Brewer's Blackbirds

These are the first for the season. They were in my backyard, looking for a meal. I wouldn't be surprised if they had been in my neighborhood last year, too, as migrating birds often head for the same place year after year. While Brewer's can be year round residents where I am, I don't often see them in my backyard during the winter. 

Female above, male below. 

 Male in the lilac bush. Note the distinctive yellow eye.

Not A Bird....

...but still cool. Here's a beaver dam I discovered. This one is holding back water in a slough of the Clark Fork River near Clark Fork, Idaho. The "reservoir" created by this dam is quite large, more of a small lake than a pond. And lots of waterfowl, mostly Lesser Scaups, Wood Ducks, and the ubiquitous Canada Geese. 

 

American Goldfinch

Juvenile American Goldfinch. I'm guessing that this is a female and she is probably just weeks old, now on her own. She was hanging with House sparrows in my backyard. Here are some images of her working a cottonwood, gleaming bugs and whatnot from the leaf surfaces. 

 

 

More hummingbirds!

This looks to me to be a juvenile Caliope hummingbird, visiting a patch of Bee Balm I've planted in my garden. Note the distinct streaking on the chin. 

This one appears to be either a female or a juvenile Black-chinned hummingbird judging by its slim build.

 

Tree Swallows

I've never had Tree swallows nest in my backyard, only Violet-green swallows. Here is a daddy on the nest and the mommy dropping off a treat.

Yellow-headed blackbirds

I also saw these at the Clark Fork River delta. The pictures are a little dark, sorry about that! The top one is a male and I believe the second one is a female.

Bald Eagle Nest

No birds here, but a shot of a bald eagle's nest. I was out on the Clark Fork Delta to help with a restoration project. And I saw this nest.