Looking for Bluebirds on South Fork

Starting a phenology journal is as simple as noting when you observe the firsts of the year. And the Mountain Bluebirds should show up in the greater Yellowstone area anytime in the next week or so.

Each year you make notes of the firsts, you go back through and start to look a little earlier. That’s exactly what I did yesterday.

I took a drive down South Fork not really expecting to see any (and I didn’t), but it’s nice to know when they also weren’t found. Verifying that there weren’t any Mountain Bluebirds (or Kestrels that feed on them) seen is also important – and a decent reason to get out of town and take a drive.

I did find a ton of deer – but only one or two bucks with their antlers still. Also saw a few Raven and Magpie pairs as well as a  Red-tailed hawks that were near a nest. This nest has been active for at least a few years and this year I spotted two for certain and possibly a third. I’ll need to go back with the intention of watching that nest a bit longer. Finding that nest also reminded me to go check a few other nests in the area to see if they’re being used.

The best thing I found, though, were spectacular views as the next storm starts to move in. This one is supposed to just bring snow showers – another sign of spring. Hopefully we’re done with the storms that just set in and keep going.

Just as a side note, if you want to check on the snowpack and how it’s doing pretty much across the west, you can check the Snowtel Site. Just another little thing to keep an eye on as we head into March – often the snowiest/wettest month.