Last night’s early spring snowstorm stirred things up a bit but instead of producing the feeding frenzy we had in February after a heavy snow, things got a lot quieter. Are the birds in bug-eating mode? It seems like they are. We spend yesterday afternoon scanning Lee Kay ponds, hoping to find a reported Black-necked Stilt. No luck. However there was plenty of bug-eating birds, specifically Bank, Cave and Tree Swallows! A couple of male Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Double-crested Cormorants also signaled the arrival of spring–but not Stilts.
Sugarhouse Park was particularly quiet today, although the Common Goldeneye first sighted more than a week ago remained in the pond. Despite the abundance of trees in the park, passerines are hard to come by, especially in winter. It seems like they’re would be a variety of species similar to those found at the area cemeteries, specifically Salt Lake and Mt. Olivet, where we regularly see and hear Nuthatches, Cross-bills and occasionally, Pine Siskin. That changed today. I heard and saw a Red-breasted Nuthatch while walking in the southeast corner of the park. A great way to end March.
