Rewarding Winter Bird Challenge
By GEAS Guest Blogger Bhavana Padiyath
Winter Bird Challenge participants busy at a field trip to Kathryn Albertson Park
The month-long Golden Eagle Audubon Society Winter Bird Challenge held in January 2023 provided a great opportunity for the birding community to bring together experienced birders and novices. Thirty-one enthusiastic participants set out to record all the species they could find in the month of January. The Challenge allowed listing of birds throughout Idaho and the activities included four field trips led by veteran birder Louisa Evers.
Birds are more visible in the austere winter landscape with its lack of leaf cover. This makes it an ideal time to bundle up and go outdoors to look for their presence and study aspects of their behavior.
New 2023 Categories Engaged More Birders
This year’s competition was expanded to make it more accessible to those with time and mobility constraints. There were five categories instead of three - Backyard and Weekend Warrior in addition to the original General, Photography and Audio categories. The participants recorded their trips and observations on the e-Bird online app, which uses the data to understand the movement trajectories and needs of birds to create better conservation strategies.
Cherylyn Murphy (right), who observed 99 species and took 58 photos was the Weekend Warrior winner. Cherylyn used this opportunity to work on her birding and photography skills to prepare for a trip to Central America. Also pictured are Sara Smith, Linda Roman and Shannan Brimmer.
“I made new friends that enjoy an activity that I really enjoy, both locally and in other parts of the state.”
Birds Overwinter in Southwest Idaho
Ornithologists and birdwatchers in Idaho have the opportunity to traverse our varied landscapes to observe and record a a diverse range of bird species. Boise, especially, is an important overwintering site for migratory birds during the winter months along the Pacific Flyway that runs from Alaska to Patagonia. The Foothills, Snake River, the various parks, water bodies, agricultural fields and mountainous areas in the region provide resting places and breeding habitats for a plethora of bird species. The average temperature during the winter months ranges from 30 to 40°F, providing a comfortable environment for birds to survive and conserve energy for the rest of their journey.
Participants Found Birds and Made Friends
Being outdoors while meeting neighborhood bird enthusiasts proved a rewarding and enriching endeavor for the participants. They ranged across all age groups, with the youngest being nine-year-old Oscar Hallam. Oscar recorded 35 species of birds (all of them lifers), in an area that spanned from Boise to Buhl and he photographed four.
For Daniel Salemi, “Birding takes me away from my daily troubles and gets me in the outdoors.”
Virginia White appreciates being in the present moment, and most enjoys “the sweet soft bodies of the birds I watch, appreciate that the birds are free and that I must be still to watch and hear them. I chose to enter the challenge because I knew I could commit and focus on an activity for 30 days. Foremost I learned that being with other birders is where and when I will learn the most in a short period of time.”
After coordinating the Challenge last year, GEAS Field Trip Coordinator Dondi Black was a participant this year winning the Backyard Birder category with an amazing 28 bird species. She saw or heard three species of hawks, two species of owls and an eagle!
Challenge Motivated Winter Birding
General category winner Kent Kleman finished January with the biggest bird list (he saw 130 bird species, took photos of 120 bird species and recorded 38 bird species). Kent also won the Photography and Audio categories. Kent enjoys the challenge aspect “because it pushes me to get out as much as possible to see the cool birds that spend the winter in Idaho. You have to accept that you will never see all the bird species that you want on any given day, so learn to appreciate the common birds along with the rarities that you are lucky enough to find.” He especially enjoyed the group outing to Hull’s Gulch.
“Several of the participants saw multiple lifers, and many of the best of the birds of the day were all in the same tree—a Gray Catbird, a Spotted Towhee and a Hermit Thrush.”
Everyone Is A winner
The Winter Bird Challenge helped participants combine several interests in one activity - community engagement, photography, natural science, conservation and exercise. Congratulations to everyone who participated. Golden Eagle Audubon field trips, classes and volunteer projects are also great ways to enjoy nature, make friends and give back to the environment.
Bhavana Padiyath has lived in Boise since 2004. She’s an avid naturalist and conservationist with an interest in sustainable urban food gardens.