As I look at the last of the Top 25 feeder birds in Idaho last winter, our leaves have started to pile up in the yard and cottonwood color is a its peak in the Treasure Valley. Our blue jay has not shown up yet to get peanuts, but we did get a rose-breasted grosbeak! It was the first ever for me in Idaho.

At #19 last winter was the lesser goldfinch, and they’ve been hitting our thistle feeder for a few weeks now. Most of these birds are in some form of drab green and dull yellow, each one a little different from the rest. When a much rarer bright yellow male with a black cap shows up, I grab my camera. This goldfinch also loves the wild sunflowers that grow almost everywhere around here.

Lesser goldfinches have been steadily increasing in Idaho, according to the Christmas Bird Count and the Breeding Bird Survey. So, both winter and breeding season data tell the same story. This species did not even show up in the Top 25 species until the winter of 2015-2016. For more on both goldfinches, see my column of October 25, 2023.

Last winter, we routinely saw a small group of Steller’s jays (#20) in Hulls Gulch. Typically, you have to go higher in the mountains to find this jay in southwestern Idaho. But remember these Project FeederWatch data come from all over the state, including many locations in forests and at higher elevations.

Yet, since 2016, Steller’s jay has only been in the Top 25 twice. Although their long-term population trend appears level, they are obviously not common on feeders in winter. Remember this species will be renamed, sooner or later, by the American Ornithological Society to get rid of “Steller.” I have proposed new names for this, and other species named after people, in previous columns. I like long-crested jay.

In 21st spot was the California quail. It’s fascinating that this species does so well in environments dominated by houses and people. But they can only take so much. Quail populations have been going down slightly, but steadily, since 2007. The trend is similar in both winter and breeding season data. Every horse pasture and vacant spot covered in brush lost to development hurts quail. And cats take a terrible toll on young birds. Keep your cat in the house.

California quail are not native to Idaho. They were naturally found along the Pacific coast, from Baja California to southern Oregon, and in a small part of western Nevada. But like many game birds in the U.S., birds have been moved all over the place by state game and fish agencies to provide more opportunities for hunters. They have obviously done well here and can be found at lower elevations all over the state.

At #22 was the second bird eater on the list — Cooper’s hawk. Coops have become quite common in the Treasure Valley, and indeed, in cities all over the country. Like mallards, house finches, and great blue herons, for example, they do just fine in urban environments. They likely are more dense in exactly these habitats because of bird feeders and other improvements we’ve made to our yards — trees, shrubs, and flowers — that attract small birds these hawks eat.

I frequently see Cooper’s hawks along all of the foothills trails we routinely visit. It’s interesting to contrast how they will often have a bird in their talons while in exactly the same places the American kestrel will have a mouse.

Coops use a “perch-and-scan” approach to hunting, and you can often see them perched high in a tree looking around for prey. With their short, powerful wings, they can strike suddenly with a burst of speed to grab birds before they can escape. They often fly low, using trees and even houses to block their approach.

Cassin’s finch was #23, and I mentioned in a previous column in this series that they can be overlooked on feeders because they look so similar to the much more common (#2) house finch. Watch for a broad, pale eyeline and more of a raspberry color. Males are almost unstreaked on the breast and usually show a bit of a crest or a sort of peaked head.

One curious thing about this species is that they crave salt and can sometimes be found visiting mineral deposits on the ground. There is one such spot on the road to Silver City. I have found Cassin’s finches along the steep rock cut in the roadway, maybe 80% of the time I’ve traveled that road, any time of the year. One immediately wonders why this species, among all those in Idaho, has this proclivity. Why don’t other coniferous forest birds, in particular, do the same thing?

Our penultimate species is the white-crowned sparrow. This gorgeous sparrow breeds at higher elevations — like dark-eyed juncos — and descends into the valleys to spend the winter. This year they arrived early and in numbers. They have never been in my yard, but they are common most days along any foothills trail.

They are also very agreeable. Although they like the cover of wild rose brambles, they will sit out in the open on the edges and aren’t too jumpy. On a winter day when I can’t get a photo of anything else, I can always get a white-crowned sparrow. Plus, they sing all winter long. Thank you!

The final bird in the Top 25 last winter was the cedar waxwing. This species doesn’t use feeders, but rather comes into yards for all kinds of fruit — juniper, mountain ash, dogwood, serviceberry, chokecherry, honeysuckle and many others.

People really love this bird because they are beautiful (see The Silkiest Birds, May 20, 2021) and typically descend on a fruiting tree in large numbers. They tend to be pretty tolerant of people watching and taking pictures and are very active, constantly coming and going among the branches.

One of the bits of information at Project FeederWatch is “average group size.” For cedar waxwing, it’s 13.56 birds, which you can compare to black-capped chickadee (2.80) and song sparrow (1.87). Yes, they are very social. You can also identify waxwing flocks flying over because they fly in a relatively tight formation and usually consist of a few dozen to hundreds of individuals. The only species flying in a similar sort of flock is the European starling. But starlings are black and tend to swirl around more, like a school of fish.

More than 50 million Americans feed birds in their backyards, which is over 40% of the population. If you are feeding, or will join us, be sure to keep your cats indoors, prevent window collisions, and clean feeders and bird baths periodically to avoid disease transmission. Have fun, and please let me know if you see something really cool!