Oregon Portion of the Northwest Sagebrush Country Trip, Part 2 of 2, May-June 2023

This post summarizes the second half of the Oregon portion of my sagebrush country trip starting on Day 5 of the trip.  The previous blog post summarized the first half of the OR part of the trip on Days 2-4.  See my next post for the Washington part of the trip.

Day 5 – May 28 - Idlewild Campground and La Grande

Our plan for Day 5 was to start our day a short distance north at the Idlewild Campground in the Malheur National Forest, starting pre-dawn and then birding there through much of the morning.  The campground and surrounding area were at an elevation of about 5,000 feet in forest dominated by Ponderosa pines.  Needless to say our targets here were quite different from those at the refuge, most notably including 3 woodpecker species – Black-backed and White-headed Woodpeckers and Red-naped Sapsucker.  

But perhaps even more exciting were the nocturnal species often heard near the campground.  This spot was seemingly reliable for Flammulated Owl and Poorwill.  Plus apparently Long-eared Owl was a possibility.  Although sightings of this sensitive species are not detailed in eBird, I noticed a couple nocturnal checklists from the site in previous years mentioning in the details that they heard Flammulateds near where the Long-eareds were heard.  Plus there were occasional Pygmy Owl reports here too.  Certainly a target-rich environment.

We arrived near the entrance to the Idlewild Campground at 4:10 AM, more than an hour before sunrise.  We got out of the car and listened for a while, hearing a Poorwill calling in the distance.  Then we started playing tape for Flammulated Owl, and shortly thereafter had one call in response (OR statebird #26).  That’s only the 4th time I’ve heard this species, following single observations in CA, NV, and UT.  Then we played recordings of the hoots of the Long-eared Owl, and got an almost immediate response of a series of higher-pitched nasal calls that neither of us recognized.  I checked other Long-eared calls on the Sibley app and realized that what we were hearing was a match to the “Harsh hoots (female)” call (OR statebird #27).  I didn’t even know that Long-ears made that call.  My statebird map for this species is a bit unusual.  Although I’ve seen or heard this species in all 5 of the western-most Lower 48 states, and a couple states on the East Coast, I’ve yet to observe it across the vast majority of its range throughout much of the country.

While we were listening to the Owls several Dusky Flycatchers started calling nearby (OR statebird #28).  That was an expected species at this spot, but not necessarily expected to be calling still 45 minutes before sunrise.

We then drove a short distance down NF 2820 on the north side of the campground and came upon a large parking lot for snowmobilers.  We thought this large “clearing” in the forest might be a good location from which to listen for other calling nocturnal birds, so we pulled in to check it out.  We had been out of the car just a short time when I heard what at first I thought was a Snipe winnowing.  But we it was odd to hear a Snipe before dawn, and especially one in the middle of a pine forest.  And then I said “unless it’s a Boreal Owl”.  The bird continued to call every 45 seconds or so, giving a series of short hoots that started soft and got louder, and lacked the metallic quality of a Snipe.  We were shocked to have found a Boreal Owl! (OR statebird #29).  Per “Handbook of Oregon Birds” by Herlyn and Contreras (2009), this species nests near the northeast corner of OR, but is not known to breed this far south in the state.  That’s only my 3rd Boreal Owl, the first 2 being in MA and AK.  What an amazing start to the morning – 4 new statebirds before sunrise!

It was now daylight and time to switch gears to start looking for diurnal birds.  We drove into the campground and started making a slow walk around the campground loop.  The Ponderosa pine habitat is one of my favorites.

We had only walked a short distance when we heard woodpecker tapping sounds up ahead.  As we approached closer a woodpecker flew by – it was a White-headed Woodpecker (OR statebird #30).  It joined a second bird, and we watched these gorgeous birds for quite a while as they foraged nearby.  Here’s a heavily cropped photo of one of the birds.

We continued our walk around the campground and started to hear a harsh call in the distance that I didn’t recognize.  I played some tape and realized it was a Clark’s Nutcracker (OR statebird #31).  And Merlin confirmed it as well.  I just need this species in 2 more states in its regular range.

We were now walking along the western access road of the campground in just about the only patch of deciduous trees in the area.  I mentioned that this could be a good spot for our Sapsucker target since they prefer aspens.  And just then I noticed some movement in some low trees nearby and spotted a Red-naped Sapsucker (OR statebird #32).  It’s nice when your targets cooperate.

Our next target was Black-backed Woodpecker which had been reported in previous years in a recent burn along NF 2820.  There was a recent burn on the north side of the road near the campground, so we assumed that was the one in question.  We started slowly walking through the burn area – most all the underbrush had burned in the fire, and all the tree trunks were charred though few of the trees were killed.  The area was actually quite birdy, with a number of both Red-breasted and White-breasted Nuthatches, a pair of Western Bluebirds (I need that one in ID later in the trip!), Cassin’s Finches, and “Oregon” Juncos.  Plus we spent some time watching Townsend’s Solitaires as they sang in flight high above the trees.  We didn’t know that that’s their typical approach for singing on territory.

But we had no woodpeckers of any species.  Though most of the charred trees had bark chipped off with piles of bark chips near the base, so we remained hopeful.

We had spent nearly an hour wandering through the forest and were thinking of giving up when we heard a drumming call in the distance.  It was similar to the call on the Sibley app, and Merlin thought it was a Black-backed too, but we needed to be sure.  A recording of the Black-backed call is uploaded to my eBird checklist - ebird.org/checklist/S139676839

We walked closer to the call and eventually a large woodpecker flew in and landed nearby – it was indeed a male Black-backed Woodpecker (OR statebird #33).  We watched it forage on trees nearby and then it just disappeared.  We walked around the last tree it was on and David spotted a nest hole.  Not only had we found a Black-backed Woodpecker, we had found a nest!  A bit later another Black-back called in the distance and this second bird flew in – it was the female. 

A couple minutes later we watched a nest exchange as the male flew out and the female flew in to take his place.  So cool!  Later we had another Black-back on the Summit Trail on the other side of the campground giving us 3 in one morning.

It was now about time to head out, and as we started our drive from Idlewild Campground a Green-tailed Towhee flew by.  A nice way to end our morning.  We had only 31 species in nearly 7 hours of birding at the campground, but we sure had some great birds.

Our hotel that night was in La Grande, 3+ hours to the north.  But along the way we had one target to pursue – Grasshopper Sparrow at the Thief Valley Reservoir.  There were several reports of that species there in previous years, and just a couple so far this year, but locations weren’t very detailed.  So I reached out to one of the birders who had reported the sparrow there this year, Nolan Clements, for some advice.  Nolan provided us excellent input on the best location to find the Grasshopper Sparrows, and offered to help on our other targets as well.  His help would prove to be invaluable on several of these other chases too. 

But first back to the Grasshopper Sparrow – Nolan gave us specific coordinates of the best location, which took us to the edge of a grassy field being grazed by cows.  We walked a short distance along the fence line and played some tape but got no responses. 

We then drove to another part of the field but the grass there was more heavily grazed and didn’t look like it would be as appealing to our target.  In fact, the best habitat seemed to be back where we first stopped, where there was a strip of taller grasses close to the fence.  So we went back there and played more tape.  This time we heard a weak response and then spotted a Grasshopper Sparrow that perched on the fence long enough to allow me to get this digi-binned photo (OR statebird #34).  We should have just stayed at the initial location suggested by Nolan. 

Our last stop of the day was Deal Canyon in La Grande where Nolan suggested we might find Calliope Hummingbird.  We parked at the bottom of Deal Canyon Rd. and started walking up the paved road that took us into the canyon.  The road was quite steep so luckily there were a quite number of birds to look at while we rested along the way to catch our breath.  At one point I spotted an Orange-crowned Warbler in the brush (our only one of the trip), and then spotted a Nashville Warbler in the same patch of brush (OR statebird #35).  We would later have 3 more singing Nashville’s on the way up.  Unfortunately we couldn’t come up with any hummingbirds.  At least the view was nice.

Nolan mentioned that if we missed Calliope at Deal Canyon he could contact his parents who live in La Grande to see if we could look for them at their feeders.  So on our way down I called Nolan and left him a message to see if we could visit their feeders the next day.  But more on that tomorrow.

Yet another day of double-digit new statebirds!

Day 6 -May 29 - La Grande Area

We only had 2 planned stops for the day on the west side of the Wallowa Mountains, which at most would fill about half the day.  So with extra time on our hands I did some more eBird research the night before to see if anything else might be around to chase after.  There was a recent report of Great-tailed Grackle a short distance from town that was confirmed by the eBird reviewer, so that one would be worthwhile to try for.  And just in case we were unable to reach Nolan’s parents I put together a list of other Calliope Hummingbird sightings in the area, though all were at private residences.  That one might take some effort…

Our first stop was the riparian area along Philberg Rd.  That road would dead-end at a parking area and the beginning of a foot trail that would take us into the next hotspot, Rhinehart Canyon, with more riparian habitat.  We had 3 remaining targets possible at both sites – Calliope Hummingbird, Veery, and Catbird.  Though Nolan mentioned that Veery can be difficult in the Canyon but are vocal along Philberg Rd so be sure to drive along slowly with our windows down.

We arrived at the north end of Philberg Rd. at 5 AM just a couple minutes before sunrise and began our slow drive south.  We had come no more than a quarter mile with windows down as Nolan suggested when I heard what I thought was a singing Wood Thrush from the hillside above the road.  We quickly got out of the car and amazingly it was indeed a singing Wood Thrush! (OR statebird #36)  We listened to it singing its “e-o-lay” and similar songs for the next 15 minutes.  A recording of the Wood Thrush is uploaded to my eBird checklist - ebird.org/checklist/S139728975.  Although there are many other birds singing at the time drowning out the Wood Thrush, it is best heard 2 seconds into the recording.

We knew it was a rarity for OR but didn’t know just how rare it was until later – there are only 5 prior accepted records in the state!  This species normally only gets as far west as the eastern portion of the Great Plains.  Interestingly that was my second Wood Thrush as a western vagrant – I photographed a bird in NM years ago.

It was quite anti-climactic, but while we were listening to the Wood Thrush we also had a singing Veery (OR statebird #37).  And minutes later we had the first of many Catbirds, which were one of the most common birds there (OR statebird #38). 

After birding along Philberg Rd. for about an hour we reached the end of the road and the parking lot for the Rhinehart Canyon trail.  We then went on foot and headed south into the canyon.  Catbirds continued to be common, but as Nolan predicted, we had no more Veerys.  Canyon Wrens were common singers from the rocks above us, and the riparian area was quite birdy featuring many Bullock’s Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Yellow Warblers, Nashville Warblers, and the like. 

Then we reached the bridge that formerly was sturdy enough for vehicles but was now only a footbridge.  Three boulders had been placed at the end of the bridge to prevent anyone from driving onto it, and the foot trail continued along hugging the left edge of the left boulder.  Just as I stepped near the boulder about to get onto the bridge I heard an odd sound that startled me and I quickly stepped back.  From a distance we peered under the boulder and there was a very large head of a rattlesnake.  We thought it might be 5 feet long!  Here’s a picture of the snake tucked in under the boulder.

Since that was the only way onto the bridge and the rest of the trail beyond we decided not to tempt fate and turned around and headed back to the car.  Though it was tough to leave this nice habitat behind.

On our way back to the main road we stopped at the Wood Thrush spot on Philberg Rd. but could no longer hear the Thrush.  Hopefully it was still there for others to hear it later on.

We got back to La Grande and tried calling Nolan again but it once again went to voicemail.  [It turns out that Nolan was birding out of cellphone range at the time.]  We didn’t want to leave town without the Calliope, so we decided to try a couple of the private feeders to see if we might be able to gain access.  One of those feeders where Calliope had been reported was on Morgan Lake Road but it turned out that the feeders were not visible from the road.  I was tempted to knock on the door but the fenced front yard kept me from getting to the door.  Then I noticed a hummingbird feeder across the road, and watched it from a distance for a short while when a male Rufous Hummingbird came in for a visit.  Worried about continuing to stare into people’s backyards with binoculars, I knocked on the front door but no one was home. 

We decided that was enough trying to access private feeders unannounced.  Then David went onto one of his favorite people search websites and potentially found the phone number for Nolan’s parents.  I gave the number a call but could only leave a message, hoping that we had the correct number but apologizing in the message if we had it all wrong.  (If only there was such a thing as a phone book again.)

Then we went off to chase after the recently reported Great-tailed Grackle.  The report came from a wetland a short distance southeast of La Grande along Airport Rd.  The wetlands was very birdy, featuring 9 species of waterfowl and 3 Black-necked Stilts.  And we had the regular Red-winged and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, but no Grackles.  Just then my phone rang and it was Nolan’s father, Steve Clements – we had the correct number after all.  He was fine with us coming by to watch his feeders.  But first he gave us another suggested spot for the Grackle – just around the corner on Wilkinson Lane.  We went over to Wilkinson Lane and ran into a small group of birders at another marsh.  There were once again quite a number of birds there but no Grackle.  They mentioned that the Grackle actually hadn’t been seen there for a few days, and suggested trying another nearby spot, the Grande Hot Springs RV Resort, where one bird (or perhaps the bird) had been reported.  So we took a quick drive over to the RV park but came up empty again. 

We decided it was time to give up on the Great-tailed Grackle, and head to the Clements’ back yard to try for their Calliope.  After a short drive we arrived at Steve’s house and he and his wife greeted us at their backyard gate.  They offered us chairs on the back porch and we started our vigil for our target hummingbird. 

While we waited we mentioned that we had a singing Wood Thrush earlier in the day, to which Steve said something like – “oh you’re the ones that had the Thrush.”  The news had apparently traveled fast, and other birders had already tried unsuccessfully for it after we posted the eBird checklist.  Steve then made a quick call to Trent Bray who is the eBird reviewer for the area, mentioning that we were at his house looking for hummingbirds.  Trent came by a few minutes later and we had an opportunity to describe our sighting to him in person – certainly better than just having the eBird reviewer evaluate our description written down in a checklist.  Trent and Steve were both thinking about trying to re-find the Thrush, and I suggested trying again this evening rather than the next morning in case the bird decided to migrate out of the area overnight. 

But now back to the hummingbirds...

After a short wait a female hummer visited the feeder close to us on the porch.  It most often fed from the far side of the feeder out of view but came around occasionally showing buffy flanks and faint streaking on the throat.  A bit later another female hummingbird arrived, this one lacked the buffy flanks of our first bird and was pumping its tail.  But we couldn’t see a noticeable size difference.  After some discussion we decided the first bird was a Calliope and the second was a Black-chinned, and the size difference was difficult to tell at such a close distance.  Later a hummingbird visited the feeder out in the yard and this one was obviously a smaller Calliope (OR statebird #39).  OR was the last state where I needed this species in its regular range.  I’ve also seen Calliopes in 7 eastern and central states as rarities.

With our target bird out of the way, and some time now on our hands, we had a nice chat with Trent and Steve, especially focused on our trip.  Steve mentioned that he had heard that just after we left the birding group on Wilkinson Lane the Great-tailed Grackle appeared.  We thought about heading out right away to chase after it.  But then Steve said that there was a small colony of Great-tailed Grackles in Ontario, OR.  We would be driving right through Ontario in a couple days on our way from WA back to Boise so we decided to give them a try in a few days instead.  We also talked a bit about our planned walk the next morning at the McCully Creek Trail and Trent and Steve gave us great advice for birding that spot as well.  But now it was time to get back on the road, so we thanked them for all their help as we headed out and wished them good luck on re-finding the Wood Thrush.

It turns out that Trent was able to re-find the Wood Thrush that evening, getting a much better recording of the singing bird than mine.

Our hotel that night was in Enterprise, OR, just over an hour away.  It was still pretty early when we checked in, so we decided to do some scouting for the next day’s walk at McCully Creek Trail.  The trail was on the north side of the Wallowa Mountains just south of the town of Joseph.  The scenery was nothing short of spectacular - this panoramic view just doesn’t do it justice.

There were a couple options for places to park and locations to pick up the trailhead so we were glad to have checked it all out in advance.  And after a bit of exploring we thought we had it figured out and were ready for the next day’s hike.

Day 7 – May 30 - McCully Creek Trail and Drive to Walla Walla

Our plan was to bird McCully Creek Trail on foot for much of the morning before starting to make our way toward Walla Walla for the WA portion of the trip.  The key attractions for this trail are Grouse – all three species of them.  In fact, this spot is among the best in the state for Spruce Grouse.  Plus there is the chance for a number of other boreal species like Pine Grosbeak, Goshawk, 3-toed Woodpecker, etc. 

Given our interest in the Grouse we wanted to be the first ones on the trail, so we arrived at 5 AM, a few minutes before sunrise, and started our hike.  We walked along slowly looking for Grouse both on the ground and perched in the trees.  Soon after we started we heard a drumming Ruffed Grouse – definitely a nice start.  We were picking up a few birds here and there like Mountain Chickadee, both Kinglets, and Hermit and Swainson’s Thrushes.  Then we started to hear low-pitched calls right next to us coming from the spruce underbrush that almost sounded like hoots.  We peered into the brush but it was too thick to see anything.  Whatever was making these sounds was moving because the hoots continued but slowly got farther away.  They sounded somewhat like the hoots of a Long-eared Owl, but that wouldn’t be likely at all this time of day, not to mention unlikely so close to the ground.  We were thinking it could be a Grouse walking on the ground, but the calls didn’t sound anything like any of the calls for any of the three Grouse species provided on the Sibley app.  Eventually the calls stopped and we were left scratching our heads.  We would have to do some research that evening to see if any of the Grouse make calls like these.

But for now, it was back to birding.  We continued up the trail and started picking up singing Fox Sparrows, “Oregon” Juncos, and Pacific Wrens from the underbrush.  And from overhead there were numerous Yellow-rumped and Townsend’s Warblers, Hammond’s Flycatchers, and Warbling Vireos.  Wetter brushy areas featured MacGillivray’s and Wilson’s Warblers.  One of our highlights was finding a couple groups of Chestnut-backed Chickadees – striking birds.  And a singing Olive-sided Flycatcher was a nice addition.  But we found no other boreal species, nor any more Grouse, even though we spent 5 hours on the trail, covering the first 1.5 miles, sometimes hiking through some remaining snow patches.

Although we were a bit disappointed when left the trail, our moods picked up that evening when I went onto xeno-canto.org and played several recordings of the Spruce Grouse.  It turns out one recording of “alarm calls” from northwest Montana was a nearly perfect match to what we heard near the beginning of the trail.  So that evening we decided that our mystery call was indeed from a Spruce Grouse (OR statebird #40).  Although there are a number of states where I’ve yet to see Spruce Grouse in its regular range, I’m very happy to have found this hard-to-see species in 8 states across the country.

On our way to Walla Walla we had one last stop in OR in the Umatilla National Forest near the OR/WA state line.  There was a spot right along the highway where 3-toed Woodpeckers were seen each of the last 2 years.  Although there were no reports in 2023, the eBird locations from 2021 and 2022 were pretty specific so at least we knew where to look.  We started from where the birds had been seen and walked along the road about a quarter mile in each direction but the only woodpecker we found was a Flicker.  Though 4 flyover Red Crossbills were nice consolations.  Soon thereafter we bid farewell to OR and were off to WA!

Days 7-9- Washington 

See my next blog post for the WA portion of our trip on Days 7 through 9.

Day 10 – June 2 - Ontario, OR

We left Walla Walla around sunrise and were on our way to Boise and searches for several targets in ID.  But along the way, we had one last stop to make in OR – in Ontario for the Great-tailed Grackle.  A quick search of eBird showed that there were 2 seemingly reliable spots for them in town – Beck-Kiwanis Park, and the Walmart parking lot.  The park sounded like a much better habitat to bird, so we started our search there.  We pulled into the parking lot for the park and it looked like a typical county park with lawns and scattered trees and some ballfields.  But off to the north we could see a pond and wetlands, likely better habitat for the Grackles.  Before the car had even stopped I spotted a blackbird perched on a footbridge at the wetlands.  I put the bird in my binocs and it was indeed a Great-tailed Grackle (OR statebird #41).  I got this marginal digi-binned photo of the bird in the distance.  

OR was my 17th state for this species which continues to expand its range.

Conclusion

We ended the trip with a whopping 166 species in OR, a testament to that fact that we birded so many different habitats in and around sagebrush country.  And most importantly that included 41 new statebirds, much better than the 28 I hoped for.  That brings my statelist to 290, greatly exceeding both the old ABA reportable threshold (259) as well as my “ABA reportable plus 15” goal (274).  Note that as of May 2023 the official OR statelist stands at 548 – meaning that the new threshold for half of the total would be 274.  Looks like just being 15 over the old threshold isn’t enough to stay above half the statelist total. 

I have now exceeded the old ABA thresholds in all the Lower 48 states and the District of Columbia.  Interesting that both of the OR species that allowed me to reach the ABA threshold (Virginia’s Warbler) and my “ABA reportable plus 15” goal (Rose-breasted Grosbeak) were rarities.  It’s nice when it happens that way.

Here is a link to my eBird Trip Report for the OR portion of our trip –

OR Portion of 2023 Sagebrush Country Trip - eBird Trip Report

Many thanks to Ezra Cohen for his help at Malheur NWR, and northeastern OR birders Nolan and Steve Clements and Trent Bray for all their help on so many of our searches.  And thanks to Steve for allowing us to visit his hummingbird feeders.

Southern Idaho Portion of the Northwest Sagebrush Country Trip, May-June 2023

In January 2016 an armed group of protesters seized and occupied the headquarters of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in eastern Oregon.  By the time the occupation was over in February 2016, there was a considerable amount of destruction of the refuge facilities, resulting in closure of the headquarters facilities for months.  Unfortunately, I had planned a summer 2016 birding trip to the sagebrush country of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington, and southern Idaho to include a lengthy stop at Malheur NWR.  But given the issues at Malheur I shelved those plans and headed to Alberta and British Columbia that summer instead. 

But my interests in birding eastern OR, eastern WA, and southern ID continued as this was the last large section of the Lower 48 that I had not yet birded.  And a new part of the country for me would equate to considerable statebirding potential.  So after further delays first due to moving, and then due to Covid, I finally got around to scheduling the OR/WA/ID sagebrush country trip for the summer of 2023.  Plus I added a short side- trip to the South Hills of ID for Cassia Crossbill.  I reached out to birding friend David Donsker who often joins me on these trips, and he agreed to come along. 

After considerable research on-line especially on eBird, and with invaluable advice from a number of local birders, I set up an 11-day itinerary from May 24th to June 3rd, starting in Boise and southern ID, then into eastern OR, next into southeastern WA, then back to ID for flights back home.  With a pretty good statelist in ID (224) my potential for new statebirds there wasn’t too great, but I still hoped to add perhaps 8 new birds in ID.

This blog post presents a summary of the ID portion of the trip.  My previous post briefly summarized the entire trip.  The next 2 posts summarize the OR and WA portions of the trip.

Day 1 – May 24 – Boise and East

With on-time flights into Boise, David and I left the airport at about 2 PM.  We needed to eventually make our way to our hotel in Twin Falls to the east for the next day’s visit to the South Hills.  So I considered several targets that could be found east of Boise, finally selecting 2 key targets that were not only roughly on our way but also not too likely near the South Hills – Black-throated and Sagebrush Sparrows.  Black-throated Sparrow was only reliable at one hotspot – the Oolite Trail in Owyhee County.  And since Sagebrush Sparrows were seen on most lists submitted from this spot as well, I had the potential for 2 statebirds at one stop.  Now we just needed the birds to cooperate.

After about an hour’s drive we arrived at the small parking area for the Oolite Trail.  Actually there were two trails leading from the parking lot, and we chose the southern one to start.  The habitat was dry scattered sagebrush seemingly no different from the habitat seen throughout the area.

We walked a short distance finding a couple Lark Sparrows in the sagebrush, but little else.  A couple recent checklists mentioned the Black-throated would respond to taped calls, so with so much habitat to search we thought we’d give it a try.  And sure enough after playing just a couple songs a sparrow flew in.  Eventually it perched and with excellent views we had a striking Black-throated Sparrow (ID statebird #1).  What a handsome bird!  My statebird map for this species is inserted below.  Blue-shaded states are those where I’ve seen this southwestern species; the cross-hatched states are those in its regular range where I’ve yet to see it.

Next our attention turned to Sagebrush Sparrow.  We played a little tape of this species principally just to get acquainted with its song.  We listened for a while and thought we could hear one singing in the distance to the north.  So we retraced our tracks and headed back to the parking area to pick up the northern trail.  We were now closer to our singing bird and were pretty sure of the ID, but we kept walking on the trail to get closer and confirm it.  Eventually with of bit of scanning we spotted the singer – it was indeed a Sagebrush Sparrow perched on a sagebrush (ID statebird #2). 

Couldn’t have asked for a better start to our trip!

As a postscript – this location is named after a rather unique sedimentary rock called oolite, also known as egg stone.  It consists of small spheres that look like eggs formed when grains of sand are coated with calcium carbonate in marine environments.  Here’s a close-up picture of the egg-like structures that make up the oolite.

Day 2 – May 25 – South Hills Area

Our plan for the 25th was to meet up with local birder Pat Weber to bird in and around the South Hills.  Most birders go to the South Hills to look for the Cassia Crossbill.  David and I first traveled there in May 2010 looking for the endemic Crossbill but to no avail.  Subsequently I made a trip there in September 2012 and successfully found several small Cassia Crossbill flocks.  Pat knew them by call, and could separate them from the Type 2 and 5 forms of Red Crossbill that could be migrating through the area at the time.  So her help would be invaluable.

But first we had a couple pre-dawn targets in the South Hills – Common Poorwill and Flammulated Owl.  In past years both were routinely reported in and around the Magic Mountain ski area which was also among the best spots for the Crossbills.  So we hoped to pick up a couple pre-dawn species and then be in the right location for the Crossbills as they started their day.  At least that was the plan…

We played tape for the Flammulated Owl at several locations but had no responses.  It was a chilly 36 degrees at the time which would make it pretty difficult for insect-eating nocturnal birds.  So we theorized that they hadn’t yet migrated into the area, or perhaps were at lower and warmer locations while it was so cold.  But at least we were successful with the Poorwill, hearing 2 birds calling from the upper parts of the ski area (ID statebird #3).  ID was my 13th state to find Common Poorwill, and would be one of my targets in OR later in the trip.

Now it was time to switch our focus to the Cassia Crossbill.  Pat mentioned that the Cassia’s were nesting at the time, which could make it more difficult to find them.  And certainly they were not likely to be forming small noisy flocks foraging through the conifers as Crossbills often do.  Undeterred, we birded several likely spots including the Magic Mountain ski area, Diamondfield Jack campground, and Petit campground, but came up empty.  Then we headed to Porcupine Springs campground and walked in past the remaining snow banks.  There we finally heard 2 individual calling Cassia Crossbills but never get a look at them.  We gave it the old college try, but might need to come back after nesting season to increase our chances of finding them.  Notably, our other unsuccessful try for them was also on May 25 in 2010 – exactly 13 years earlier.  At least we had a number of other nice species during this year’s visit, like Cassin’s Finch, Green-tailed Towhee, MacGillivray’s and Wilson’s Warblers, and Lincoln’s Sparrow.

Our next target was Grasshopper Sparrow in the foothills below the mountains.  One had recently been reported on Cherry Spring Rd., the same spot where one was reported last summer.  Pat strategically parked the car in good habitat and played tape.  We all listened for a response but came up empty.  Then Pat noticed a small bird perched on top of a bush in the distance.  With quick binocular views we could see that it was a Grasshopper Sparrow (ID statebird #4).  That was a bird that David and I looked for unsuccessfully in the ID panhandle in 2022, so it was nice to finally find one.  Grasshopper Sparrow would also be a target for us in OR and WA later in the trip.

Our last stop of the morning was the riparian area along North Cottonwood Rd where rare Blue Grosbeaks had been seen each of the last 2 years.  Although there were no reports yet this year, I hoped that it was just because no one had looked, or perhaps it was just too early.  We spent nearly an hour there looking and listening, finding birds like Chats, Bullock’s Orioles, and a Willow Flycatcher in the riparian area, and Lark Sparrows and a calling Long-billed Curlew in the surrounding sagebrush, but no Blue Grosbeaks.  As of mid-June there were still no Grosbeak reports there, so perhaps they won’t be back this year.

It was now a bit past Noon, and it was time for us to begin our 5-hour drive west to Burns, OR.  We thanked Pat for all her help and hoped to see her again, perhaps birding in the east.

But we had one more stop yet in ID.  One of my other ID contacts, Cheryl Huizinga, had given me great tips on my Boise area targets, including telling me about a Peregrine Falcon nest box in Nampa, just a short distance west of Boise.  The nest box was on top of a silo at a sugar factory less than a mile off the highway, making it a perfect side-trip in route to OR.  As we neared the Northside Boulevard interchange on I-84 we could see the 6 silos a short distance to the north and quickly picked out the net box.  With a bit of effort we were able to pull off the road even with the silos with the correct angle to look into the box.  Unfortunately, it was empty.  I started checking the tops of the other silos and buildings nearby hoping to find a perched falcon.  Again with no luck.  Then I noticed a pair of raptors flying above the silos – it was a pair of Peregrines toying with each other in the sky (ID statebird #5).  That was lucky.  ID was my 41st state for Peregrines, though I still need this species in 8 states scattered across the country.

Day 10 – June 2 – Boise Area

Our plan was to return to the Boise area late on June 2nd after 7 days birding in OR and WA.  But we finished up earlier than expected in WA, so we left Walla Walla at dawn and got back into Boise by late morning on the 2nd.  With more time in ID than expected, that gave us the opportunity to pursue several additional targets.  Thanks to a tip from Cheryl we first headed to Deer Flat NWR where a Western Screech-Owl was being spotted in a Wood Duck box on the East Dike Trail.  We checked out about a dozen boxes mounted on large mostly cottonwood trees along the trail but couldn’t come up with an owl.  With all the natural cavities in the cottonwoods I guess it was spending its day resting in the trees somewhere instead.

Next we were on to the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, another spot not on our original itinerary.  But since this area is well known for our target Prairie Falcons, we were happy to now have the time to bird this spot.  We met up with local birder Kent Kleman who agreed to show us around the area, mentioning that that area was also good for another of our targets – Say’s Phoebe.  As we headed south toward the Snake River cliffs we spotted several Swainson’s and Red-tailed Hawks, but no target birds.  At Dedication Point we walked over to the cliff to hopefully find some falcons below us on the cliffs.  Along our walk through the sagebrush Kent spotted a Say’s Phoebe, which eventually gave us good views (ID statebird #6).  That’s another species we looked for extensively the previous year in the ID panhandle, so it was nice to finally see it in ID.  I’ve now seen this species in all states in its regular range, along with 3 eastern states where it is a rarity (the brown-shaded states).

By the time we reached the top of the cliff the wind was howling, making it difficult to peer down into the canyon.  We had Canyon and Cliff Wrens singing below, but still no falcons.

Next we drove to Swan Falls Park and decided to drive down into the canyon to try to get out of the wind a bit.  We made a stop about halfway down the canyon and looked and listened for the falcons.  Within just a few seconds we could hear Prairie Falcons above us and eventually got good looks of as many as 4 birds flying by and perched on the rocks above us (ID statebird #7).  Here’s a shot of the cliff above us.

Many thanks to Kent for his help in finding our 2 targets in this habitat!

Our next planned spot was a bluebird trail just west of the town Prairie.  It was a long 2-hour drive to the east, but I hoped it would be fruitful for our Western Bluebird target.  We started heading that way but soon realized that the last 24 miles would be on a very rural dirt road.  As we slowly drove east we could see a large thunderstorm forming also to the east.  And as we continued our dusty drive the thunderstorm just kept getting larger and was now directly east of us.  We had made it perhaps two-thirds the way along the dirt road when we decided not to take a risk on encountering the storm and having to drive on what may turn out to be a slippery and muddy road.  So we turned around and wished we had dedicated all that time to pursuing other targets instead.

Our last stop also wasn’t on our original itinerary.  The previous evening when making final arrangements for the day I pulled up an eBird Needs Alert for ID and was surprised that Bewick’s Wren and Anna’s Hummingbird were on the alert.  Distribution maps in the field guides indicate that both species are only found in ID as a rarity.  But numerous recent reports on the Needs Alert would suggest otherwise.  Unfortunately, with so much wasted time trying unsuccessfully to get to the Bluebird trail we only had time to bird one last spot that day, and decided on Hulls Gulch Reserve.  This suburban park had recent reports of both species, plus we got suggestions from Kent as to which trails to take, so we liked our chances. 

When we arrived at Hulls Gulch we were greeted by numerous mountain bikers on the trails.  Tough to bird when you’re avoiding bikes on the narrow trails.  We completed almost the entire loop without seeing a single hummingbird or wren, though we did have quite a number of Lesser Goldfinches.  At the very end of the walk I heard what may have been a hummingbird fly overhead.  As we stopped to look for a possible hummer I started to hear a short call that I wasn’t familiar with.  I recorded it on Merlin which called it a Bewick’s Wren.  Now I know that Merlin isn’t always correct, and should only be used as a tool and not be treated as “gospel”.  But here was my quandry - I was hearing a call I didn’t recognize, didn’t know Bewick’s Wrens calls well at all, their calls are “extremely varied” per the Sibley guide, and Merlin repeatedly ID’d this call as a Bewick’s.  Unfortunately, it was a heard-only bird, so I wasn’t sure what to do.  After returning home I checked numerous Bewick’s Wren calls on xeno-canto.org and found a nearly perfect match for a call recorded not too far away in WA.  So I finally decided to count it as a Bewick’s Wren (ID statebird #8).  In my statebird map below I decided to consider this species as a rarity in ID in keeping with my convention of using the Sibley range maps as the guide for my statebirding maps, even though Bewick’s are certainly not a rarity at least in the Boise area.

Day 11 – June 3 – Boise Area

My flight out of Boise was at about 2:30 that afternoon so I had all morning to bird in the greater Boise area.  That gave me plenty of time to pursue at least 4 of my targets.  The first was another attempt for Western Bluebirds in an area in the Boise National Forest along Grimes Creek Rd.  They had been reported there a couple times recently, and were also reported in 2022 “near the burn site”.  The Sibley guide says Western Bluebirds prefer “any open wooded habitat with areas of open or grassy ground”, so a recent burn would be ideal.  In fact, we saw a pair of Western Bluebirds a week earlier in a recent burn in OR (though I didn’t need it for my OR list). 

As I turned onto Grimes Creek Rd. and started my climb up the canyon I could see that the recent burn on the right side of the road.  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that it stretched at least a half mile.  I drove along slowly and stopped frequently but to no avail.  Then a bit farther along I came upon an area of pines where the undergrowth was managed to promote growth of a grassy meadow.  An even better spot perhaps?  I drove through this area even slower, stopping and walking along several spots, but still no Bluebirds.  The area was otherwise quite birdy, featuring Hammond’s Flycatcher, Cassin’s Vireo, Townsend’s Solitaire, Catbird, Veery (the spot to find them in the area), and Cassin’s Finch.  After 2 hours I finally threw in the towel.

Next I was off to Idaho City and the Alban’s feeding station which was the most reliable spot for White-headed Woodpecker in the area.  I had previously connected with the homeowner, Jennifer Alban, and got her permission to visit her yard to try for the Woodpeckers.  The first thing I noticed when I arrived were the large numbers of hummingbirds visiting multiple feeders.  I asked the homeowner whether she had any Anna’s but she said only rarely.  Otherwise, her hummers were Calliopes and Black-chins.  Can’t hurt to try I guess.  She pointed out the 3 trees with suet feeders, and I positioned myself on the porch where I could see all 3 trees at once.  While I waited for the woodpeckers to visit, the hummingbirds gave me great close looks, as did the numerous Cassin’s Finches on the seed feeders.  Not to mention I had this great view while I waited.

After about a 30-minute wait I heard the White-headed’s Hairy-like call that I had learned a week earlier in OR.  And seconds later a White-headed Woodpecker dropped into one of the suet feeders just 20 ft away (ID statebird #9).  What a gorgeous bird!   

My next stop was a longshot for White-breasted Nuthatch at the nearby Pioneer Cemetery.  The Nuthatch had only been reported a few times there so I wasn’t too optimistic.  But since the Woodpecker arrived so quickly, I decided to make a quick stop at the cemetery anyway.  The cemetery was certainly unique with graves and monuments tucked in amongst large pine trees and grassy undergrowth, with many of the graves dating back to the 1800’s.

I only had a few minutes so I walked into the cemetery and began to play some tape.  It was no more than 2 minutes later that a bird flew in over my head and landed on a tree trunk a short distance away – it was a White Breasted Nuthatch (ID statebird #10).  That makes up for some of my other ID searches that were either unsuccessful or took longer than expected.  I’ve now seen White-breasted Nuthatch in each state in its regular range.

The final birding stop of the day was along Bogus Basin Rd. north of Boise to try for Chukar.  This road rises out of the suburbs and goes uphill first through grasslands and then into areas with exposed volcanic rock – ideal for Chukars.  I made multiple stops in the right habitat playing tape along the way, but to no avail.  At least I was able to add Chukars to my OR and WA lists earlier in the week.  As Meat Loaf said, “two out of three ain’t bad”.

Conclusion

I ended the trip with 112 species in ID, which was a pretty good tally given that most of our time was spent chasing specific species rather than birding hotspots in general.  And of course that included 10 new statebirds, certainly a better result than the 8 I expected.  That brings my statelist to 234.  Here is a link to my eBird Trip Report for the ID portion of our trip –

ID Portion of ID-WA-OR 2023 Trip - eBird Trip Report

Many thanks to local birders Cheryl Huizinga, Pat Weber, and Kent Kleman for all their help on our searches!  And thanks to Jennifer Alban for allowing me to visit her tremendous feeding station!

Filling 3 Gaps in My South Carolina State Bird List, Upstate SC, April 19, 2020

Before moving to the mountains of NC I put together lists of species that were regular in the western counties of both NC and SC that I needed for those 2 state lists.  Despite having made several birding trips to both states over the years, there are still a number of relatively easy species that I need for both lists, not to mention numerous rarities.  And of course, now that this is my home base, it was time to try to fill these gaps in my lists. 

Most of these regular needed species are not year-round residents – it’s less likely that I would have missed year-round species in my past trips.  Instead, most are only seen in specific seasons, and/or in limited habitats.  And now that we were getting into Spring, it was time to see what warmer weather species I might still need.  In SC, there were 3 relatively easy species that breed not too far from my NC home – Worm-eating and Swainson’s Warblers, and Grasshopper Sparrow.  Though each species has a rather limited preferred breeding habitat. 

Just as the Spring birds were starting to arrive I noticed that my SC birding friend Michael Robertson had reported a number of Worm-eating Warblers in northern Greenville County not far from the SC/NC line.  In fact, after a bit of research, it turned out they were right at the state line, at a spot called Saluda Mountain Passage.  I reached out to Michael and got some tips from him on his Worm-eaters.  And then he mentioned that in the past he had had Swainson’s Warblers just a short distance from that spot.  With a bit of eBird research I found several Swainson’s reports over the years in the woodlands nearby called the Greenville Watershed.  Though none had been reported yet this year.  Swainson’s Warbler was a key target of mine for the region, as I’ve never seen it in the local mountainous habitat anywhere in the US.  And my 3rd target, the Grasshopper Sparrow, had returned to Hayes Farm just a short distance to the south.  This was another spot that Michael birded regularly, and in fact he took me there this past winter.  So with leads on all 3 species, I was hopeful I could get multiple SC statebirds in just one trip. 

I was out of the house early on April 19th and after a short ride arrived at the Saluda Mountain Passage.  As soon as I got out of the car I was greeted with lots of bird song – I listened intently but couldn’t instantly check off the Worm-eating.  That would be a bit too much to ask for I guess.  There was a map of the trail right next to the parking area – I was at the “i” near the bottom of the map where Mountain Page Rd. in NC changes to Saluda Rd. when it enters SC.  It looked like the trail started right on the SC/NC line, and at times moved into NC.  

That meant that even if I was lucky enough to find a Worm-eating I’d still have to make sure it was in SC.  I started down the trail and continued to hear lots of birdsong – featuring Wood Thrush, Ovenbird, and Black-throated Green Warbler.  And then I heard a buzzy trill characteristic of my target Worm-eating Warbler.  It was coming from up ahead and on the left side of the trail, likely making it in SC.  But just to be sure, I walked a bit farther ahead and was able to confirm the song was indeed coming from SC.  Only 5 minutes into my birding trip and I already had my first state bird!

In my statebird map below, the solid blue states are those where I’ve seen Worm-eating Warbler within its regular range.  The cross-hatched states are those where it is regular but I have yet to catch up with it.  And finally the two tan states of MN and NH are those where I’ve seen Worm-eating as a rarity.

Within a couple minutes I was back to my car and beginning to drive down Saluda Rd. within the Greenville Watershed.  The road paralleled Fall Creek for about 3 miles going through excellent habitat, with riparian woodland near the creek principally on the west side of the road.  And on the east side of the road were steep mountainsides, often with large groves of rhododendrons – the perfect habitat for Swainson’s Warbler.  Or at least that’s what I’ve been told since I’ve never encountered Swainson’s in these inland ecosystems.  There were no houses and almost no passing cars making for perfect conditions.  You aren’t allowed to park and hike through this sensitive watershed area, so my strategy was to drive very slowly (and quietly in my Prius) with windows down to listen for birdsong.  And when there were wide shoulders I would pull over, stand next to my car, and listen for 5-10 minutes or until I figured I had heard and seen everything in the area.  As a result, it was almost as if I walked the entire length of the road tallying the birds as I went.

This strategy seemed to be ideal as the woods were alive with song, and I quickly added numerous vireos and warblers.  But of course my key target was the Swainson’s Warbler.  Before my trip I had listened to tapes of the very similar songs of the  Swainson’s and Louisiana Waterthrush, and continued to struggle with separating the songs.  The first 3 clear notes of the 2 songs seemed almost inseparable.  So I was thinking it would come down to the softer notes at the end of the song – Swainson’s has clear “whip poor will” notes; while the Waterthrush has jumbled/varied notes.  At least that’s the case for the typical calls.  In the previous couple weeks I had heard Waterthrushes giving clear notes like whip poor will as well.  Then again, maybe those were more distant birds where the softer notes weren’t easy to hear.

I also think I was getting a better handle on the preferred habitats of the 2 species.  Swainson’s prefers steep mountain-side ravines filled with rhododendrons, often with a small creek flowing at the bottom.  And an article I read said that they need hemlocks as well.  By comparison, in my experience with Louisiana Waterthrushes, they prefer larger streams/rivers, which are not nearly as steep – and that has been the case locally this spring as well.  Most of the steep ravines I’ve found which I think are good Swainson’s habitat have small creeks that flow into the larger/flatter rivers below already inhabited by a singing Waterthrush.  My expectation was that I’d hear a Swainson’s singing from above me up a ravine, and a Waterthrush singing below me along the larger river.

If I was correct on the preferred habitats, the riparian side of the road should be classic Louisiana Waterthrush habitat.  And the other side of the road with frequent large patches of rhododendrons on a steep hillside should be ideal for Swainson’s.  So if I was correct , I’d have Waterthrushes on the right and Swainson’s on the left. 

Now back to the Greenville Watershed - There were indeed a number of Waterthrushes singing classic songs in the deciduous lowlands.  And then I finally heard a candidate Swainson’s song on the left up a rhododendron-lined ravine.  And at that same spot there was also what I presumed to be a Waterthrush singing just below me in the deciduous area.  But both songs sounded the same, and not classic for either species – something in between.  I listened to both for a while and played tape of both species but neither responded.  Although I wanted to say I had 1 of each based on habitat, I wasn’t sure. 

A bit further along I came upon 2 birds singing in the riparian area really close together – again similar songs in between classic versions of each one.  My first thought was that 2 breeding birds of the same species wouldn’t allow competing males to be so close together.  Could these be 1 of each species?  I played Swainson’s tape and instantly got a response – a skulking bird with strong call notes – though again both species have similar sharp call notes.  Then it popped into the open and was a Swainson’s – but still in the riparian area, though quite close to a rhododendron hillside.  I assumed I had 1 of each.  About 50 yards farther along I heard song on the left in rhododendrons.  Still not the classic whip poor will notes at the end though.  I played a bit of Swainson’s tape and instantly got 2 Swainson’s to pop into the open.  I guessed that the male was the same bird that I had heard just a few minutes earlier. 

I ended up with 9 singing Louisiana Waterthrushes and assumed I had 3 Swainson’s.  Interestingly, another birder came through the same area a bit later that day and also reported 3 Swainson’s.  His were by song only, with the songs all coming from up the hillsides.

And speaking of the singing locations for these 2 species - I've only heard Louisiana Waterthrushes sing from their riparian habitat.  While I've now heard Swainson's Warbler sing multiple times in that same riparian habitat, though each time very close to its preferred rhododendron thickets.

My Swainson’s Warbler statebird map is below – I still need this elusive species in quite a number of its regular states.  Though I was happy to hear it years ago as an exceptionally rare stakeout in MA.

I ended up with 15 warbler species – 9 other nesters (8 Ovenbird, 7 Black and White, 1 Kentucky, 13 Hooded, 5 Redstart, 7 Parula, 1 BT Blue, 3 Yellow-throated, 17 BT Green) and 3 migrants – a very confused Blue-winged (in all the wrong habitat), 1 Yellow-rump, and 2 Orange-crowns.  And I can’t forget the 9 Worm-eating Warblers – I didn’t need to make that first stop afterall.

As a post-script to my Swainson’s Warbler experience, I was back at the Greenville Watershed a week later as part of the Greenville County Spring Migration Count.  I had a whopping 7 Swainson’s that day, which I’m told is a new record for Greenville County.  I spent LOTS of time listening to their songs, including one spot where a Waterthrush was within 25 feet of a Swainson’s, both singing back and forth nearly non-stop.  And I’m feeling much better about the differences.  I think I can even hear the differences between those first notes.   Here are my thoughts on separating the songs –

Swainson’s Warbler-

“Seeeer seeeer seer whip poor will it”

Initial notes clearer/sweeter and a bit higher-pitched than Louisiana’s

First 2 notes longer than the third, and the first 3 notes drop in pitch a bit  

Louisiana Waterthrush -

“Seer seer seer it whip poor will it it”

Initial notes a bit lower-pitched than Swainson’s

3 initial notes identical in length and pitch; a bit more metallic than Swainson’s

Now back to my trip on April 19th –

The next target bird was Grasshopper Sparrow, which is a breeder in multiple grassland locations nearby, the closest spot being Hayes Farm.  After a short ride I arrived at the fields at Hayes Farm and got out of my car to listen.  I quickly heard and saw Savannahs and Chipping, but no Grasshopper.  Then a small sparrow flew to a post a short distance away – it was a perched Grasshopper.  Not often you see these birds before you hear them.  I ended up with 5 Grasshoppers as I walked along the roads through the Hayes Farm fields – all the others were heard only.

I only need Grasshopper Sparrow in 6 other states in its regular range.

That gave me 3 new SC statebirds before lunchtime – I just needed to get into the right habitat (at the right time of the year) to be able to fill those gaps in my statelist.  And speaking of statelist – that brings my SC list up to 265.  That's 33 additions since moving to the area, but I still have a number of relatively easy birds to try for.  Not to mention any number of possible rarities.