Three Strikes

Yesterday I walked along Elden Lookout Road from the road-closure gate to the Brookbank Trail, plus a little way up this trail. This was my third visit in the last three weeks following Zack's posting following a visit in which he saw three higher altitude birds along the road.

At the time of Zack's trip we had had little snow for six weeks, so why were these birds at a lower elevation than normal? My trips had been either side of two feet of snow. Where were the birds now? All I saw on these three 3-mile hikes up the road and back were birds I have at my feeders! I will wait on these birds and try for them higher up in the summer.

House Finch

House Sparrow

I did see a Sharp-shinned Hawk while driving across town on Tuesday March 1st, my 159th species for the year. That remained my total at the end of Saturday March 5th.