American Falls Reservoir

Shorebirds and More

Saturday, September 14th, 2024

7:00 AM Meet-up

Barnes and Noble Parking Lot

The area around American Falls Reservoir provides diverse habitat for a variety of birds and is a great place to visit in the fall when migrating birds use the area to rest and refuel as they head south. Shorebirds are among the first migrants to come through in August and September.

Shorebird identification can be difficult, especially because many shorebirds breed in the Arctic and the only time we see them in southeastern Idaho is during the fall when they are in non-breeding and juvenile plumages. Minute differences in shape, size, and feeding strategy help observers correctly identify them. Our Field trip to American falls will provide multiple opportunities to puzzle over and identify the species present, if water levels are appropriate and mudflats are exposed. I hope we will see Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, Spotted Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Least, Western, and possibly Baird’s Sandpiper, along with gulls, Wilson’s Phalarope, Western Grebe, and many more! Get up early and join us! Bring binoculars, Spotting Scope if you have one, snacks, water, lunch, appropriate clothing for the weather conditions, and a little patience (needed for identifying sandpipers)!!

We’ll be spending most of the day surveying as many birding hotspots as possible – Hotspots may include Willow Bay Marina, Falls View Cemetary, the Dam, American Falls Hatchery, Aberdeen Sportsmen’s Park, Sterling Wildlife Management Area,Springfield Bottoms, and McTucker Ponds. If you need to get home early, this may not be the trip for you!

Planned Route

Idaho Birding Trail – Southeast descriptions and maps of Hotspots – https://idfg.idaho.gov/ibt/southeast

Read All About American Falls Dam and Reservoir

Shorebird Yardstick – A great tool to help gauge the relative sizes of shorebirds – the very first step in shorebird identification