A couple notes of interest...at least to me!

This morning I was at one of Avimor's resident's homes while our HVAC contractor serviced a furnace.  While we stood in the garage I heard a bird singing.  I knew I recognized the song, but my brain didn't make the jump to which bird it was I was hearing.  I could see several House Finches and Juncos on the surrounding rooftops, but I couldn't pick out the vocalist as I was looking directly into the sun.  On my walk home for lunch just now I had my trusty Eagle Optics Ranger 8x42 SRT's on me, with good light, and I was able to see my friend the Say's Phoebe.  Welcome back!

Golden Eagle Audubon had a field trip to Swan Falls, in southern Ada County last weekend and they saw a Say's Phoebe there.  Knowing that, I expected to see one here at Avimor within a couple of weeks, but not so quickly.

Last year we had at least two mating pairs of Say's Phoebes and I got to watch them nest.  But I didn't record their arrival here until April 1st last year.  So the migration this year is still trending early...interesting! In 2008, Lynn and I recorded a Say's Phoebe on the 2nd of January in my neighborhood when I lived in Star, ID.  I consider that a vagrant, not a wintering resident or a new spring arrival.

I have a couple feeders up in my backyard, still testing out Bird House & Habitat's Treasure Valley Blend, and for the last few days we have had a Song Sparrow hanging out with the White-crowns, Dark-eyed Juncos, House Finches, and Mourning Doves.  Though I don't see it eating seeds, it does sip and bathe in the birdbath.  This is the first time I've had a Song Sparrow as a yard bird in any yard I have lived in.  They are very common in the area.  I see them along Spring Valley Creek regularly, but to have one in my yard is kinda cool!