Lynn Barber's Birding Blog

Actually what is happening is that I’m regularly feeding Mallards, many of them, and it appears that a Northern Goshawk has come to our yard to dine on the Mallards. I first saw the Goshawk about 1:15 today. I looked up into the trees behind our house and saw a large bird that did not appear to be a raven. Before I had a chance to study it more, it flew and I could see that it was a large long-tailed accipiter. It appeared to be a Northern Goshawk. But it was gone so I couldn’t study it further. Two hours later, I was watching Mallards arrive into our backyard, but when they immediately departed I could see a large raptor right on their tails. Still no photo and not a very good view. A couple of hours later, at about five o’clock and considerably past sunset, more Mallards were briefly out there again and I saw a silhouetted large bird back in the trees behind our house. It was the Goshawk. I was able to get diagnostic, but crummy, photos of it before it was completely dark out. I’ll be keeping an eye out for it tomorrow, of course.

Otherwise, yard birds have been the usual ones, but with a greater than usual number of Black-billed Magpies.

Other photos are of Pine Grosbeaks and Common Redpolls.

Weatherwise, we have not had any new snow for the past couple of days, and the temperatures have been in the 12-20 degree range. The mountains are beautiful, as always.