Idaho & Western Montana 
( 
David Trochlell 
W eatherwise, it was a mild and un- 
remarkable fall season, without 
any notable meteorological 
events. Not surprisingly, waterfowl, shore- 
bird, and passerine migrations were also 
mostly unimpressive and went almost unre- 
marked. But adding color and pleasant mem- 
ories to an otherwise forgettable migration 
season was a fantastic array of rare birds, of 
which an amazing fourteen require boldface 
in this report. 
Abbreviations: A.ER. (American Falls Res., 
Bingham and Power, ID); Latilong (area en- 
compassed by one degree latitude and one de- 
gree longitude, used in mapping bird distri- 
bution in both Idaho and Montana); L.P. (Ida- 
ho B.O.’s banding station at Lucky Peak, near 
Boise). 
WATERFOWL THROUGH 
SHOREBIRDS 
Montana reported single extralimital Greater 
White-fronted Geese s. of Columbia Falls 17 
Oct (PS) and n. of Darby 24 Nov (BH). The 
only Cackling Geese reported were Idaho sin- 
gles in Moscow 13-22 Oct (TCS) and Boise 5- 
6 Nov (tHK). A Whooper Swan near Hager- 
man, ID 26 Nov+ (ph. JC, tCW) may provide 
a first record for Idaho, pending acceptance. 
Only one Eurasian Wigeon was reported in 
Idaho, the poorest showing in many years. 
The 12 Surf and 7 White-winged Scoters rep- 
resented a better-than-average season. Idaho’s 
5th Black Scoter was below A.FR. 7-14 Nov 
(ph. BD, tCT). Long-tailed Ducks were un- 
usually scarce, with only one documented in 
Idaho. Pacific Loons came through in excel- 
lent numbers, with 10 in Idaho and 5 in Mon- 
tana. A Red-throated Loon at Ennis L., MT 27 
Oct-4 Nov (RW) represented Montana’s 12th 
record. Always rare in Montana, a Great Egret 
near Red Lodge 1-3 Aug (BJ) was noteworthy. 
Single Idaho Green Herons, not an annual 
species, were in Blaine 13 Aug (WW) and 
Marsing 4 Oct-30 Nov and later (m.ob.). A 
Glossy Ibis discovered at A.FR. 3 Sep (ph. 
DCl, TCW) will be Idaho’s 8th record and first 
fall report, if accepted. A flock of 5 White- 
faced Ibis in Sanders, MT 25 Aug OO provid- 
ed a first record for Latilong 25C. A record 
count of 2069 Turkey Vultures came from 
L.P, almost double the long-term average at 
that station. 
With only six accepted records of Red- 
shouldered Hawk in Idaho, singles near 
Pocatello 6 Aug (TSB), L.P 29 Sep (TKW), 
and at C. J. Strike Res. 2-25 Oct (TSB, JC) 
were all noteworthy. A total of 28 Broad- 
winged Hawks was counted at L.P, represent- 
ing the site’s 3rd highest count ever. Two 
Broad-wingeds were also tallied at Western 
Montana’s new hawkwatch site in Jewel Basin, 
ne. of Bigfork 14 & 27 Sep (DC). Single Ida- 
ho Gyrfalcons included a local first captured 
at L.P 11 Oct, perhaps record early (ph. JC), 
and one in Boundary 17 Nov (HK), where 
there are few precedents. If accepted, a Red 
Knot in Canyon 5-6 Sep QH. THK) would be 
Idaho’s 4th record. Well above par were re- 
ports of 5 rare Short-billed Dowitchers 10 
Aug-1 Oct. 
GULLS THROUGH CRACKLES 
An incredible first for Idaho and the Region 
was a Heermann’s Gull documented below 
the A.FR. dam 7 Nov (HK, TCT). The rare- 
but-regular gull count was well above aver- 
age, with 12 Mew, 9 Thayer’s, 2 Glaucous- 
winged, 7 Glaucous, and 22 Sabine’s Gulls re- 
ported. It was the best season ever for Lesser 
Black-backed Gulls in Idaho, with 2 at A.FR. 
11-12 Aug (tPL, TCT), 2 in Lewiston 16 Nov 
(ph., TTG), and one at Hagerman 28-30 Nov 
(ph., TCW). An early snowfall grounded a Re- 
gionally rare Long-tailed Jaeger in Madison, 
MT 1 Sep (ph., JH). Parasitic Jaegers made a 
good showing, with 4 at A.FR. 3 Sep-4 Oct 
(SB, DCl, TCW) and one near Helena, MT 26 
Oct-11 Nov (BM). 
The Lucky Peak banding station posted a I 
record capture of 62 Flammulated Owls and a i 
near-record tally of 178 Northern Saw-whet [ 
Owls. Western Montana’s 2nd Ruby-throated j 
Hummingbird was banded near Hamilton 25 
Aug (RB). Although now recorded annually || 
in the Region, Anna’s Hummingbirds made |j 
their strongest showing ever in both states, 
with a record 8 reported 19 Sep-21 Nov. 
Twelve Blue Jays in Idaho represented a fairly 
typical “non-irruption” fall tally. A Pinyonjay i 
wandered to the Stevensville, MT area 12-30 
Nov and later (BHy); the species is rare but I 
not unprecedented there. The only report of 
Northern Mockingbird came from Blaine, ID 
20 Nov (KC, PWP). Both rare and surprising- j 
ly late was a Brown Thrasher below the A.ER. j 
dam 7-14 Nov (HK). Always rare, a Tennessee j| 
Warbler was noted s. of Columbia Falls, MT 1 
Sep QCo). Excellent captures at L.P. included 
a Magnolia Warbler 21 Sep and a Blackburn- 
ian Warbler 2 Sep (p.a., ph. JC); both would 
furnish 6th Idaho records. A potential 4th 
record was a Palm Warbler photographed in 
Nampa 12 Oct (p.a., TSC). Numbers of rarer 
Zonotrichia sparrows were fairly typical, with 
10 White-throated, 9 Golden-crowned, and 2 
Harris’s Sparrows reported. A Smith’s 
Longspur documented in Blaine 13 Sep (p.a., 
TLT) would provide a first record for Idaho, 
pending acceptance. The only Rose-breasted 
Grosbeak was in Bridger, MT 3 Aug (DE). A 
Dickcissel, a potential 2nd for Idaho, was in 
Boise, ID 27 Sep (p.a., THK). Common 
Crackles, increasing in the Region, were not- 
ed in Somers, MT 23 Aug (4 birds; DC), while 
a Regional record flock of about 120 was re- 
ported in Rexburg, ID 24 Sep (DCl). 
Contributors (subregional editors in bold- 
face): Scott Barnes, Ron Batchelder, Kathleen 
Cameron, Jay Carlisle, Dan Casey, Sylvia 
Copeland, Josh Covill QCo), Darren Clark 
(DCl), Dave Ellis, Jim Graves, Terry Gray, 
James Hancock, Ed Harper, Bart Hoag, Bob 
Hoy (BHy), Barbara Jaquith, Nate Kohler, 
Harry Krueger, Paul Lehman, Terry Little, 
John Parker, Pete Smith, Shirley Sturts, Lila 
Tauzer, Chuck Trost, Wendy Warren-Money 
Cliff Weisse, Robin Wolcott, Kyle Wright, Poo 
Wright- Pulliam. @ 
David Trochlell, 2409 East N Avenue 
la Grande, Oregon 97850, (dtrochlell@verizon.net) 
Post your images to the ABA Image Gallery 
on the Americaii Birding Association website 
^ I 
AmericanBirding'’i 
126 
NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS 
