In the 70s they were regularly on the Council, ID, sewer ponds in winter.

They have become regulars over the last few years and I see them every winter.

I’ve typically seen them on larger bodies of water and rarely just 2. It was still there as of 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday morning. 

These were my first Barrow’s goldeneyes. They’re quite the little divers. We must not get many around here. 

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Tip ‘o the day, Karl. Thank you! I followed up and found the Barrow’s Goldeneyes still there at 2:30 this afternoon.

I had a Barrow’s Goldeneye pair on February 9th at 930 am at the pond on the East End Of The Optimist Park off Hill Road in boise.

We have a Steller’s that arrives every day to ignore the platform feeder and acrobatically use the black oil sunflower feeder instead. He’s very vocal about what he thinks if the feeder isn’t filled in time. A single Steller’s came every day
two winters ago but used the platform feeder. 

Just went out to fill platform feeder & heard a familiar chattering call. I learned, long ago, to always have my binocs with me. And, in a Russian Olive was the Steller’s Jay. I’ve yet to see it come into the feeder, in spite of my best attempts by following advice here. Won’t come in for peanuts, sunflower seeds or suet. 

 

But, it was rapidly downing Russian Olive fruits! Have a bumper crop this year, so perhaps that’s the reason it has stuck around. 

 

Brian Carrigan 

Blackfoot