Here, about 6 miles north of Idaho Falls, I’ve been having a mini irruption of Juncos. Normally this time of year I would be host to a few, maybe 5 or 6, but the last 2 weeks or more there must be over 100 foraging in my yard and the field next door.
Last few days, have had regular visits by: a Mtn Chickadee, sev Pine Siskins, an Evening Grosbeak &, going on a week now, a Steller’s Jay. All hitting the sunflower seeds on the platform feeder. Think they must have known, a change in the weather was coming.
Good list! Haven’t had Northern Pygmy, but get nightly calls of both Great-horneds & Saw-whets in our woods. No Golden-crowned Kinglets this Fall, so far. I keep looking, sev yrs back had a large flock of them, pass thru.
Valley Co. forest walk today, high numbers of RCKI and GCKI’s foraging in “dense” flocks. Also had a NOPO, GHOW’s, and a NSWO calling about 0600. Fun times in the forest!
Had to look twice to convince myself what I was observing. I watched a Black-capped Chickadee, fly-catching. Six times in a row from a backyard cottonwood tree branch. Usually, they go right for the platform sunflower seeds.
Took me a bit to see what it was actually fly-catching. Turned out to be Woolly Aphids. The aphids usually appear Sept/Oct &, this AM, seeing a bunch of the fuzzy, light blue aphids flying about. Just hadn’t witnessed a chickadee fly-catching before, that I recall.
About the only migrants coming thru now are a handful of both YR Warblers & RC Kinglets. Also have DE Juncos & White-crowned Sparrows about. Best bird yest was a Prairie Falcon flyover.
Just heard my first Townsend’s Solitaire of the season. They’ll winter along the Snake River in the Riparian area. Usually will stake out a Rocky Mtn Juniper that has good berries on it & defend from the Robins that come in, as well.
Just a handful of Yellow-rumped Warblers coming through. See maybe 2-3 a day working through the cottonwoods. A few White-crowned Sparrows & Juncos about. Otherwise, pretty quiet. Fall color is starting to peak, but a bit spotty this season.
Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot
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