Date: 8/12/26 5:48 pm From: Ken Miracle via groups.io <chukar28...> Subject: Re: [IBLE] Pileated Woodpecker near Ashton
Just for clarification, what those who have lived there for a long time told me was that 10 or so years ago Pileated became more prevalent in the cottonwood river bottoms and from Hailey downstream instead of almost always upstream and in higher elevations where they had seen them for many years. I have never had a good memory for numbers so do not remember exactly the number of years they were telling me as they helped me look for a Pileated that eluded me on multiple attempts in the area when the “they were in my backyard yesterday” jinx was my lot.
> On Aug 12, 2026, at 6:03 PM, Cliff Weisse via groups.io <cliffandlisa...> wrote:
>
> As far as I know they've always been in the Wood River/Sun Valley area but, aside from one old record in the Centennial Mountains, they were not known in eastern Idaho.
>
> Cliff
>
> On 8/8/26 09:32PM, Ken Miracle via groups.io wrote:
>> Pileated have been in the Wood River Valley riparian for at least the last 10 years. They were my nemesis for some time. I finally went up and saw them for the first time when I knew what I was seeing at Ponderosa State Park. Shortly after being surrounded by mom dad and the kids at Ponderosa I had one fly over my head and land in a tree at the Intermountain Bird Observatory Lucky Peak banding station Now I see and hear them quite frequently all along the Boise Front and they are regulars at IBO Lucky Peak. There have been a few unconfirmed sightings in the last couple of years along the Boise River upstream from the start of the Bethine Church River Trail upstream to Lucky Peak Dam. Last year I heard one at Barber Park but could not find it.
>>
>>> On Aug 8, 2026, at 7:17 PM, Cliff Weisse via groups.io <cliffandlisa...> <mailto:<cliffandlisa...> wrote:
>>>
>>> A couple days ago I was stuck at a road construction site on US 20 @ Ashton Hill, about five miles north of Ashton and Pileated Woodpecker flew across the road and landed in a tree it started hammering on. This is by far the furthest south I've seen one in eastern Idaho. For whatever reason they have moved into the Centennial Mountains along the Idaho/Montana border (as well as the Gallatin valley and Bozeman, MT area). Maybe they're going to start showing up in riparian areas in the upper Snake River Valley? Time will tell.
>>>
>>> Cliff
>>>
>>> --
>>> Cliff and Lisa Weisse
>>> Island Park, Idaho
>>> <cliffandlisa...> <mailto:<cliffandlisa...> >>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Ken Miracle
>> <chukar28...> <mailto:<chukar28...> >> 208-570-2780
>> "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
>>
> --
> Cliff and Lisa Weisse
> Island Park, Idaho
> <cliffandlisa...> <mailto:<cliffandlisa...> >
Ken Miracle
<chukar28...>
208-570-2780
"Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
