Was out a few hours this morning driving over mostly snow-covered back roads
outside of town. The sun was out some and I think the temperature broke 32
at some time during the day. Some big concentrations of birds around food,
mostly feedlots or where critters were fed. The Para ponds (frozen) area
had all of the blackbirds except Rusty, and I'm sure there was one further
back off the road where the majority were feeding. Near McManamon Road I
did see at least 80 Tricolored Blackbirds (males), and several hundred
Yellow-headed Blackbirds among 10K+ Red-wings. A Merlin was perched nearby,
one of three seen within 5 miles of town. Up the hill at the grain storage
a single Eurasian Collared-Dove was among more than 100 Mourning Doves and a
flock of 30 meadowlarks. Another 300 MODO were at the east end of Atkinson
Road east of SR 24. The Camano Island feedlot along SR 26 had few
blackbirds close enough to view safely, but no TRBL seen. A dark Harlan's
Hawk was along Hatton Road west of SR 24. I was not able to find Chukars
along the edge of Saddle Mountain at Kuhn Road, one of very few locations in
Adams County where they can be seen when pushed down into apple orchards by
snow cover. East of SR17 where Steele Road approaches Hatton Road, another
blackbird flock of 10K+ had about 300 Yellow-heads.



After finding fresh footprints from a small owl in the snow under 3
different fir trees on Christmas morning, I tried the cemetery again hoping
to find one roosting and determine whether Saw-whet or Western Screech. The
cemetery was dead today (:->), no nuthatch or kinglet, not even a magpie.
Hoarfrost permeated the insides of most of the trees. A couple of
Sharp-shinned Hawks in town were watching feeders. Still 35 species from
the car and only 3 were waterfowl.



Randy Hill

Othello