by Dan Casey The 16th fall monitoring season at Jewel Basin Hawk Watch (JBHW) kicked off August 25th, and as of September 15th we had conducted 18 surveys. It has been an interesting and rewarding early season, with high species diversity and higher than average counts. We suspect that the extensive fires in British Columbia…
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by Darcy Thomas On a blustery winter day in March with dark, turbulent clouds and crepuscular rays brightening the countryside, eight delighted birders joined Margaret and I on a tour of the Mission Valley in a quest to view birds of prey. We saw many wonderful birds including Merlin and American Kestrel, Red-tailed and Rough-legged…
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The 2022 migration season at the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch concluded 20 October, as a dramatic shift in the weather dropped enough snow to make safe access to the site no longer possible. A season characterized by sunny skies and consistent coverage led to above average numbers across almost all species, but record numbers for…
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by Dan Casey, JBHW Coordinator The 2022 migration season at the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch has been characterized by sunny skies, consistent coverage, and above average numbers across almost all species. As of October 18th, we had conducted 47 surveys averaging 6.6 hours each, and had tallied 2,776 raptors of 17 species. Along the way…
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by Dan Casey We have counted 660 raptors of 16 species during our first 21 surveys (through Sept 17th). Migration has been relatively slow to pick up, perhaps due to stable high pressure and smoke. This has been only the second time we have gone this deep into the migration season without recording a daily…
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by Darcy Thomas Eleven hardy birders braved the cold, windy morning on April 10th to go bird watching around Smith Lake. We were rewarded for our discomfort by spending a morning in great company and seeing many beautiful birds. We saw a total of 31 species. Our highlights included Sandhill Cranes which we saw at…
Read MoreOur Annual Meeting is coming up May 9th with Potluck and Silent Auction in the Gathering Place, Gateway East and United Way. Over the last two years, we have accumulated many cool items such as rare books, limited edition prints, original paintings, and outstanding photos! Below are our highlights but all of these items can…
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by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful September 8 with eleven birders joining Darcy Thomas around the lake. Two were visiting from out-of-state and the youngest was only 5 years old. It was a bit chilly at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably…
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by Darcy Thomas A morning of bird watching September 8 at Smith Lake in Kila was very successful. Eleven birders joined leader Darcy Thomas; two were visiting from out-of-state; the youngest was 5 years old. It was a bit chill at 41 degrees when we started but warmed up comfortably later in the morning. A…
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