IBRC 71-B-11

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: gyrfalcon
HOW MANY: 1

REPORTER: Larry Barnes 611 E. Chestnut St. Hailey, ID 83333
REPORTER EMAIL: lbarnes59@gmail.com
OTHER OBSERVERS: Brian Sturges, bsmagpie@cox.net Gary Stitzinger, gstitzinger@gmail.com

DATE REPORT PREPARED: 12/30/11
DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: 12/27/11

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: ~0.5 mile from old Owlsley Bridge over the Snake River on the road to Hagerman.
HABITAT: Farm land, pasture
CONDITIONS: Mostly clear skies, 2-4 mph winds, ~50 deg. F, ~8 seconds of observation as it flew from the right across the road in front of us (as close as 100-150 feet) and toward the Upper Salmon Falls Hydro Plant on the Snake River. The sun was behind us and all three of us got our 9 to 10X binoculars on it.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: No, not at all
DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: No, not at all
WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?:

DESCRIPTION: We all instantly identified it as a large falcon, but ruled out prairie because its underside lacked dark axilaries. I was on the left side of the car and had the longest view of it as it flew to the river. When it dipped a little before going out of sight I saw its mantle, which was gray and unlike the brown of a juvenile peregrine.
BEHAVIOR: The bird was flying about 50 to 100 feet off the ground in a straight line downhill and toward the river. This was likely a hunting behavior useful for surprising a vulnerable quail, duck, or rabbit.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? All three of agreed that it was a gyrfalcon during the 8 second flight. It was particularly cinched for me upon seeing its gray mantle just before it dipped below the horizon. Of course, it was very large, too.
HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? We eliminated juvenile peregrine because the gray color was dominant and there was a lack of bold facial markings.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): I reintroduced peregrines in NH and CA, and studied them in UT, CO, and ID, finding three new eyries in ID. I have seen and photographed a gyrfalcon near Picabo that overwintered for ~5 years in the 90s. I have seen gyrfalcons and peregrines in AK while studying songbirds and seabirds for the USFWS.
GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I have been birding since 1980 and for approximately 27 of the field seasons since then I have participated in some kind of bird field study, although recently only for 2-3 weeks per summer.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: