Idaho Birding Trail guide features local hot spots

North Idaho birdwatchers made a huge contribution to a new Idaho Birding Trail booklet designed to help the public find and appreciate some 400 bird species found in the state.

Half a dozen volunteers from the Coeur d’Alene Audubon Society researched and detailed 29 of the 175 birding sites featured in the 135-page booklet.

The project featured the work of birdwatching groups across the state pulled together by Sara Focht of the Idaho Fish and Game Department’s non-game wildlife program in Boise.

Coeur d’Alene Auduboners were happy to share their favorite birding spots with the public, said Kris Buchler. “But working for the guidebook made us look more critically at our sites and explore some that we haven’t been to for a while, and that was fun,” she said.

The club detailed North Idaho areas as far south as St. Maries to the northern boundary of areas covered by Palouse Auduboners based in Moscow and Pullman.

“We focused on sites that would still be around for birds and birders in 10 or 15 years,” Buchler said. “We had to consider what might be logged or developed in the future, and of course we had to concentrate on public-accessible land to avoid conflicts with private landowners.

“The idea is to keep this guide user-friendly for casual birders and visitors who travel into different regions of the state.”

Birding trail guides are gaining a nature-tourism following as they find a sponsorship in states such as Alabama, Kansas, Florida, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin.

The guides promote opportunities for rural economic growth based on providing amenities to travelers who are birding. They also help promote conservation of bird and wildlife habitat.

Four years in the making, the Idaho Birding Trail guidebook details a network of sites and side-trips over roughly 2,000 miles of highways and backroads.

The self-guided, auto-driven tours lead visitors on birding adventures that range from afternoon outings to weeklong expeditions.