The snow is mostly gone. Migrating birds are mostly back. It is a noisy place around here and I find myself scrambling to identify birds by call. Why do the need for a refresher course every year? And did you know that Steller’s Jays sometimes mimic Red-tailed Hawks?
I’m especially fond of raptors, even though I struggle with identification. Seeing two Golden Eagles hang out on BLM land (where I have camped) and these two Red-tailed Hawks together is a special treat.
Next month, the game camera goes up and I’ll hope to add bear and who-knows-what-else to the list. 45 species this time around.
Mammals:
Coyote
Elk
Mule Deer
Cottontail Rabbit
Brush Mouse
Rock Squirrel
Golden Mantled Squirrel
Pocket Gopher
Skunk
Raccoon
Birds:
Golden Eagle
Bald Eagle
Lewis’s Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Nuthatch
House Sparrow
Red-Winged Black Bird
Canada Goose
Mallard
Gadwall
Great Blue Heron
Townsend’s Solitaire
Mountain Bluebird
Western Bluebird
Kingfisher
Red Shafted Flicker
Red-winged Blackbird
Steller’s Jay
Black Capped Chickadee
American Crow
Common Raven
Scrub Jay
Magpie
Turkey
Dark-Eyed Junco (and its many varieties)
Ringed Turtle Dove
Rock Dove
American Kestrel
Turkey Vulture
Red-Tailed Hawk
Starling
American Robin
Great Horned Owl
Western Screech Owl
Hummingbird (un-id’ed)