Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Northern Bobwhite #300...well, kind of

I've been maintaining the lawn of our home in Star, ID that we have been trying to short-sell. On the way back to Avimor one evening from working in the yard, while driving on Beacon Light Rd, I saw a Northern Bobwhite perched up on a fence post. I was delighted to add this bird to my life list.

It turns out that the Northern Bobwhite is not considered "countable" in Idaho by the American Birding Association because they are not yet known to have a self-sustaining population. Hunting clubs and private individuals raise and release them into the wild. Many "introduced species" become countable when they establish themselves by successfully breeding in the wild, like California Quail.

eBird prevents sightings of this bird from being reported on a public level, but it does remain as bird #300 on my eBird personal life list.