Adventures in Birding

#41 through #43

Winter can be so tough because I want to get new bird species as quickly as possible, but the weather doesn't always cooperate. One good side effect of cold snaps is that 30 degrees feels warm after single digits!

On Saturday I was at my Dad's and I always check out his feeder while I'm there. He's on the edge of a forest and farther north so he'll get different birds than I will on the edge of a town. I saw #41, Common Grackles, at his house. They're a very common bird, but not usually in Winter. That seems to be a theme this year! A lot of birds must have decided not to go south this Winter...

Yesterday I went birding with my sister in her area. There's a known Eastern Screech Owl that hangs out in one tree. It wasn't there! I'll have to try again. We did see #42, Horned Larks, in a field near my sister's house. They like farm fields and they're super hard to see because they blend right into the mud and corn stalks. It's much easier to see them in the snow!

Today I drove to an area in my county known for Horned Larks (I'm trying to get as many species inside my county as I can so I can finish the year among the top birders of my county) and I also heard #43, Lapland Longspur, hanging out with the Horned Larks! I couldn't spot it (the snow had melted in these fields so they were all hard to see) but I clearly heard it singing and one has been heard/seen in that area recently, too.

I think working on completed a checklist daily has helped me "get through" January easier this year! It gives me something to look forward to every day!