By Lisa Clark
Fourteen participants gathered on Saturday, November 7, for a memorable hike on Tubbs Hill, led by Mark L., whose years of exploring the hill as a local resident and regular hiker gave us a particularly rich perspective on this treasured natural area.
Although bird activity was relatively quiet, our group recorded 21 species, including an unexpected highlight: an American Dipper working its way along the docks at the 11th Street Pier. Mark, who has spent years observing birds in the area, had never encountered a dipper in this habitat. These remarkable birds are typically associated with flowing rivers and streams, where they can walk along the underwater riverbed in search of food. Seeing one along the lakeshore was a special surprise.
But the value of this outing extended well beyond the bird list. Throughout the hike, Mark shared his knowledge of the hill’s wildlife, vegetation, and changing habitat, pointing out places where birds regularly nest or forage, even when none were immediately visible. He showed us an area where two pairs of Lazuli Buntings had nested three years ago. Following a parks cleanup that removed much of the surrounding brush, the birds did not return, illustrating the difficult balance parks and recreation departments face between maintaining wildlife habitat and addressing legitimate wildfire mitigation concerns.
We also saw firsthand the effects of prolonged dryness on the hill’s vegetation. Mark pointed out plants that had been heavily cut back more than a year ago and were still struggling to recover, with only a handful of tiny green leaves emerging. As our region faces another year of drought conditions, these observations offered a sobering reminder of how changing moisture patterns and increasingly dry winters may affect the health of this important local habitat.
Mark also shared the location of an Osprey nest and recounted a remarkable story of survival involving another nest. During a severe windstorm, chicks were blown from the nest, and the male Osprey failed to return for five days. The female remained on the eggs as long as she could before eventually having to leave to find food. The male’s eventual return was a welcome relief, and the story offered a glimpse into the challenges these birds face.
The group itself was another highlight, bringing together familiar faces, new participants, and some welcome younger energy. We are especially grateful to Olivia and the Coeur d’Alene Public Library for partnering with us on this outing. Programs like this are a wonderful example of the value our library brings to the community, and we encourage everyone to support our local library and let its staff know how much these opportunities are appreciated.
It was, in every respect, an exceptional day. Mark’s knowledge and engaging storytelling transformed a simple hike into an opportunity to better understand the natural history, wildlife, and conservation challenges of a place many of us know and love. And on a spectacular golden autumn day, with the lake and surrounding landscape at their finest, the birds were almost (dare we say it?) secondary.
This is precisely the kind of experience that makes a field trip memorable. We hope to make Tubbs Hill a regular part of Coeur d’Alene Audubon’s field trip rotation.
Species List:
American Crow
American Dipper
Black-capped Chickadee
Brown Creeper
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Common Raven
Dark-eyed Junco
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Hairy Woodpecker
Mallard
Northern Flicker
Pileated Woodpecker
Pygmy Nuthatch
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-necked Grebe
Red-tailed Hawk
Steller’s Jay
Townsend’s Solitaire
Western Grebe
White-breasted Nuthatch
Total: 21 species