Hi Ruth,

In an attempt to maintain what mental health remains, I spent the PM wandering around the NE corner of American Falls reservoir attempting to survey swans. Only found 20 trumpeters.  I received a report last week of flocks field feeding on the east side of the reservoir near the mouth of the Portneuf but they seem to have moved out of the Springfield area.  I figure that with the reservoir substantially frozen they have few roosting areas near the NE fields.  They usually begin heading north out of eastern Idaho about this time.

But I did not get stuck anywhere, most road are quite solid, and I was rewarded with 3 Prairie Falcons perched on various telephone poles.  One allowed me to park within 50 feet and when it eventually flew showed its nice dark axillars.  A low flying male Marsh Hawk was the first ray of hope that spring is on the way.  But the highlight was the pair of Sandhill Cranes that flew over me.  The only 2 that I saw.. Food is abundant in the fields that were harvested last fall and are now snow free in much of the area.  Overall birdlife was very sparse but the cranes made my day.