Storm blows in unfamiliar birds

REXBURG — Last weekend’s rainstorm blew in several uncommon birds — birds unfamiliar to most birders living in southeastern Idaho. Monday morning, as most of the rain quit falling, I walked out to get some firewood when I heard a Blue jay in my neighbor’s backyard. Later, it flew to my feeders, and I was able to get a picture of it feeding on the ground.

Mid-morning, I got a call from a friend in the Archer community, south of Rexburg, reporting about a dozen Red crossbills in their yard. For three days, the crossbills showed up, and I would rush out there to try to see them, only to have them leave before I got there. It has been eight years since I last observed them in the Rexburg area, so I hope to find them.

By Monday afternoon, I had finished putting out my feeders, and by evening, I noticed a great increase in bird activity at them. A pair of Downy woodpeckers, several Red-breasted nuthatches, a Brown creeper, a Northern flicker, a Mountain chickadee, along with several Black-capped chickadees were feeding. Tuesday morning, the number of birds had increased, especially with the nuthatches and creepers. The common birds like American goldfinches and House finches have also increased.

By the way, on social media several postings of the American goldfinches are calling them Evening grosbeaks. The fall color patterns of the goldfinches are a dirty yellow or even a tan color while the grosbeak’s colors are more intense with browns, and they are twice as large as the goldfinches.

If you want to attract these birds to your yard, now is the time to put your feeders out. Putting out different kinds of bird feed will attract different species of birds. My favorites are suet cakes, sunflower seeds, nyger seeds, raw peanuts and cracked corn. I have not put out sunflower seeds in their shells yet, as I have a lot of sunflowers still drying in my garden. I have put out sunflower seed pieces that the creepers, nuthatches and chickadees love, and the pieces will keep them around. Black oil sunflower seeds will be put out when we get some snow on the ground.

Watching these birds are a hoot as they take the seed pieces out of the feeder and hide them in cracks in the limbs or under loose pieces of bark. One bird will stash seeds in a certain spot only to have another bird come along and steal them. Creepers and nuthatches often not only walk along the bottom of a limb, but also hides seeds there, where other birds cannot get to them.

A few Sandhill cranes and both Trumpeter and Tundra swans are starting to migrate, so watch for them and watch for flocks of Snow and Ross’s geese to fly past us. Also, deer are just starting their rut where the bucks throw all caution to the wind while chasing the does. It is a good time to be able to see and photograph them, and it is also the time that they cross the roads without paying attention. You do not want to have them for a hood ornament.

Enjoy the warm predicted weather and stay safe.