New yard bird, Franktown, Douglas

[Hugh Kingery]

This cold/not-cold/cold/not-cold regime has brought lots/few/lots/few birds into our yard over the past few weeks.

During the cold/cold spells, we can count over 100 birds on the ground eating millet and seeds spilled from the feeders. Today, so far, a dozen. The flocks consist mainly of Am. Tree Sparrows & juncos. Our top counts of each: 92 juncos, 35 tree sparrows, both earlier this week.

Yesterday, among several dozen ground feeders,  Urling spotted a giant sparrow - so big you could pick it out just from size and bulk - and IDd it as a Schistacea race Fox Sparrow. It came in off and on yesterday morning, but we haven't seen it since.

One interesting pastime we've developed: identifying individual flickers. We see 2 males (maybe more), one with a tad of red on the back of his neck; and 3 females: one with yellow shafts, one with pale buffy whisker marks (like the male red whiskers), and one just plain-faced. FeederWatch won't let us report all 5 unless they come together, which they don't: top Feeder/Watch count is 3.

Bushtits dash in and out occasionally, and surely we miss some of their brief forays. American Goldfinches showed up in late January; top count, Feb. 2, ten. One robin, two times this week, on the really cold days, clucking from the top of Douglas-firs.

We've seen few crows over the winter, but this morning a flock/murder of 28 flew over the house. Occasional raptors along the road: Golden Eagle, Red-tailed & Rough-legged hawks, kestrel, Northern Shrike.

Hugh Kingery
Franktown, CO

[Andrews Robert]

Congratulations on a nice find for the yard. Always a great find at lower elevations. I remember looking at the variety of flickers as well at your feeders. Hope you are surviving the cold winter without too much cabin fever. Today here in Liberia we had an overnight low of about 70 and a high of 92. Went for a long birding walk and saw some good birds and butterflies. Highlight was an African Finfoot, only the second I have seen in my life. Bob

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