CBC

Looks like a moonscape, but not far from home

We did our portion of the Johnstown Christmas Bird Count today, and alas, it was far from exciting. We saw perhaps a fifth as many birds as normal, possibly due to the extreme cold. It was supposed to hit 22 but never surpassed 9 degrees!

The fact that ALL our favorite open water spots were frozen over and covered with snow probably didn't help. The boss was kind enough to drive and Becky tabulated birds....we didn't work her too hard...while I ID'd. It did not strain my skills much to pick out crows, jays, juncos, and a few other birds. Best birds were a few Wild Turkeys huddled on a brushy hillside. Credit goes to the boss for spotting them.

From out of the far, far North, the little KeeKee birds.....
Snow Buntings.
Some years we are lucky to see any. In the past few days we have seen at least 800

Oh, well, better luck next year and we had a fabulous day yesterday looking around our own county. I didn't list them, because I was not 100% positive, but I am maybe 80% sure we saw both the Short-eared Owl that was spotted on a road we know, plus a Lapland Longspur among a group of Snow Buntings and Horned Larks...great incentive to get out there and look again when we have some time.

from Northview Diary http://ift.tt/2CtPHzw