Don’t know if my notice about seeing the Barred Owl at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival Grounds at 10:00 A.M. this morning made it through, because I did it by “forwarding” another person’s post.
Had some great looks, and I’ve attached a picture.
The long tailed duck is best observed with a scope on S side of Snake River by walking across the Guffey Bridge, look towards the Island to find it with goldeneyes. It dives frequently surfacing fairly close to its dive spot, occasionally it will fly up river to the head/point of the island, whereupon it lets the currents carry it back down river to the goldeneyes, feeding along the way. Photo 1/19/20,Image, by Marty Marzinelli
Hooray for the birds! Sometimes they show up just when we need them.
Last week, on one marvelous day, I had great looks at a Virginia Rail and a Sora side by side at the same time! What a thrill! To top that, later in the day a Northern Parula hung around near a sap well gaining nourishment and providing birders with fantastic looks and photo ops. Obviously, not in Boise.
While I don’t have Mountain Chickadees or Townsend’s Solitaires (I wish I did), I did get some new arrivals when first one, and then five, Pine Siskins showed up at my feeders. They were accompanied by several Lesser Goldfinches, which have been missing for a couple of weeks. And today they were accompanied by an American Goldfinch, another bird that has been in short supply. And my thistle feeder, which hasn’t needed a refill in weeks, is suddenly being depleted. (I was beginning to think it was something I said).
Thanks to the recent arrivals, and lots of ducks, including Canvasbacks at Les Bois track’s infield pond, my tally for today was 42 birds in just under 11 miles. Plus, we’ve started to hear W. Screech Owls on our evening walks, so the number could still rise. (I hope so).
Kept my feeders full thru a WK of back-to-back winter storms & Blue Jays still coming in. A new arrival since snow & wind of Fri, is a Mt Chickadee. Occasionally, get one or two during heavy snow winters, tend to migrate to our Snake River elevation from nearby mt range.
Also, a RB Nuthatch is spending the winter. And, see Townsend’s Solitaires nearby.
Tonight at 5:30, a male Eurasian Wigeon was spotted at Wal Mart. He was walking by himself but tried to mingle with the Mallards and American Wigeons that hang out in that area. In case any of you are wanting to try and see him, he was at the Wal Mart on 12th Ave. and Greenhurst Road. There’s a small strip of lawn on the side of the parking lot that faces 12th Avenue with a dirt bank at the base. The Eurasian was mainly hanging around on the US Bank side of this area.
Happy Birding!
Kristin A.
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
