A variety of birds were seen in eastern Idaho during the Great Backyard Bird Count

The Great Backyard Bird Count of 2022 was a success for me as I was able to see and record some beautiful birds from multiple areas even though the weather was not great. But some of the numbers of birds had changed since the Christmas counts. For example, the 161 count of Rough-legged Hawks near Howe was down to just 19 birds last Monday.

Monday was a good day for me as I was joined by my friend, Jon, as we traveled to the Howe area. There was more snow on the east side of the Little Lost River valley which was almost bird-less, but on the west side of the valley, the snow was almost absent, exposing food for the songbirds and allowing the hawks easier hunting and gathering.

The highlight of the day was listening to three Virginia rails calling from their cover and watching them occasionally fly across the Warm Spring Creek to visit with each other. We also saw a lot of Horned Larks still working the hayfields as they showed signs of beginning their mating rituals.

Monday afternoon was also a rewarding time as I drove out to watch and photograph a Great-gray owl followed by a trip to Deer Parks Management Area west of the Menan Buttes to watch the Trumpeter swans. It is always a beautiful sight to watch these large waterfowl gracefully fly from their daytime feeding spots to look for open water to spend the night.

Saturday, the second day of the GBBC, I spent the day ice fishing on Ririe Reservoir but as I was coming off the ice, I observed three Juniper Jays, two American Robins, and a Townsend’s Solitaire in a cedar tree. The Juniper Jays are rare and Ririe Reservoir usually has a few hanging around.

During each day of the count, I was able to enjoy the birds visiting my feeders in my own backyard. I have Northern Flickers feeding heavily on suet cakes while the American Goldfinches, House Finches, Common Redpolls, Pine Siskins, House Sparrows and even a few Dark-eyed Juncos battling over the black-oil sunflower seeds.

On all but one of the four days of the count, I observed a Sharp-shinned Hawk attack the backyard birds, harvesting two of the slower birds. The attacks were violent, but even the birds of prey also have to eat.

Now that the counts are over for the winter and with the predicted temperatures reaching 50 degrees, the spring migrations will begin in earnest. In fact, some people think the migrations have begun.

“Have you seen all the snow geese in the bare spots near Ririe?” a phone call from a reader of my column asked me. I asked if the birds had black wing tips or were all white except for black feet and a black bill. They reported that they could not see their wings as they were sleeping or feeding in the fields, but that they were snow geese. I finally convinced the caller that the birds were Trumpeter Swans

As the bare ground begins to show in old grain stubble fields and potato fields, ponds will develop from melting snow that will attract more of the swans. The area around Ririe and the Osgood area will also be great places to observe the swans. The Trumpeters will also be joined by the smaller Tundra Swans along with Mallards and Northern pin-tail Ducks.

From March 15 to March 25, the Snow Geese accompanied by the smaller Ross’s Geese will invade the area from American Falls Reservoir to Camas National Wildlife Refuge in huge numbers. Several years ago, we had over 70,000 show up. I will keep you posted on when and where they show up so you will have a good chance of getting a look at them.

Also, if you see any odd birds in your yard, try to get a picture of it and let me know about it. My email is bschiessphoto@gmail.com. Have a great week and be safe.