Great-horned owls

I have located seven Great-horned owl nests this spring so far. They sit on those nests through snow, wind, rain and sunny weather.  What a dedicated bunch.

Dark-eyed Juncos

The dark-eyed juncos are starting to show up at the local feeders and giving us plenty of entertainment.  Right now there is a great variety of colors with them.

Some of them were almost blue, but probably fall under the slate colored.

And then there was two leucistic colored ones, where the skin does not produce the color pigment to all the feathers and they have splotches of white.

Great way to spend the day - color-coding birds.

Pinyon Jays of Madison County

Pinyon Jays are a noisy bunch as they flock together in the winter in southeastern Madison County.  They usually travel with a flock of starlings and with the two flocks, they can go through a lot of food for a friend of mine. 

They love sunflower seeds and are skilled at feeding on pine cones.  Their long strong bill can break through the pine cones and harvest the seeds.

Some people believe that they migrate to Yellowstone Park in the summer, but expert birders think they become very quiet when paired up and raising their young.  Experts believe that they stay in the same general area, but scatter through the local groves of junipers for the summer.

Great Blue Heron

The Great Blue Heron has always been a fascinating bird to me.  I do not like them invading my favorite fishing areas, but they are such a beautiful graceful bird in flight.  Their colors change with the season and are always beautiful.  Here a young one flies along the shore of Henrys Lake.

Several years ago this one speered a catfish and wore it for at least two days.

Here a young one hunts for minnow in the shallows.

This adult is chasing a rodent in a stubble field near Rexburg, but did not catch it.

Just another year around resident bird of Madison County.