Apparently the trail of bread crumbs and seeds that I put out from my house
to Brian’s in Blackfoot has finally worked. Today I had my first Pine Siskin
in ages. He didn’t stay long, but now I know they’re here. I’m hoping we’ll
get the numbers we had a few years ago where they would eat out of my hand.
😉

Tom McCabe, Boise

Just got home from spending Fri & Sat taking our annual winter trip by snowcoach into Yellowstone. One of the birding highlights was seeing a total of 30 Trumpeter Swans yesterday, scattered along the Madison & Firehole Rivers. For those keeping up with the Trumpeters, Yellowstone summer nesting success numbers have dropped significantly the past few years.

That’s believed to be related to lake trout in Yellowstone Lake. (Hope I understood the dynamics correctly, Ruth Shea). The lake trout eat cutthroat trout, which the Bald Eagles usually eat. Hence, Bald numbers are down & those remaining have been eating Swan Cygnets. To the point, that last year, not a single Trumpeter Cygnet survived. Hopefully, as the lake trout numbers are continued to be exterminated, cutthroats &, hence, Eagles, Osprey & Swans will rebound. And the Eagles will move back to cutthroat trout & leave the young Swans alone.

So, it was good to observe a number of Trumpeters wintering in the Park and, might explain, why I see almost daily overhead flights of Trumpeter Swans here along the Snake River. No lake trout.

This morning, I went out to fill my empty feeders. While walking out with a scoop of thistle seed, to fill the feeder, I was bombarded by a half dozen Pine Siskins. They literally landed on the feeder while I was filling it within inches of my hands! Could hardly focus on them with my bifocals, they were so close. Quite a satisfying homecoming.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

can anybody give me tips on how to improve this videohttps://youtu.be/qynt3SqzkXk

It’s been a quiet winter on Hoot Owl RD, sounds like a Prairie Home Companion lead in. We have goldfinches, siskens and chickadees, one or two Mountain rest Black Capped. I’m going through a fraction of the sunflower seed I’ve fed in previous years. The Goldfinch numbers are starting to increase, but not massive. We had a lone Rosy Finch for a day or two, but it’s moved on. Other usual visitors have not shown up. I abandoned one feeder in deep snow as other two can keep up with customers. If I had to I could put on my big boy boots and snowshoes to get to it, but too lazy.

One new and interesting behavior I’m seeing for the first time this year is with our resident Magpie flock. In the past, they worked the sunflower and millet feeders some and were increasingly working the ground under the feeders. This year in addition to working at and under feeders, they’ve added a new food source, dog poop. I don’t know if it’s the semi-digested kibble or the remains of sunflowers the dogs eat from under feeders, but poops in yard, field and driveway get worked on. The Magpies look to be thriving on their expanded diet or maybe they are just fluffed in cold.

Any one else see this? Is it documented?

By the way we also have at times a kettle of 15 – 20 Ravens in the area and an immature Golden working the hills.

At least there may be less for me to clean up in Spring.

Bill Moore
Hoot Owl RD
Inkom