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Discover the Joy of Birdwatching
About Us
Sharing Excitement. Sharing Ideas. Sharing Community.
The Southwestern Idaho Birders Association was founded in 1997 by a group of individuals who shared a common interest in birdwatching. Since then, we have grown into a thriving community that offers a variety of events and resources to our members.
The purpose of the club is to promote bird watching and environmental conservation among the members and general public.
Meetings
**OCTOBER MEETING IS ON ZOOM**
** DUE TO THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN**​
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In-person/Zoom hybrid meetings will be held at 7PM
April through November​​​​​​​​
​Location:
Deer Flat NWR Visitor's Center
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As a reminder, December through March
presentations will be entirely on Zoom.​
Time: 7:00pm
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Join Online via Zoom​​
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81011857044?pwd=vgLpycJkjrrZZnbQWNdQZ6RRljas3y.1
Meeting ID: 810 1185 7044
Passcode: 031179
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October 9 Presenter Meeting
**Zoom meeting ONLY 7PM**
Speaker: Louisa Evers
Title: Birds of the Owyhees
The Owyhee River basin is lightly birded but has some interesting species to find. This presentation was originally prepared for Friends of the Owyhees via Golden Eagle Audubon Society and is aimed at both birders and nonbirders. I cover how I analyzed what birds might be present, their relative abundance, and what species may be
commonly found in what habitat.
Louisa moved to Idaho upon retirement in 2019 and has since immersed herself in local birds and birding. She is the current Program Coordinator for SIBA and Vice President and Education Committee chair for Golden Eagle Audubon Society. Louisa also helps with bird banding at the Intermountain Bird Observatory’s site at the Diane Moore Nature Center. She coordinates the Garden Valley Christmas Bird Count (CBC) and participates in the other three CBCs in the Southwest Idaho, and in National Audubon Society’s Climate Watch.
Field Trips
Upcoming Field Trips
Saturday October 11, 2025​​​​
Cascade Lake
Time: 7:30 a.m.
Location: Meet at the Chevron gas station in Horseshoe Bend
Trip Leader: James Jarrett
Registration Required: email James Jarrett at SIBAFieldTrip@gmail.com
We will meet at the gas station and form carpools to drive to Cascade Lake.
We hope to see many migrating species including waterfowl, gulls, terns,
and loons. This will be an all-day trip so bring water, lunch, binoculars, and layers for fall weather
Field Trip Leader: James Jarrett
Registration Required for all field trips:
email James Jarrett at SIBAFieldTrip@gmail.com​​
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SIBA August 2025 Field Trip to Duck Valley Report
There were 7 birders who traveled down to Duck Valley for the SIBA August Field Trip. We all went down the day before so we could start early Saturday morning at Blue Creek. The 5 gals of the trip stayed at the Arrowhead Inn in Owyhee NV, just over the border, and the 2 guys stayed in their respective cars at the campground. The 5 gals were in two vehicles and hit several birdy spots on the way down. One always interesting spot is at the Roll In Spring Rest Area along Hwy. 51. This is kind of an oasis with not much going for it except lots of dying trees but usually we find something worth looking at here. This day we found Gray flycatchers and assorted warblers, and a Spotted Towhee.
Once at Duck Valley Indian Reservation, we checked out Blue Creek which is an extended playa with shallow water perfect for shorebirds and ducks. We saw numerous Great Egrets, White-faced Ibis, and ducks but no Snowy Egret which was one of our target species. Later on one of the guy birders saw 6 Snowy Egrets! But none for the rest of us. Birds can be fickle that way!
Not much is open in Owyhee Nevada for eating purposes but we made the best of the local Deli and enjoyed an evening sandwich. The next morning we were all up early and ready to see what Blue Creek had in the way of migrating shorebirds, which it is famous for. And hardly any were seen! It was a real bust as far as those shorebirds! A few Black-necked Stilts, 1 American Avocet and a small flock of Western Sandpipers were all we could find, but the conditions for shorebirds were excellent so we could only surmise that we were a bit early and the shorebirds were a bit late.
But we did see several Greater Sage-grouse and excellent photos were taken of a male walking by the road as we drove into the reservoir.
Mountain View Reservoir, one of our target stops, was also a bit of a disappointment
since not much was seen here. Again, too early? We just don’t know.
On the trip home later that day, the gals stopped at several places to bird and add to the eBird Trip List but nothing Whoop-de-do was seen but still a nice final list of 90 species of birds seen.
We enjoyed camaraderie and the birds and a good time was had by all.
Member Photo Gallery
Contact Us
Get in Touch
If you have any questions about the Southwestern Idaho Birders Association, or if you're interested in joining, please don't hesitate to contact us. You can reach us by email using this form, or by messaging us through our Facebook page.