6am & 24 degrees, 1 cup of coffee and we start looking for Owls. After visiting 3 different parks in our ‘circle’ with no luck, we headed to Perkins for some breakfast and warmth. Following breakfast, we spent the next 4 hours wandering from open space to open space counting bird numbers and species. It did warm up a bit, but the birding was slower than in past years. One theory was the cold made for very little open water, but the lack of snow spread the birds out as they have lots ore food sources this year with lots of open grass and plants.
Highlights included 2 mature Bald Eagles, flocks of Cedar Waxwings and Robins, 2 Red-tailed hawks and a possible Song Sparrow. Total numbers for the area will be tabulated next week and posted.
Here is a lone female Downy working on a next cavity at Harriet Alexander Nature Center.
