Mrs BG took this while out for a walk today along the river near the house:
https://i.imgur.com/VJRlurL.jpg
Printable View
Mrs BG took this while out for a walk today along the river near the house:
https://i.imgur.com/VJRlurL.jpg
It's great to have moose around. In winter they wander farther from lakes and river areas. Do they come up around your house too?
He was right where the creek that runs thru our property empties into the Clearwater River...about a half mile from the house. I haven't seen one near the house but it's possible I suppose if they're that close. I'd like to.
Probably should put a game cam down there on the creek.
Yesterday and today we have a new yard bird, a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch. It's a species we've never seen on our property before, probably because we're in dense spruce-fir forest. They surely fly over from time to time, but just don't stop here. Rosy-Finches are birds of open areas. They nest on rocky cliffs along the top of the Continental Divide and feed on insects and seeds on the tundra and on snow fields. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches summer range is from Idaho to the Brooks Range in Alaska, and they winter in Colorado.
On October 14, we had another new yard bird, a Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. Very similar to the Gray-crowned, Brown-capped are almost exclusive to Colorado. They'll often all be seen together in winter flocks along with Black Rosy-Finches. I think one reason we're seeing more of these tundra birds (like the Horned Lark two winters ago), is that we've opened the forest around our house by cutting big trees for fire mitigation.
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch:
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?...4&d=1544380967
Attachment 76754
Brown-capped Rosy-Finch:
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?...5&d=1544381014
Attachment 76755
Those are some nice pics. Never seen either of those that I know of.
Here's a pair of Clark's Nutcrackers munching on a chunk of moose suet on the tray feeder. The male on the left is doing a ritual feeding of it's mate. Actually, they are identical in appearance but one can discern the sexes by certain mating behaviors. Great birds!
Every fall I hang the bones from my big game carcasses in the yard for the birds to glean fat and meat throughout winter.
Also a photo of a female Downy Woodpecker on the left and a male Hairy Woodpecker on the right, gleaning protein from the moose leg bones. The Downy Woodpecker is a miniature (nearly identical) version of the larger Hairy Woodpecker. Male Downy's also have a red patch on the nape like the male Hairy.
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?...9&d=1549300806
Attachment 77229
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?...0&d=1549300832
Attachment 77230
Colorado guy was running trails and was attacked by a mountain lion. He killed it. Article doesn't say how.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...-trail-n966906
Eagles can watch episodes of Jerry Springer from over a mile away!
This evening we watched a cow and a calf moose browse by the stream and around the yard. They were feeding on willow, aspen and mountain maple. The cow stopped in front of the dining room window and chewed on a small fir tree that we've kept lighted since Christmas. Next to the cow were the hanging legs of the bull moose that I had taken last October. Here's a few of photos from this evening right before dark. I'm not certain yet but I think the calf is a bull as there appears to be pedicles on the forehead.
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?...4&d=1550990782
Attachment 77434
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?...5&d=1550990856
Attachment 77435
https://www.ar-15.co/attachment.php?...6&d=1550990899
Attachment 77436