Mine as well Brian, yet it’s late summer when the Solitaire’s including the juvie’s are staking out their fav Serviceberry trees in the Pondererosa understory near our place in Valley Co. Cheers, Rich Rusnak Boise

Also, saw my first of season group of Tundra Swans heading South, fly over yard, this AM. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

My favorite winter resident arrived today, Townsend’s Solitaire. We have a good number of Rocky Mountain juniper on our place & the solitaire is a winter altitudinal migrant, appearing & staking out their favorite trees for the season. Their main competitor is the American Robin for best trees loaded with juniper berries. Some of the trees have a bumper crop this season & the “squabbles” between Solitaire & Robin have already started! 

The RB Nuthatches are still busy gathering sunflower seeds from the feeder. Appears the YR Warblers & RC Kinglets have moved on through. Weather’s due for a change to winter-like conditions starting Sunday. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

Thanks, Diann! Always amazed at how quickly a moose can “disappear” just by walking behind a bush. To be so big & yet, can disappear, so fast. And, of course, your AK moose are even larger. 

This AM, the RB Nuthatches are still hoarding seeds & Juncos are even more numerous.

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

Fresh snow on area mountains. Fall color fading fast. Freezing at night & warm days to mid-60s. A few trout rises on the river with some beaver working the edges. Other mammals:  muledeer, moose & least chipmunks are in the yard daily. My fave time of the year!

A handful of YR Warblers moving through. A few White-crowned & White-throated Sparrows, with a smattering of Chippings around. DE Juncos ever-present now. Feeder attracting: House Finches, BC Chickadees & American Goldfinches. Best visitors, though, have been 2 industrious RB Nuthatches. They must have a heck of a stash of sunflower seeds in one of the spruce trees. As, have been making back-&-forth forays to feeder & tree for several days now! 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

This afternoon, had a Mountain Chickadee show at platform feeder. Have mentioned before, but unusual for our elevation along the Snake River. Another 2000′ higher & they’re the predominant chickadee, but along the river, our resident is the Black-capped. Also, time of year is off. When we have seen Mountains in past, usually during a bitter cold or heavy snow winter. 

Tried to get a photo at feeder of both chickadee types at once. But, they’re all fast little suckers, lol! Best photo I got of the Mountain is still “not good”, but can see its white eyestripe. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

This AM there was a “sparrow push” through the place. White-crowned, 2 White-throated, adult Chipping & a few Lincoln’s Sparrows along with large numbers of DE Juncos pushing through. Handful of YR Warblers & RC Kinglets working through Russian Olive trees, as well. A few American Robins going after juniper berries, too. 

A bit later on, after birding, along the Snake River, had just made a few casts of a nymph pattern, when heard the distinctive sound &, then, saw the black & white upper wing pattern of a Willet fly within feet of me at eye level. Got distracted  by the Willet, while still retrieving my fly after its swing through a riffle and…missed a hit by a nice rainbow! Pulled the fly right from its mouth, as was still reeling the fly in, while watching the bird! That’s happened before, getting distracted by some other wildlife…mink, otter, moose, eagle…& missing a fish. But, on such a beautiful Fall morning on the Snake, even missing a trout isn’t so bad! 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot

Best birds yesterday were 2 Greater Yellowlegs working together along a shallow edge of Snake River. A handful of juvenile YR Warblers high in cottonwood trees & a few adult & juv WC Sparrows were also coming through. 

Brian Carrigan
Blackfoot 

I spent today on the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River downstream from Ashton and it was a very birdy day. Fly over raptors included a late Swainson’s Hawk, at least five Turkey Vultures (4 in one group), two Sharp-shinned Hawks, a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk and a juvenile Sabine’s Gull. There was a big flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers near Vernon Bridge that numbered at least fifty, a pair of female Western Tanagers and two Blue Jays.

Cliff

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Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@…