Bird notes from Owyhee County, Idaho

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Davis, William B.

Source:

Murrelet, Pacific Northwest Bird and Mammal Society, Volume 15, Issue 3, p.69-72 (1934)

Call Number:

A34DAV01IDUS

Abstract:

Literature dealing with the avifauna of Idaho is surprisingly scant. Less than a dozen articles, disregarding minor notes, are available to the bird student and most of these deal with the northern half of the state. It is hoped, therefore, that this article will add to the knowledge of the distribution of birds in that vast, little-touched region. I spent five days, May 28th to June 3rd, this past year (1934) at Riddle, Owyhee County, an oasis in the vast sage deserts in southwestern Idaho. The area under consideration is a strip two miles long by one-half mile wide along Indian Creek, an intermittent stream, in the eastern part of Duck Valley just north of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation. In all, fifty species of birds were found. This concentration of bird life into small suitable areas is typical of the Great Basin deserts. One may travel for miles through the sage plains and see only a few species, but whenever a verdant spot is found the contrast of increased numbers and species is striking. Of the four habitats the meadow led in number of species (19), the riparian was second (17), the sage was third (11) and the rocky outcroppings fourth (3). An annotated list, separated as to habitat, follows.