04-14-15 Bird Field Note

04-14-15 Bird Field Note

April 14, 2015

Kate Stone's field note shows the first American Kestrel resighting of the year, Pygmy Owl nesting research, and an update on raptor migration progress.

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Bird Field Note Kate Stone 04-14-15

Long-billed Curlews popped up in full force this week, though we have yet to see a marked bird. After three weeks with no signals, the Intermountain Bird Observatory team was surprised to pick up a transmission from one of our female curlews. On April 4th, she stopped over near Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho. By April 9th, she arrived in the vicinity of the Orchard House.

Intermountain Bird Observatory Link

William and I spotted the first American Kestrel re-sighting of the year. We saw a colorbanded male perched on a power line just north of the Orchard House. Raptor View Research Institute banded it as an adult at a nest box east of the Rock Pile in 2013. No-one saw him in 2014.

A covey of California Quail popped out of this shrub clump in Lower Woodchuck. I saw four and heard at least a few more rustling around. I could hear the distinctive “Chicago” call of one male farther up the drainage.

A woodpecker started to make its mark on one of our bat houses.

Debbie found a new badger activity area (map next page).

The female Red-tailed Hawk on the northern floodplain finally began incubating. Other local hawks started incubating over a month ago.

Northern Pygmy-owl Update

On 4/3, the pygmy owl pair made repeated ventures in and out of the potential nest cavity. The male hooted from the cavity entrance. When not in the cavity itself, the pair spent long minutes perched on the same tree branch, vocalizing and preening each other. Just as we packed up to leave, we heard and saw a glimpse of copulation.

Based on all of the activity, we thought the pygmy-owls might start nesting this week. On 4/6/15, we used the peeper camera to investigate the suspected pygmy-owl nest cavity. We found a cavity empty of owls or eggs, but lined with soft-looking grass.

We tracked the male to a daytime roost over a half-mile from the nest cavity. He perched in the outer branches of a large Douglas-fir.

Cavities riddle the trees in the pygmy-owl territory; it seems to be a woodpecker hot spot. We’ve shared the forest with Piliated and American Three-toed Wooodpeckers, Northern Flickers, and Williamson’s Sapsuckers during owl observations.

Spring Migration Update Raptor View Research Institute

Three of the seven Osprey outfitted with GPS transmitters have started their spring migration. Scooter, the male from the Ranch Entrance, has already made it back to his nest. Scooter (left) covered more than 1,500 miles in less than five days.