{"id":48873,"date":"2023-11-01T03:20:22","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T09:20:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ibo\/?p=48873"},"modified":"2026-08-25T18:49:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T00:49:44","slug":"2023-lucky-peak-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.boisestate.edu\/ibo\/2023\/11\/01\/2023-lucky-peak-update\/","title":{"rendered":"2023 Lucky Peak Update"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our crew of dedicated technicians has outdone themselves this year with an excellent set of articles about our Lucky Peak fall migration project. This season was full of surprises including some very unexpected highs and some mysterious lows. You can read the whole article, or skip ahead using these links to read about songbirds<\/a>, hawkwatch<\/a>, raptor banding<\/a>, and owls<\/a>.
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The Morning News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By songbird bander and crew lead Lucian Davis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2023 songbird season started with a bang – after two years of waiting in vain for days over 100 birds, we banded 107 on the first fall migration banding day. After two record low years in 2021 and 2022, this was a good sign for the coming season. Moving into August however, our captures slowed down significantly, and frequent wind and rain kept nets closed many days. Things picked back up again in September, with our highest day of the season at 126 birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it wasn\u2019t quite enough to push us towards a high or even average year.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Fog settles in camp leaving the banding yurt barely visible in the distance. The Mountain Ninebark shrub understory is turning yellow, and the fog is drifting through the Douglas Fir trees. You can barely see the tan roof of the yurt through the mist. Photo Credit: Lucian DavisThe birds we were catching were also unexpected. In 2022, we caught a total of seven Red-breasted Nuthatches<\/a> all season (a below-average total), so you can imagine our surprise when we had 14 in one net on a single day in August this year! We ended the season with 360 nuthatches, a record high. I equally enjoyed and was frustrated by the challenge of determining the age of the numerous Red-breasted Nuthatches, whose juvenile and adult feathers are only very subtly different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite having banded at Lucky Peak for quite a few years now, I still learn so much each season!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Three male Red-breasted Nuthatches with wings gently extended to compare ages. The top two birds are adults, the bottom is a juvenile. Photo Credit: Lucian Davis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nuthatches were not the only record high, we also set records with Mountain Chickadees<\/a> (331), Cassin\u2019s Finches <\/a>(98), Steller\u2019s Jays <\/a>(5), and Chestnut-backed Chickadees<\/a> (21). The Chestnut-backed Chickadees were a crew favorite – these adorable chickadees are typically found on the west coast and in northern Idaho, and very rarely stray down into southern Idaho. Their presence, and our other record highs, are due to a large irruption of Rocky Mountain species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One of the 21 Chestnut-backed Chickadees banded this year, told from the more common Mountain and Black-capped Chickadees by their chestnut sides and backs, dark brown instead of black cap, and delightfully squeaky calls. Photo Credit: Noah Nei<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In addition to our unusual captures, we also observed high numbers of White-breasted Nuthatches<\/a> (including two captured), Pygmy Nuthatches<\/a>, Red Crossbills<\/a>, Steller\u2019s Jays, and Pine Siskins<\/a>. For the first time since 2006, we caught Red Crossbills, four young birds. These enigmatic finches typically stay high in the treetops, away from our nets. With so many around, we got lucky, and had the opportunity to see this incredible species up close. Crossbills are one of my favorite avian groups…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…and having one in hand was a dream come true!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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A young male Red Crossbill banded in October. The strangely crossed bill is an adaptation that allows these birds to pry open pinecones to eat the seeds inside. Photo Credit: Phil Stollsteimer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Other unusual captures included a Pacific Wren<\/a>, Varied Thrush<\/a>, the station\u2019s first ever White-throated Sparrow<\/a>, and two Golden-crowned Sparrows<\/a>. Irruptions occur when species who move and breed in response to changing conditions move farther south than normal. This can be due to a productive breeding causing juveniles to disperse to a less crowded area, or due to a lack of food in the northern part of a species range, pushing them south in search of food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Someone
Varied Thrush are short-distance migrants common in the Northern Rockies, Cascades and the Pacific coast, spending their winters along the coast from Alaska to Baja Norte. Photo Credit: Lauren Tate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although we don\u2019t yet know the cause of this year\u2019s irruption, documenting it was a highlight of the season. In the final week of banding, we just barely surpassed last year\u2019s final count of newly banded birds, avoiding a dreaded third in a row record low year. However, it was really only two species that saved us, the Red-breasted Nuthatches and Mountain Chickadees!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without their unusually high numbers, we would be nearly 600 birds behind last year\u2019s record low.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Our numbers for most of our typically abundant species were below average, and it was a record low year for quite a few warbler species, Ruby-crowned Kinglets<\/a>, Western Tanagers<\/a>, and more. Ruby-crowned Kinglets are usually one of our most abundant species, dominating the captures at the end of the season. We average around 1,000 Ruby-crowned kinglets every year, but this year averaged just under 350 banded, which was nearly 250 birds lower than the previous record low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Someone
Our first Steller\u2019s Jay of the season, and my first time banding one! This bird had a beautiful broad tail, indicative of an adult, whereas a young bird would have had more tapered tail feathers. Photo Credit: Lisa Viviano<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although it is normal for our numbers to fluctuate year to year, these last three years are unusual. Low years are typically followed by higher years. We ended the 2023 season with only 3,772 new birds banded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have some ideas behind these low numbers, but no definitive answers yet.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Among our potential culprits are a mass mortality event in the southern Rockies<\/a> in fall 2020, drought, and unusually hot weather as well as the various factors we know are causing longer term declines – habitat loss, insect declines, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This has been my third year on the songbird crew at Lucky Peak, and experiencing these record low years has made me increasingly worried about western songbird populations. We\u2019re anxiously awaiting next year\u2019s season, in hopes of better numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Someone
A young Mountain Chickadee, bird number 3,719 for the year, an exciting milestone after catching 3,718 total birds in 2022. Photo Credit: Lucian Davis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>The Afternoon News<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hawkwatch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

By hawkwatcher Phil Stollsteimer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something special about getting to watch the spectacle of migration in real time. Sitting atop Lucky Peak every day and counting the raptors that passed along the ridge gave me a glimpse into the lives of thousands of individuals and a deeper appreciation for their impressive endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was an act of mass relocation unfolding right in front of us- some birds taking on a multi-thousand-mile effort at only a few months old.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

While Lucky Peak was just a transient waypoint for the majority of these birds, the hawk watch crew valued every interesting behavior, subspecies, and act of determination that we observed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Someone
Hatch-year male Sharp-shinned Hawk captured on his journey south. Sharp-shinned Hawks may not migrate as far as some other species counted at Lucky, but they move in some of the highest numbers! Photo Credit: Phil Stollsteimer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is my favorite thing about raptor migration. Unlike most birds, diurnal birds of prey move in the middle of the day, allowing birders to watch their flight. After over a decade of birding, I have spent my fair share of time at hawk watches in the fall. However, there\u2019s nothing like being out there every day throughout the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only did I fine-tune my ID skills, but I also learned how the birds interact with this specific location.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
\"Adult
Accipiters are often considered the toughest birds to identify at a distance for hawk watchers. This adult male Sharp-shinned Hawk (left) and adult male Cooper\u2019s Hawk (right) show off the similarities in plumage and form that these birds have. Photo Credit: Phil Stollsteimer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Being at the southern tip of the Boise Ridge, Lucky Peak is the final haven for many species before they contemplate crossing the barren desert of the Snake River Plain<\/a>. This rapid change in biomes is apparent in the behavior of many raptors. Particularly as the sun gets lower and the flight comes to an end\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026there is visible hesitancy in the birds to leave the mountains and start over the desert.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

While this would occasionally make our job trickier, as we don\u2019t want to double count any birds that circle around the peak as they try to decide whether to continue or find a place to roost, I loved watching this behavior and feeling an understanding of their thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adult male American Kestrel \u2013 one of the trickiest species to determine migratory status of at Lucky Peak as they constantly circle the peak to hunt in the evenings. Photo Credit: Phil Stollsteimer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For me, this holistic experience made the slow days much more enjoyable. Unfortunately, these slow days proved to be a consistent theme, as we had many slow days on the peak this season. Between an unusually high number of bad weather days that limited our counting time and any number of factors that influenced breeding success prior to migration, we recorded only 4,858 raptors this fall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, low Sharp-shinned Hawk<\/a> numbers were one of the main drivers for our mediocre hawkwatch totals. Considering that these small raptors are one of the #1 songbird predators at Lucky Peak, it makes us wonder whether the low prey numbers influenced these tiny predators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This number falls around 1,500 birds short of the historical average for Lucky Peak.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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