Cold, gray, windy, occasional blizzard - yep, it's January, and finding new birds or any bird is a challenge. All the open water in the parks like the Castle Rock pond have been sealed by ice. No ducks or geese to be found for 100 square miles. Even a trip last Sunday up north to the Snake River produced very few birds. They must be in Hagerman - that Banana Belt of Idaho.
Still, I am finding birds - enough to tease me out into the cold. For instance, I was able to coax the American Dipper into view at the Cassia Creek Bridge in Elba last Sunday; and later, while running errands, I caught up with the infamous "gang of eight" great-tailed grackles on the roof of the Ross clothing store. On Monday - one (count them - one) Red-winged Blackbird perched above the visitor center feeders. I bet he's feeling lost and alone.
Wednesday morning, I stepped outside to let Clancy (my non-birding mini-golden doodle) pee. Great Horned Owls were having such a close conversation, that it was affecting Clancy's ability to concentrate. Check! #36. Later in the day, a quick drive down the Narrows Road offered me a perched Cooper's Hawk. I was specifically looking for a prairie falcon, but I'd be crazy not to celebrate in trading one hard-to-get falcon for one equally elusive accipiter.
Two birds on the day is OK, but I wanted more. Up to Stines Creek Picnic Area I went. The parking lot was plowed, but not the trails. I decided to retrace the steps of some visiting snowshoer to a quiet out of the way spot to stand and wait. Soon robins had forgotten my intrusion, and they started popping up everywhere. In the mix was Big Year Bird #38 - Townsend's Solitaire. Although he is considered low-hanging fruit, brilliantly gray and generally a loner, I enjoy his company. Their one-note call echos through the most angry of blizzards, and may be the only sound heard at times in City of Rocks besides your own beating heart.
But the pleasant surprise bird of the week (so far) was a bushtit. Actually there were about a dozen of them, flitting around on rubber rabbitbrush, gleaning the seeds produced just a few months ago. The photo is by no means a county fair contender, but there is enough there to prove my find. (The second image taken a few years ago for comparison). The day is just getting started, and already I am scheming how to bag a chickadee by dusk.
UPDATE: Mountain Chickadee at residence, 5:14 p.m.