparrow
9. Mallards
10. Crows
11. California gulls
12. Ring billed gulls
13. Robins
14. Starlings
15. Tree swallows
16. Goldfinch
17. Kestrels
18. Norther 'red shafted' flickers playing mating games

By the dam:
19. Northern pintail

By the fish hatchery:
20. Red breasted mergansers
21. Yellow rumped warblers
22. Norther shovelers
23. Common mergansers
24. Common goldeneys
25. Barrows godleneyes
26. Dark eyed juncos
27. Canada geese

It was a gorgeous sunny day and lots of fun to be out and about.

Birding in Utah

Melinda and I went birding in Utah, around Antelope Island and the wetlands nearby.


Day 1 3/7/9

kildeer
robins
canada geese
northern shovelers
eurasian wigeon
bufflehead
northern harrier (male)
american kestral
mallards
western meadowlark
common ravens
whooping crane
red winged blackbird
american tree sparrow
long eared owls
white breasted nuthatch
crows
chuckar
magpies
mourning doves
rock doves
starlings

coyote (heard the pups too)
pronghorn

Day 2 3/8/9

european house sparrows
american kestral
robins
starlings
rock doves
magpies
red breasted nuthatches
crows
common ravens