Wildlife List
American Goldfinch (3/26/17)
"Weather Deer" on Tuesday (3/28/17)
Pair of Red Fox (3/28/17)
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (3/29/17)
American Crows building nests in Pine Trees (All Week)
Red-tailed being mobbed by American Crows (All Week)
Last week was a great wildlife sightings week and all of them let us know that spring is here.
The American Goldfinch (AMGO)* is in this area all year round but the winter coloring is very drab. This bird showed up with mostly breeding plumage of yellow, black and white, a nice change.
We had a storm front come through on Tuesday and the Mule deer told us it was coming. Despite my activity only yards away from them, they stayed put under the cover of trees. Within an hour the snow was falling. Because of the deer I got my outdoor chores done before it moved in.
With a break in the storm and closer to dusk, my dog let me know that our resident Red Fox was around. I was pleasantly surprised to see a second fox run after the first, there will be kits in the future!
A special sighting this week and probably all year, was the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (BCRF)*. The winter storm probably brought him in to feed on the hanging seed feeders. The last time I saw this bird was above 10,000 feet, eating insects out of the snow. During winter they can make their way to lower elevations and to see him in my territory was fantastic!
Another big sign of spring was the behavior of the local American Crows. These birds have been very vocal calling to each other everyday and have been flying over with nesting material. I have observed at least five nests being made in the pine trees.
The Red-tailed Hawk has noticed the activity too and comes in for a peek now and then. The crows give chase and 3-4 mob him, there way of saying, leave.
I hope you have a chance to notice the signs of spring near your place, enjoy!
*Four-letter (English Name) Alpha Codes in accordance with the 57th American Ornithologists' Union (AOU).
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