Overcast and breezy. ~30 F at 5am.
Trapper, Susan and I went out for an attempt at trapping in the park. We got set up and in the blind by 5:45 and waited until 8 for the birds to begin feeding. The first bird came in at 5:47 and we were able to get a shot off at about 8:10. There were about 15 birds on the bait; one of which was our satellite bird!! That was the first time we had seen him. Unfortunately, the net was aimed just a bit too high and we missed most of the birds. We caught 3, one of which was a recap from Spring Gulch.
We spotted a Ferruginous Hawk on the Kelly Rd right after trapping!
Trapper and I went to town for nests. Deloney still sitting tight. Food Town inc. Kelly Rd still building. Nothing from the east hill. sighted 2 pairs on the backside of high school butte, but no nests. CRC still building. Broadway not inc. Flat Ck inc. Museum inc. Sign on nest, but standing. Nothing at HWY 89. Romney pair rebuilt at last years nest site. GROY eagle inc.
31 March 2006
28 March 2006
Tues, Mar. 28
Partly Cloudy. 22F @ 7am.
Trapper made bands in the morn. Went to town and removed the nest from the fairgrounds. We collected all of the sticks to count how many it takes to make a raven nest. The Kelly Rd birds just began building in last years nest. Jill reported bird flying with nest lining on the back side of High School Butte. We sat back there for a while and found an inc BAEA, but no ravens. We also sat up on the east hill with no luck. We moved up to the sidewinders hill to determine if the food town and Broadway pairs were the same. Best guess is that they are not. The food town pair may have been in the process of laying eggs. Look as if neither were inc. Museum didn't appear to be inc. Nothing at the HWY 89 nest, and airport was sitting tight. No inc at the Deloney nest.
First Song Sparrow in town.
Trapper made bands in the morn. Went to town and removed the nest from the fairgrounds. We collected all of the sticks to count how many it takes to make a raven nest. The Kelly Rd birds just began building in last years nest. Jill reported bird flying with nest lining on the back side of High School Butte. We sat back there for a while and found an inc BAEA, but no ravens. We also sat up on the east hill with no luck. We moved up to the sidewinders hill to determine if the food town and Broadway pairs were the same. Best guess is that they are not. The food town pair may have been in the process of laying eggs. Look as if neither were inc. Museum didn't appear to be inc. Nothing at the HWY 89 nest, and airport was sitting tight. No inc at the Deloney nest.
First Song Sparrow in town.
27 March 2006
Mon, Mar. 27
Sunny and Breezy. 15F at 7am.
Got up early and put some bait out in the park.
Trapper and I went out and checked on a bunch of nests. A pair was by the HWY 89 nest, the airport birds are INCUBATING. Nothing going on at Rye and Ponderosa. A pair was at the Crow nest. Couldn't find the new sage nest. Nothing at Buckwheat. Spring Gulch not inc and neither bird was banded. No bird on the Food Town nest. No bird on the Mad River. Mad River nest doesn't look good. We found an alternate nest across the hwy, but it didn't look good either. We did not see the pair come in for the hour we were there. The pair that was building in the fairgrounds was at it again and the nest was pretty big. They were taking sticks from the Kelly West nest and bringing them to the fairgrounds. We figured they were the same as the Grn Mtn pair. We saw nothing up at the east side hill for an hour. The Deloney birds appeared to be INC, but the bird flew off shortly after we glassed it. Needs to be double checked. The Bickner pair is incubating. Flat Ck not incubating and neither bird is banded. Museum not inc. NER sign bird on nest, but not inc. Double check on the airport: inc. Nothing on park bait.
Skied into a suspected kill in Kelly. Found a dead mule deer in the warm ditch up on the TVR. Mostly gone, but 3 coyotes and a dozen or more ravens feeding. Unable to see any bands. 3 eagles present as well. No bands.
Got up early and put some bait out in the park.
Trapper and I went out and checked on a bunch of nests. A pair was by the HWY 89 nest, the airport birds are INCUBATING. Nothing going on at Rye and Ponderosa. A pair was at the Crow nest. Couldn't find the new sage nest. Nothing at Buckwheat. Spring Gulch not inc and neither bird was banded. No bird on the Food Town nest. No bird on the Mad River. Mad River nest doesn't look good. We found an alternate nest across the hwy, but it didn't look good either. We did not see the pair come in for the hour we were there. The pair that was building in the fairgrounds was at it again and the nest was pretty big. They were taking sticks from the Kelly West nest and bringing them to the fairgrounds. We figured they were the same as the Grn Mtn pair. We saw nothing up at the east side hill for an hour. The Deloney birds appeared to be INC, but the bird flew off shortly after we glassed it. Needs to be double checked. The Bickner pair is incubating. Flat Ck not incubating and neither bird is banded. Museum not inc. NER sign bird on nest, but not inc. Double check on the airport: inc. Nothing on park bait.
Skied into a suspected kill in Kelly. Found a dead mule deer in the warm ditch up on the TVR. Mostly gone, but 3 coyotes and a dozen or more ravens feeding. Unable to see any bands. 3 eagles present as well. No bands.
Sun, Mar. 26
Jill got a few band reads at Sidewinders this morning: Silver inv f, sil inv 2, yel inv 2, and org S.
She also checked the Deloney, Food Town, Mad River nests for incubation. Nothing.
She also checked the Deloney, Food Town, Mad River nests for incubation. Nothing.
26 March 2006
Sat, Mar. 25
Spent most of the day making a new pigeon and chicken coup.
The Deloney, Mad River, and Food Town nests are not incubating yet.
The Deloney, Mad River, and Food Town nests are not incubating yet.
Fri, Mar. 24
High clouds and overcast. 11F at 5am.
While it was the last things I wanted to do, I got up at 4:45 to go out to the bait again. I just about fell asleep in the blind, figuring that the birds would wake me up if they can in to feed. After a little while, I heard the starlings and magpies start up, and heard one or two ravens come in. I figured it would still be a little while, so I didn't get up to look. Then a few minutes later, I heard some very faint thumping. Not knowing what this sound was, I got up and looked toward the bait. There were 10 ravens on it feeding and another 8 coming in! Well, at 6:30, all 18 were in on the bait and two were out to the west. I figured this was it. So I took the shot and caught 12! Missing only a few birds, it was a great shot. There is a down side, however. I recaptured two birds, both of which had no color band! The two birds had been caught in the same capture back in December and had lost their silver, plastic bands. Let's hope this was a freak accident with the two particular birds..... Interestingly though, they were only 2 band #s away, so they have been hanging out together in both captures. Maybe we got a few breeders! Thanks to Jill for help banding.
Jill and I went to town to look for nests during the afternoon. Jill checked the Mead nest and the bird was still on the nest (presumably incubating). I checked the Delony nest; no bird on it. We tag teamed the east side of town. I went up on the NER hill and Jill sat up on Upper Cache. I saw two ravens chasing a great grey up on the NER hill. Then I saw a cora fly with a stick up the gully north onto the refuge. Thinking there might be a nest right behind me, I climbed further up the hill and found an old winter kill that the birds were feeding on. Likely no nest there. I watched the two birds still feeding for long enough to see them fly back over towards the hospital and fly into a tree with an old nest next to the hospital. They spent their time feeding all around the NE side of town. Jill didn't come up with too much over by Cache, but there may have been a pair over by Snow King. We checked the area around the hospital and found a nest by the golden eagle inn. Unsure if it is active.
We went over to the Grn Mtn area and saw the pair building two new nests. One up on the hill and the other in the fairgrounds stands. I don't think the fairgrounds nest is going to last... This is the second territory where the pair builds an alternate nest while they are building their real one. Interesting...
The Food Town, Broadway, Mad River, and Museum nests are not incubating yet. I was unable to see into the Flat Ck nest. I found 4 nests up on the Hatchery cliffs, but none appeared to be occupied. The NER sign nest was not incubating.
While it was the last things I wanted to do, I got up at 4:45 to go out to the bait again. I just about fell asleep in the blind, figuring that the birds would wake me up if they can in to feed. After a little while, I heard the starlings and magpies start up, and heard one or two ravens come in. I figured it would still be a little while, so I didn't get up to look. Then a few minutes later, I heard some very faint thumping. Not knowing what this sound was, I got up and looked toward the bait. There were 10 ravens on it feeding and another 8 coming in! Well, at 6:30, all 18 were in on the bait and two were out to the west. I figured this was it. So I took the shot and caught 12! Missing only a few birds, it was a great shot. There is a down side, however. I recaptured two birds, both of which had no color band! The two birds had been caught in the same capture back in December and had lost their silver, plastic bands. Let's hope this was a freak accident with the two particular birds..... Interestingly though, they were only 2 band #s away, so they have been hanging out together in both captures. Maybe we got a few breeders! Thanks to Jill for help banding.
Jill and I went to town to look for nests during the afternoon. Jill checked the Mead nest and the bird was still on the nest (presumably incubating). I checked the Delony nest; no bird on it. We tag teamed the east side of town. I went up on the NER hill and Jill sat up on Upper Cache. I saw two ravens chasing a great grey up on the NER hill. Then I saw a cora fly with a stick up the gully north onto the refuge. Thinking there might be a nest right behind me, I climbed further up the hill and found an old winter kill that the birds were feeding on. Likely no nest there. I watched the two birds still feeding for long enough to see them fly back over towards the hospital and fly into a tree with an old nest next to the hospital. They spent their time feeding all around the NE side of town. Jill didn't come up with too much over by Cache, but there may have been a pair over by Snow King. We checked the area around the hospital and found a nest by the golden eagle inn. Unsure if it is active.
We went over to the Grn Mtn area and saw the pair building two new nests. One up on the hill and the other in the fairgrounds stands. I don't think the fairgrounds nest is going to last... This is the second territory where the pair builds an alternate nest while they are building their real one. Interesting...
The Food Town, Broadway, Mad River, and Museum nests are not incubating yet. I was unable to see into the Flat Ck nest. I found 4 nests up on the Hatchery cliffs, but none appeared to be occupied. The NER sign nest was not incubating.
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