March 30. Sorry- with all the strangeness of this winter's weather i ignored the animal notes. It was an unexceptional winter regarding mammals with the usual long and short tailed weasels, snowshoe hares, mice, voles, shrews and fox with an occasional coyote and the moose coming through the Gothic area on a somewhat regular basis.
Birds were different with yet another winter of a bad cone crop on the conifers. Mostly around were the mountain and black capped chickadees and the Corvids with the Stellar Jays on a daily basis at first light, and frequent but not regular Magpies and Crows. Alas, after 50 years of daily Gray (Canadian) Jays they were not here this winter except for just a couple days. Also around at times was a Hairy Woodpecker and both White and Red Breasted Nuthatches and very infrequently Gray Crowned Rosy Finches. But with the bad cone crop there were few seed eaters.
As for spring, the first arrival were Robins and Dark Eyed Juncos on March 20, then Fox Sparrow and Mountain Bluebird on March 22, Northern Flicker March 23 and Red Naped Sapsucker on the 29th. The first mammal was a Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel on March 30- the first time i have seen one in March.
Birds were different with yet another winter of a bad cone crop on the conifers. Mostly around were the mountain and black capped chickadees and the Corvids with the Stellar Jays on a daily basis at first light, and frequent but not regular Magpies and Crows. Alas, after 50 years of daily Gray (Canadian) Jays they were not here this winter except for just a couple days. Also around at times was a Hairy Woodpecker and both White and Red Breasted Nuthatches and very infrequently Gray Crowned Rosy Finches. But with the bad cone crop there were few seed eaters.
As for spring, the first arrival were Robins and Dark Eyed Juncos on March 20, then Fox Sparrow and Mountain Bluebird on March 22, Northern Flicker March 23 and Red Naped Sapsucker on the 29th. The first mammal was a Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel on March 30- the first time i have seen one in March.
Below right is a Rosy Finch as it perches under a building eve for the night. They do this much of the winter though my guess is they fly to Mt. CB to the feeders in the daytime. Otherwise they skim seeds from plants still sticking out in the snow.
A weasel in October, waiting for snow and it's winter coat.
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