We still have ~12″ of snow on the level. Interestingly, a lot of it has dried out, losing moisture to wind, & crystalized in such a manner that I can walk right on the top in my pack boots. In fact, snowshoes are a hindrance. Between single digit lows at night, highs in the 20s (although today it’s headed to 43°) and very dry ground subsurface, the thaw should help the Snake River Aquifer.
Before last weekend’s storms, Spring migration appeared to be getting underway. Then…a standstill. My resident chickadees, goldfinches, house finches, towhees (you know things are tough when the Spotted Towhees fly up into the platform feeder, instead of scratching beneath) & Red-breasted Nuthatches are going through 15 lbs of black-oil sunflower seeds daily! In fact, American Goldfinches are the most numerous visitor to the feeder this past week. A walk down to the river this AM, showed a group of around 50 American Robins working through a frozen river edge mudflat. And, mixed in, was a Killdeer, first for this Spring. My favorite bird, this Winter, remains Townsend’s Solitaire…still see &/or hear 3-4 daily, vigorously defending their tree crop of juniper berries.
BTW, the Rocky Mountain Junipers took a beating with last weekend’s heavy, wet snow! I weighed it at 20 lb/cubic foot, almost 3 gallons water/cubic foot! Compared notes with my farmer friend & checked Pocatello NWS site & it was a record-setting wet snow. The juniper, pine & spruce trees easily shed our Rocky Mountain powder, but this stuck to branches & needles, literally bringing down large limbs & even a few trees! I have a couple days of chainsaw cleanup to do on our place, once it warms enough.
If you were near Esther Simplot Park this morning around 11:30, then you got a Spring Treat: Sandhill Cranes flying over. Since I don’t bike to places that host Sandhill Cranes, I only get to enjoy them when they pass over.
Side note: Along with all the Common Mergansers at Quinn’s Pond, there has been a Red-breasted Merganser. Not sure how long he’ll hang around.
I spotted a group of Barrows Goldeneyes in the Johnson Creek area of Clark Fork yesterday afternoon. I have never seen a Barrows there. Usually there are between 20 and 50 Common Goldeneyes swimming the river. They were present but in a different area. My question is how can I check to see if this is a new bird for Bonner County or if not new what is the frequency of them being spotted. It is the first time in 30+ years of birding the area that I have seen them in Bonner County.
Forgot to mention the Trumpeter Swans coming overhead! Groups of 15 to over 20. Will see a couple hundred total. Beautiful, with their trumpet calls, & against the whitish-gray of the sky. They fly north in the morning & come back south starting about 3 PM.
Along the Snake River out of Blackfoot, have had 14″ new snow since Fri evening. Yesterday’s was a heavy, wet snow with high water content. After shoveling off the decks, was inundated with American Robins. A group of 50+ came in to drink, where a bit of shallow water collected, from a few spots of remaining melted snow.
At the feeders, seeing a few more male Red-winged Blackbirds arriving. Also, the males of American Goldfinches & House Finches are getting a bit more colorful. Plenty of DE Juncos are about, a few Spotted Towhees & both BC Chickadees & RB Nuthatches sneak in for seeds, as they can.
