October 2024

Oct 22 – We just watched 60 to 70 Cranes fly over and start to kettle up for their southward migration. – Kitty and Kris

Oct 21 – Just had a Coopers Hawk pay a visit – Richard Mousel

Oct 16 – A Few Nice Birds at Giant Springs – There haven’t been many different birds to see, but there have been some nice birds.  Perhaps the best was a Pacific Wren yesterday.  I picked it out when using Merlin to sort out the White-crowned vs. White-throated Sparrow chips that I was hearing.  When it kept repeating, I started looking around and found it.  Even got some pictures.  We couldn’t relocate the wren today but still had sightings of White-breasted Nuthatch, Harris’s Sparrow, Mountain Chickadee, a single Yellow-rumped Warbler, a Brown Creeper, Common Loon, Red-breasted Merganser, Long-eared Owls.  The only Mallards were flying early in the morning (it’s hunting season).  The Spotted Towhees aren’t vocalizing like they were 10 days ago but are still scratching around in the undergrowth and dried leaves. // The little birds were really active at the big feeder area.  Since it wasn’t filled there was no competition with house sparrows and house finches – otherwise I don’t think they would have been there.  I could have stood there all morning (or sat in a chair) just watching.  At least today it was a ‘hotspot’. – Beth Hill (note – the next day – nothing)

Oct 16 – Pine Siskins – We have had a pair of Pine Siskins visiting our feeders, at first the sunflower feeders and then after I refilled the thistle – on the thistle feeder – Beth Hill (note – still hanging around over a week later – off and on)

Oct 16 – I have a Mountain Chickadee visiting my feeders at my place. – Richard Mousel

Oct 7 – I counted 27 Clark’s Nutcrackers in Monarch at the cabin last weekend (see picture), collecting pine nuts from the Ponderosa Pine trees. A Big loud party. Also: 1 Steller’s Jay, 4 Red-Breasted Nuthatches – 1 White Breasted Nuthatch – Grayce Holzheimer

Oct 6 – Sat down with Einstein (Chinese crested hairless dog) and two cats after I fed the birds and squirrels. didn’t take long for the hairy woodpecker (female) to show up. She took seeds from the tower feeder and hammered them into the cracks on the utility pole in the flower bed. then a robin flew in and came up to the deck – had to be one of the ones that begged for grapes all spring until it got too hot in summer and they all left. it waited patiently while I went in for grapes and two more shier robins showed up. then I came inside for a while but went back out to sit again when a kestrel swooped down after a sparrow (which escaped). the kestrel stopped on a fence post for a minute before it took off again. of course, I did not have a camera outside with me – Bev Axelsen