Yesterday, January 3 was the Skunk's Misery Christmas Bird Count. It is usually the last one that birders in this area participate. It was the fourth one I did this year.
As usual the weather was terrible! The long-range called for sun, but it was quite the opposite. But that is the way it has been the last month or so--usually opposite to what is forecast. We got a good covering of snow overnight, drizzle and fog in the afternoon.
I covered some of my usual area around Thamesville, starting at the bridge on Victoria Road.
There were few birds as I walked the old cemetery.
After a bit of driving I stopped by the Tecumseh Monument park east of the village. It was the wrong time of year to look for Smoky Rubyspots along the river's edge so I did not venture down!
Again few birds, but the highlight was a Pileated Woodpecker across the river. I had never recorded one on this count before. View was obscured though.
A few chickadees were working the grounds.
Kinglets and a creeper were also in the group.
I gave up quite a bit of my area this year, and drove the rest. I guess the highlight was a huge flock (~100) of redpolls, but unfortunately they were overhead and moving.
Very few birds, so I moved on and roamed the circle instead.
I came across a huge flock of Snow Buntings at one point. Always neat to see as they swirl about.
Golden Eagles regularly winter in the north part of the circle. I only came across one in the distance in my travels, but the horrid weather did not help.
Numbers have yet to be finalized.
The St. Clair NWA count on Friday ended up at 89 species, an excellent total. It relies heavily on waterfowl, and this year was no exception. New for the count history was the Trumpeter Swan that I spotted within the wildlife area!
No comments:
Post a Comment