Today’s treat was a Red-naped Sapsucker at the Willow Lane Athletic Complex. The bird was in the pine trees along the first soccer field, a set of trees that have hosted sapsuckers previously. Susan and I got great views, but I couldn’t find the bird on my way back.
Also found today were the “usual suspects” of Downy Woodpecker and Northern Flicker. Less usual was a Hairy Woodpecker near Silver Lake. The greenbelt here skirts some houses, with a good buffer of trees between the path and the river. There’s a nice variety of birds here because some of the folks who live there have feeders. I’ve been hearing a Hairy Woodpecker in the vicinity, but today’s the first time I’ve seen him.
Thank you again for your posts which are informative and entertaining. I appreciate your enthusiasm for biking and birding. If I lived right along the greenbelt, I’d likely be doing the same. It’s a little more of an effort for me to ride downhill to the pathway, and it’s uphill all the way home.
Reporting from Tucson, the Great Horned Owls are now both doing their evening hunts. Two sunsets ago as I was walking, I noticed the female sitting higher on the nest area and saw two young tussling below her in the cavity. The male began calling, then flew to the nest for a few minutes before flying off low over my head. Shortly afterwards, the female flew to a nearby palm, scratched and preened a bit, then also took off for the evening hunt. One young was standing as best it could weaving its head around to try to figure out what it was seeing. The other owlet is less developed, and I think not able to stand yet. I’ll be watching again this evening.
Diann Stone Boise Depot Bench
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” John Muir
Yesterday I was rolling through Esther Simplot Park, on my way home again, when I heard a repeated squeaking sound. Thinking it was my shoe on my pedal crank, I stopped pedaling but the sound continued. I circled around and found a Western Meadowlark sitting on a rock at the vehicle turnaround closest to the river. I cannot remember ever having found a WEME in that vicinity before. (It was not there or nearby today.)
Then today I saw a white bird floating on Veteran’s Pond, and it turned out to be a Snow Goose. My second this week, but then I found my third of the week at Silver Lake. Since the first bird was still at Veterans when I got back, I assume one bird did not fly ahead of me to Silver Lake and then back to Veterans. (I assume.)
BTW, today’s ride started with a Crow chasing a Kestrel around our neighborhood. Not sure if they were playing or serious.
This morning I noticed one of our dogs looking intently out the back door. He usually barks at animals so I went to check what he was looking at and there was a pair of Ravens picking up dog hair I threw out the door a couple days ago. One of the pair worked it into a consolidated wad and the both flew off with their prize. I’ve had small birds pick up the hair we leave for them but I didn’t expect to see a raven using it. Live and learn…
Cliff
— Cliff and Lisa Weisse Island Park, Idaho @cliffweisse
As of today, no juncos – oregon or otherwise – at the feeders. Seems to coincide with magnolias blooming here in Gem County. Lots of red-wing blackbirds stacking up in the trees – waiting for the canal to fill.
As I was getting ready to leave Esther Simplot Park, headed home, I noticed a white bird flying towards me from the direction of State St. The wing beat was inconsistent with the wingbeat of a gull, the most common white bird l see. As I watched, I realized it had black wing tips. It flew right over me, and I made a preliminary decision it was a Snow Goose. It then circled Quinn’s Pond and headed back the way it came. As it got further away, it started losing altitude.
I raced back to the back pond at Esther Simplot, and there, floating on the pond, was my Snow Goose. It hung around out in the middle, but I was able to take a seat on a park bench and get a good steady perch for my binos. I finally left around 1pm and it was still floating around near one of the “bubblers” that are intended to keep the pond from stagnating. Hopefully it will find the place to its liking, but my impression was that it viewed all the ponds at Esther and decided the back one had the least traffic. Too nice a day for it to stay that way for very long.
Still have a Blue Jay coming in for sunflower seeds. And between Am Goldfinches & Pine Siskins, filling the thistle feeder at least once &, sometimes, twice a day. Have had as many as 7 Bald Eagles along the river, all at once. Ranging from a 1st yr bird, to a 3 yr old (with that almost Osprey-appearing face), to an adult pr nesting.
A new foy bird appeared this AM. A Brown Creeper working its way up cottonwoods. Another one was a DC Cormorant drying its wings on a snag in the river, yesterday. Up until this past week, had also been seeing up to 5000 Snow Geese coming over in waves.
Brian Carrigan Blackfoot
Home of Idaho Birding and the Idaho Bird Records Committee
