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2005 Bonner County Big Year

2006 Bonner County Big Year

2007 Bonner County Big Year

2008 Bonner County Big Year

2009 BONNER COUNTY BIRDING BIG YEAR

Compiled by Lisa Hardy

Bonner County in Idaho's Panhandle hosts a wide range of habitats, from alpine landscapes above 6000' in the Selkirks and Cabinets, to Idaho's deepest lake, Pend Oreille. With no regular reporters from the county, a respectable 175 species were noted for the 2005 Big Year. Bonner County has the potential to turn up a similar number of species (~200) as its neighbor to the south, Kootenai County, if it were as heavily birded. Sandpoint, on Lake Pend Oreille's northwest shore, has hosted a disproportionate number of state rarities, in part due to location, but also due to the skills of expert birder Earl Chapin. Robert Bond, expert birder and summer resident at Priest Lake, has also added several rare species to the list.

If you visit Bonner County this year, check the list below and see if you can add to it, or beat any already posted dates. Send your reports to Lisa Hardy 682-4808 or basalt@earthlink.net.

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common = 106

Uncommon = 39

scarce = 47

rare = 40

accidental = 33

Bonner County Total (seen since 1950) = 265

Historical record only ( h ) (pre-1950) = 3

OCCURANCE CATEGORIES

( c ) COMMON: Found every year, often seasonal, in many areas, in high to moderate numbers and some searching in appropriate areas may be required.

( u ) UNCOMMON: Found every year, often seasonal, in limited areas, in small numbers, and may require repeated search attempts in more specific areas.

( s ) SCARCE: Found most years, but difficult. Either very specialized and local in distribution; difficult to distinguish from similar, more common species; or only passes through briefly on migration.

( r ) RARE: Not seen every year, mostly irregular, some periodic.

( # ) ACCIDENTAL: Just a few total sightings with a low expectation of being found in the future.

Total Seen 147 as of August 20, 2009

1	Species - 2009	date	location	observer	record
2
3	SWAN, GEESE, DUCKS
4	Greater White-Fronted Goose ( r )
5	Snow goose ( s )
6	Ross's Goose ( r )
7	Brant ( # )
7.5	Cackling Goose ( s )
8	Canada Goose ( c )	17-Jan	Sandpoint	Terry & Christine Gray	8
9	Trumpeter Swan ( s )
10	Tundra Swan ( c )	17-Jan	Sandpoint	Terry & Christine Gray	10
11	Wood Duck ( c )	10-Apr	Denton Slough	Terry Little	75
12	Gadwall ( c )	17-Jan	Sandpoint	Terry & Christine Gray	12
13	Eurasian Wigeon ( s )	10-Apr	Sunnyside	Terry Little	78
14	American Wigeon ( c )	7-Mar	Sandpoint	CdA Audubon FT	64
15	Mallard ( c )	7-Mar	Sandpoint	CdA Audubon FT	61
16	Blue-winged Teal ( u )
17	Cinnamon Teal ( c )
18	Northern Shoveler ( c )	10-Apr	Sunnyside	Terry Little	77
19	Northern Pintail ( c )	7-Mar	Sandpoint	CdA Audubon FT	62
20	Green-winged Teal ( c )	7-Mar	Sandpoint	CdA Audubon FT	60
21	Common Teal (Eurasian race of the Green-winged teal (#)
22	Canvasback ( u )	8-Jan	LaClede	Terry Little	46
23	Redhead ( c )	8-Jan	LaClede	Terry Little	23
24	Ring-necked Duck ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	51
25	Greater Scaup ( s )	8-Jan	LaClede	Terry Little	25
26	Lesser Scaup ( u )	8-Jan	LaClede	Terry Little	26
27	Harlequin Duck ( r )	26-Jun	Lightning Creek	CdA Audubon FT - Jon Isacoff leader	139
28	Surf Scoter ( r )
29	White-winged Scoter ( r )
30	Black Scoter ( # )
31	Long-tailed Duck ( r )
32	Bufflehead ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	32
33	Common Goldeneye ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	28
34	Barrow's Goldeneye ( s )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	106
35	Hooded Merganser ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	35
36	Common Merganser ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	34
37	Red-breasted Merganser ( r )	8-Jan	Sunnyside	Terry Little	40
38	Ruddy Duck ( u )	24-Jul	Morton Slough	De La Rue, Isacoff, Sheridan	144
39
40	PARTRIDGES, GROUSE, TURKEY
41	Ring-necked Pheasant ( r )
42	Ruffed Grouse ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	115
43	Spruce Grouse ( s )
44	White-tailed Ptarmigan ( r )
45	Dusky Grouse ( s )
46	Wild Turkey ( c )	3-Jan	LaClerc	Terry Little	53
47
48	NEW WORLD QUAIL
49	California Quail ( c )
50	Northern Bobwhite
50.5
51	LOONS
52	Red-Throated Loon ( # )
53	Pacific Loon ( s )	15-Feb	Sandpoint	Terry & Christine Gray, Diana Jones	42
54	Common Loon ( c )	8-Jan	Sunnyside	Terry Little	18
55	Yellow-billed Loon ( # )
56
57	GREBES
58	Pied-billed Grebe ( c )	8-Jan	Sunnyside	Terry Little	31
59	Horned Grebe ( c )	8-Jan	Sunnyside	Terry Little	33
60	Red-necked Grebe ( c )	8-Jan	Sunnyside	Terry Little	30
61	Eared Grebe ( r )	15-Feb	Sandpoint	Terry & Christine Gray, Diana Jones	41
62	Western Grebe ( c )	8-Jan	Sunnyside	Terry Little	57
63	Clark's Grebe ( r )
64
65	PELICANS
66	American White Pelican ( s )
67	Double-crested Cormorant( u )	8-Jan	Sunnyside	Terry Little	24
68
69	HERONS, BITTERNS
70	American Bittern ( r )
71	Great Blue Heron ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	50
72	Great Egret ( r )
73	Cattle Egret ( # )
74	Black-crowned Night-Heron (r)
75
76	IBISES
77	White-faced Ibis ( h -1909 )
78
79	NEW WORLD VULTURES
80	Turkey Vulture ( u )	10-Apr	LaClerc	Terry Little	76
81
82	HAWKS, KITES, EAGLES
83	Osprey ( c )	6-Apr	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	68
84	Bald Eagle ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	22
85	Northern Harrier ( c )	21-May	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	98
86	Sharp-shinned Hawk ( u )	18-Jun	Sunnyside	Jonathan Isacoff	132
87	Cooper's Hawk ( u )
88	Northern Goshawk ( s )	26-Jun	Scotchman Peaks	CdA Audubon FT - Jon Isacoff leader	134
89	Swainson's Hawk ( s )
90	Red-tailed Hawk ( c )	17-Jan	Sandpoint	Terry & Christine Gray	29
91	----Harlan's Hawk ( s )
92	Rough-legged Hawk ( c )
93	Golden Eagle ( r )
94
95	FALCONS
96	American Kestrel ( c )	26-Jun	Scotchman Peaks	CdA Audubon FT - Jon Isacoff leader	135
97	Merlin ( u )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	56
98	Peregrine Falcon ( r )
99
100	RAILS, COOTS
101	Virginia Rail ( s )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	112
102	Sora ( u )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	105
103	American Coot ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	5
104
105	CRANES
106	Sandhill Crane ( r )
107
108	PLOVERS
109	Black-bellied Plover ( r )
110	American Golden-Plover ( r )
111	Snowy Plover ( # )
112	Killdeer ( c )	10-Apr	Sunnyside	Terry Little	80
113	Semipalmated Plover
114	STILTS, AVOCETS
115	Black-necked Stilt ( # )
116	American Avocet ( r )
117
118	SANDPIPERS, PHALAROPES
119	Greater Yellowlegs ( s )
120	Lesser Yellowlegs ( s )
121	Solitary Sandpiper ( s )
122	Willet ( # )
123	Spotted Sandpiper ( c )	18-Jun	Sunnyside	Jonathan Isacoff	123
124	Upland Sandpiper ( # )
125	Whimbrel ( r )
126	Long-billed Curlew ( r )
127	Marbled Godwit ( # )
128	Sanderling ( s )
129	Semipalmated Sandpiper ( s )
130	Western Sandpiper ( s )
131	Least Sandpiper ( s )
132	Baird's Sandpiper ( s )
133	Pectoral Sandpiper ( s )
134	Dunlin ( # )
135	Short-billed Dowitcher ( r )
136	Long-billed Dowitcher ( s )
137	Wilson's Snipe ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	122
138	Wilson's Phalarope ( s)
138.5	Red-necked Phalarope ( r )
139
140	GULLS, TERNS
141	Pomarine Jaeger ( # )
142	Parasitic Jaeger ( # )
143	Long-tailed Jaeger ( # )
144	Franklin's Gull ( r )	11-May	Sandpoint City Beach	Earl Chapin	89
145	Little Gull ( # )	11-May	Sandpoint City Beach	Earl Chapin	88
146	Bonaparte's Gull ( u )
147	Mew Gull ( r )
148	Ring-billed Gull ( c )	8-Jan	Sandpoint	Terry Little	3
149	California Gull ( c )	8-Jan	Sandpoint	Terry Little	4
150	Herring Gull ( u )	8-Jan	LaClede	Terry Little	16
151	Thayer's Gull ( s )
152	Slaty-backed Gull ( # )
153	Glaucous-winged Gull ( r )
154	Glaucous Gull ( r )
155	Sabine's Gull ( # )
156	Black-legged Kittywake ( # )
157	Caspian Tern ( s )	26-Jun	Sunnyside	CdA Audubon FT - Jon Isacoff leader	136
158	Common Tern ( s )
159	Forster's Tern ( s )
160	Least Tern ( # )
161	Black Tern ( c )
162
163	PIGEONS, DOVES
164	Rock Pigeon ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	14
165	Band-tailed Pigeon ( r )
165.5	Eurasian Collared-Dove	25-Jan	Oldtown	John Stuart	36
166	Passenger Pigeon (h-1860) - extinct
167	Mourning Dove ( c )	26-Jun	Sunnyside	CdA Audubon FT - Jon Isacoff leader	137
168
169	TYPICAL OWLS
170	Western Screech Owl ( s )
171	Great Horned Owl ( u )	10-Apr	Priest Lake	Terry Little	79
172	Snowy Owl ( r )
173	Northern Hawk Owl ( r )
174	Northern Pygmy-Owl ( u )	4-Apr	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	67
175	Barred Owl ( s )
176	Great Gray Owl ( r )
177	Long-eared Owl ( r )
178	Short-eared Owl ( s )
179	Northern Saw-whet Owl ( s )
180
181	GOATSUCKERS
182	Common Nighthawk ( c )
183
184	SWIFTS
185	Black Swift ( s )
186	Vaux's Swift ( u )
187	White-throated Swift (#)	10-Apr	Morton Slough	Terry & Christine Gray	73
187.5
188	HUMMINGBIRDS
189	Black-chinned Hummingbird( c )	18-Jun	Sunnyside	Jonathan Isacoff	131
190	Anna's Hummingbird ( # )
191	Calliope Hummingbird ( c )	18-Jun	Sunnyside	Jonathan Isacoff	130
192	Rufous Hummingbird ( c )	23-Apr	Priest Lake	Richard Bohn	84
193
194	KINGFISHERS
195	Belted Kingfisher ( c )	24-Jul	Morton Slough	De La Rue, Isacoff, Sheridan	143
196
197	WOODPECKERS
198	Lewis's Woodpecker ( r )
199	Red-Headed Woodpecker ( # )
200	Red-naped Sapsucker ( c )	10-Apr	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	71
201	Downy Woodpecker ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	13
202	Hairy Woodpecker ( c )	10-Apr	Priest Lake	Terry Little	72
203	White-headed Woodpecker ( r )
204	Am. Three-toed Woodpecker ( s )
205	Black-backed Woodpecker ( s )
206	Northern Flicker ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	43
207	Pileated Woodpecker ( u )	10-Apr	Priest Lake	Terry Little	70
208
209	TYRANT FLYCATCHERS
210	Olive-sided Flycatcher ( u )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	107
211	Western Wood-Pewee ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	120
212	Willow Flycatcher ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	119
213	Least Flycatcher ( s )	5-Jun	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	101
214	Hammond's Flycatcher ( c )	18-May	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	90
215	Dusky Flycatcher ( u )
216	Cordilleran / Pacific-slope Flycatcher (Western Flycatcher) (c)	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	117
217	Eastern Phoebe ( # )
218	Say's Phoebe ( r )
219	Western Kingbird ( u )	26-Jun	Clark Fork	CdA Audubon FT - Jon Isacoff leader	133
220	Eastern Kingbird ( c )	18-Jun	Sunnyside	Jonathan Isacoff	126
221
222	SHRIKES
223	Northern Shrike ( u )
224
225	VIREOS
226	Cassin's Vireo ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	116
227	Warbling Vireo ( c )	18-May	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	91
228	Red-eyed Vireo ( u )	5-Jun	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	103
229
230	CORVIDS
231	Gray Jay ( u )	23-Apr	Priest Lake	Richard Bohn	85
232	Steller's Jay ( c )	8-Jan	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	44
233	Blue Jay ( s )
234	Western Scrub-Jay ( # )
235	Clark's Nutcracker ( u )	10-Jun	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	104
236	Black-billed Magpie ( c )	3-Jan	LaClerc	Terry Little	54
237	American Crow ( c )	3-Jan	LaClerc	Terry Little	55
238	Common Raven ( c )	3-Jan	LaClerc	Terry Little	21
239
240	LARKS
241	Horned Lark ( s )
242
243	SWALLOWS
244	Tree Swallow ( c )	10-Apr	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	82
245	Violet-green Swallow ( c )	7-Mar	Pack River Delta	CdA Audubon FT	63
246	N. Rough-winged Swallow ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	114
247	Bank Swallow ( u )	24-Jul	Morton Slough	De La Rue, Isacoff, Sheridan	145
248	Cliff Swallow ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	113
249	Barn Swallow ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	111
250
251	CHICKADEES
252	Black-capped Chickadee ( c )	8-Jan	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	47
253	Mountain Chickadee ( c )	8-Jan	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	20
254	Chestnut-b Chickadee ( c )	8-Jan	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	48
255	Boreal Chickadee ( s )
256
257	NUTHATCHES
258	Red-breasted Nuthatch ( c )	17-Jan	Sandpoint	Terry & Christine Gray	19
259	White-breasted Nuthatch ( s )
260	Pygmy Nuthatch ( c )	6-Apr	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	69
261
262	CREEPERS
263	Brown Creeper( c )	8-Jan	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	58
264
265	WRENS
266	Rock Wren ( s )	24-Jul	Hoodoo Valley	De La Rue, Isacoff, Sheridan	147
267	Canyon Wren ( # )
268	House Wren ( c )
269	Winter Wren ( c )	23-Apr	Priest Lake	Richard Bohn	83
270	Marsh Wren ( u )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	110
271
272	DIPPERS
273	American Dipper ( s )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	45
274
275	KINGLETS
276	Golden-crowned Kinglet ( c )	8-Jan	Denton Slough	Terry Little	52
277	Ruby-crowned Kinglet ( c )	18-Jun	Sunnyside	Jonathan Isacoff	129
278
279	THRUSHES
280	Western Bluebird ( c )
281	Mountain Bluebird ( c )	18-Mar	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	66
282	Townsend's Solitaire ( u )	8-Jan	Pack River Delta	Terry Little	59
283	Veery ( u )
284	Swainson's Thrush ( c )	18-Jun	Sunnyside	Jonathan Isacoff	128
285	Hermit Thrush ( s )
286	American Robin ( c )	3-Jan	LaClerc	Terry Little	37
287	Varied Thrush ( c )	9-Mar	Priest River	Paul Seiracki	65
288
289	MOCKINGBIRDS, THRASHERS
290	Gray Catbird ( c )	13-Jun	Priest Lake	Terry Little	109
291	Northern Mockingbird ( # )
292	Sage Thrasher ( # )
293
294	STARLINGS
295	European Starling ( c )	3-Jan	LaClerc	Terry Little	17
296
297	PIPITS
298	American Pipit ( u )
299
300	WAXWINGS