How great to have a Hoary Redpoll! It’s another bird I miss after leaving Anchorage. They were fairly regular winter visitors accompanying the Common Redpolls at my feeders in the lower hillside.
You were actually biking! Do you have studs in your tires for frosty trail riding?
This morning’s birding in my back yard, watching the comings and goings of the Pine Siskins, et al, became quite exciting when I realized that the little striped guy on one of the feeders was not a PISI but a Hoary Redpoll! I wasn’t immediately sure which brand of Redpoll it was, but my Sibley’s sits right by the viewing window, and the choice was obvious. My good binos were right there as well, so I got excellent views before he took off. I don’t remember ever seeing either brand of Redpoll in Boise before, let alone my back yard.
After such a great start, I was hoping other good birds would cooperate as well. The 2 Bald Eagles at Esther Simplot were great, but the roosting Great Horned Owl was an even bigger treat. Final tally was 38 species in 12 miles. A great day.
Jason Talbot and I were able to re-find the NOMO at Eagle Island State Park this afternoon (12/11) around 4pm. It was at the far west edge of the Russian olive trees directly west of the old slaughter house.
Saw my first ever Swamp Sparrow at Ted Trueblood Wildlife Management area yesterday 12-10-20. Also Sora, and Virginia Rail and the usual Marsh Wrens.
Off the first access road coming from the north. Just south of the main parking lot (where the viewing stand is) is a closed road not gated that takes off to the west … there were two Swamp Sparrows in the first 100 yards down that road.
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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
Outlet canal 3:15. 3 dunlin killdeer 1 great blue Heron Russian olives 2 red tail hawk 1 n.harrier 2 pheasant in trees. Lions pond 1house finch 1blk.crown night Heron why would he be there with no open water I guess safe place to roost
I’ve seen GBHE’s scarfing up rodents in a grassy area. I couldn’t figure out what the heron was after, and then it did its darting behavior and came up with a little fur ball with a naked tail. Then it did what the heron in the video did, it swallowed the critter whole. It was an eye-opener for me.
I’ve seen a lot of Great Blue Herons over the years, but cannot remember ever seeing one (two actually) foraging in a dry mowed farm field. Saw and photographed one of the two on Dec. 3 about four miles southeast of Grand View, Owyhee County (near Idaho highway 78).
