Blackfoot Reservoir/Blackfoot River Reservoir

View on Full Map View Surveys (7) View Sources (7)

Grebe Survey Summary

  • Max Adults: 100
  • Year: 1993
  • Most Recent Adults: 21
  • Year: 2010
  • Survey Type: Shore
  • Most Common Threats Reported: Water level too high; human/development/boat disturbance
Lake name:
Blackfoot Reservoir/Blackfoot River Reservoir
Location:
Idaho
HydroLAKE ID:
9088
GRanD ID:
402
Latitude:
43.006451
Longitude:
-111.713537
Surface area (km2):
66.7
Basin type:
reservoir
Dam completion date:
1911
Management agency:
Idaho Department of Fish and Game; U.S. Forest Service
Lake use:
irrigation
Region associations:
Caribou-Targhee National Forest
Designations:
National Forest
Comments:
This reservoir has islands and habitat for birds. However, water levels are low during droughts and for irrigation use.

Surveys (7)

Survey Citation:
Trost, C. H. n.d. Status and distribution of colonial nesting waterbirds in Idaho, 1985. 110.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    19 June 1984
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 30 1984
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 30 1984
Max Nests 1 to 100 30 1984
Most Recent Nests 1 to 100 30 1984
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Source is this study. This report's method was to send questionnaires to all refuge managers in Idaho and Trost's visit to all known colonies in May and June of 1984, counting nests from ground. Low # of range is total #s of nests seen. Higher # is either total birds or nests seen. Western Grebes were counted on open water from ground. During incubation period, total # of birds seen on water assumes that one is on a nest, thus # of birds seen equals # of nests. After chicks hatched, both adults assumed to be in colony, thus divide in half # of adult birds seen for another nest estimate.

Survey Citation:
June 9 survey included as historical data in Cavitt, J. F., S. L. Jones, N. M. Wilson, J. S Dieni, T. S. Zimmerman, R. H. Doster, and W. H. Howe. 2014. Atlas of breeding colonial waterbirds in the interior western United States. Research Report, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    9 June 1993, 4 July 1993
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 100 1993
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 17 1993
Max Nests 1 to 100 30 1993
Most Recent Nests 1 to 100 30 1993
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Source (Trost) is L. Hiavaty for June 9, 1993 survey. Source (Trost) is this study for July 4, 1993 survey. Methods same as Trost 1984 study. Cavitt states survey is estimate, not direct count of breeding birds. The June 9, 1993 survey is also included in G. Ivey's ID Waterbird Atlas spreadsheet for his work with Region 1 - Non Game. In Ivey's spreadsheet, the median number for range of nests is reported as 28 and estimated # of breeding birds at 56 (conversion factor of nests by 2).

Survey Citation:
Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 2017. Idaho State Wildlife Action Plan, 2015. Boise (ID): Idaho Department of Fish and Game. Grant No.: F14AF01068 Amendment #1. Available from: http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/. Sponsored by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program.

  • Time period
    N/A
  • Source
    SWAP
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N/A
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Adults N/A N/A N/A
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Grebes not surveyed but nest here regularly. Lack of data so don't know if they are facing same threats as in other breeding lakes of the state. However, only action item is to reduce disturbance.

Survey Citation:
Cavitt, J. F., S. L. Jones, N. M. Wilson, J. S Dieni, T. S. Zimmerman, R. H. Doster, and W. H. Howe. 2014. Atlas of breeding colonial waterbirds in the interior western United States. Research Report, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Denver, Colorado.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    23 July 2010
  • Source
    Summary
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 21 2010
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 21 2010
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Dike Lake. Direct count of nonbreeding birds. Conducted as part of Western Colonial Waterbird Survey (WCWS), a breeding survey of 18 species from May to July 2009 to 2011, resulting in this Atlas.

Survey Citation:
Moulton, C. pers. comm. 2021 email.

  • Time period
    N/A
  • Source
    Personal communication (email)
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N/A
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Adults N/A N/A N/A
Max Nests see comments see comments see comments
Most Recent Nests see comments see comments see comments
Max Chicks see comments see comments see comments
Most Recent Chicks see comments see comments see comments

Comments:

This entry to capture Colleen Moulton's (IDFG) comments on which breeding lakes might still be active. "Here’s a list of those that I know have had breeding birds in recent years: American Falls Reservoir, Blackfoot Reservoir, Cave Lake, CJ Strike Reservoir, Island Park Reservoir, Lake Pend Oreille, Market Lake WMA, Mud Lake WMA. These are all fairly small colonies (although Mud Lake used to be sizeable). There may be others, but I’m less familiar with/have less documentation of them."

Survey Citation:
Peterson, L. A. 1977. Colonial waterbirds in Idaho. Special Report to Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 38 pp.

  • Time period
    1956
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 presence ?
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 presence ?
Max Nests 1 to 100 presence ?
Most Recent Nests 1 to 100 presence ?
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Peterson reports that Burleigh cites Steel's observation (1956) that there is breeding.

Survey Citation:
Peterson, L. A. 1977. Colonial waterbirds in Idaho. Special Report to Idaho Department of Fish and Game. 38 pp.

  • Time period
    N/A
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 presence ?
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 presence ?
Max Nests 1 to 100 presence ?
Most Recent Nests 1 to 100 presence ?
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Peterson reports that Larrison et al. states that Western grebes breed here, no years provided.

Sources of Information

  • Messager, M. L., B. Lehner, G. Grill, I. Nedeva, and O. Schmitt. 2016. Estimating the volume and age of water stored in global lakes using a geo-statistical approach. Nature Communications 7:13603. Data is available at www.hydrosheds.org.; Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
  • Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
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