Willow and I took a little drive to see something different, walk somewhere new and maybe find some birds. We had a good walk and saw a few birds, but not very many. It seems like there are fewer birds around this winter. Has anyone else noticed this? At the old cemetery with a nice view, we did hear Pygmy Nuthatches and Red Crossbills and a Red-breasted Nuthatch. Our hike in the hills through what appeared to be good winter habitat with little snow only yielded a flock of House Finches, a couple juncos and flickers. The Common Loon in basic plumage was on the big river. I did drive by a Northern Shrike and later found a Northern Saw-whet Owl. The squirrel was just cute and cooperative.
My Everyday Photos 
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We have had a serious decline in the number of birds we generally see at our feeders. The same is true for our neighbors in Edelweiss. But friends who live at lower elevations seem to have a lot of action at their feeders. I wish I could explain it!
There is a lot of action at our feeders too but it’s been overrun by crows and blackbirds. I’ve quit using the platform feeder and I no longer put out peanuts in hopes of seeing jays. So now, it’s just House Finches, a few American Goldfinches, lots of California Quail and the blackbirds keep coming. And collared doves. And a Cooper’s Hawk keeps everyone on alert.