Kathleen's Nemesis Bird

Sun Valley, ID

Tuesday 15 August 2017 66 °F

Yesterday, my final full day in Idaho, birder Kathleen Cameron and I rode the gondola up Mt. Baldy, famous for its winter skiing, and hiked down in hopes of finding Black-backed Woodpeckers. This bird is one I have seen here in the past and would be a life bird for Kathleen, so we had high hopes as she had been looking for this "nemesis" in the area for sixteen years!!

Amazing views from the top of the mountain:

Male MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER:

TOWNSEND'S WARBLER:

HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER:

Beautiful Douglas-Fir forest:

AND WE FOUND IT! WE FOUND KATHLEEN'S NEMESIS BIRD, THE BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER!!!!!

Lifer dance!

We never saw but clearly heard a calling FLAMMULATED OWL in this patch of forest, which was a huge surprise because this species has seldom, if ever, been recorded in the Wood River Valley before!

Juvenile STELLER'S JAY:

Woodpecker holes in a tree:

Mule Deer:

DUSKY FLYCATCHER:

Another huge highlight was this beautifully cooperative juvenile NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL which perched oh so nicely for Kathleen and me!

AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER, yet another rare species!!!

What a day!!! We were stoked to find all of these rare birds so close to "home!"

Stay tuned - I am the keynote speaker at the Indiana Young Birder Symposium this weekend, and I have many exciting Oak Park Bird Walks I am planning for this fall! Hope you've all had a wonderful, rejuvenating summer!

Good birding,
Henry (world Life List: 931 Species)

1. Turkey Vulture
2. Red-tailed Hawk
3. FLAMMULATED OWL
4. Northern Pygmy-Owl
5. Belted Kingfisher
6. Hairy Woodpecker
7. AMERICAN THREE-TOED WOODPECKER
8. BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER
9. Northern Flicker
10. Western Wood-Pewee
11. Hammond's Flycatcher
12. Dusky Flycatcher
13. Steller's Jay
14. Clark's Nutcracker
15. Black-billed Magpie
16. Common Raven
17. Violet-green Swallow
18. Mountain Chickadee
19. Red-breasted Nuthatch
20. Brown Creeper
21. Rock Wren
22. House Wren
23. Golden-crowned Kinglet
24. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
25. Hermit Thrush
26. American Robin
27. Gray Catbird
28. Cedar Waxwing
29. Yellow-rumped Warbler
30. MacGillivray's Warbler
31. TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
32. Chipping Sparrow
33. Song Sparrow
34. Dark-eyed Junco
35. Lazuli Bunting
36. Red-winged Blackbird
37. Brewer's Blackbird
38. Bullock's Oriole
39. Cassin's Finch
40. RED CROSSBILL
41. Pine Siskin
42. American Goldfinch