January and February catch up....

I think I am going to have to go back through and do some back dating of posts now.  The year didn't have a whole lot happening.  I promised myself I would chill some, and not go out as much.  I have other projects I need to work on.  One of the main ones going through the mess that is my photo library.  

​Since my previous post on 1/17 I managed to catch a pair of Great Horned Owls calling back and forth in the woods near the house.  Great Horned was heard off and on in January.  Carolina Wren's managed to stay through the winter.  Often seeing the pair of them.  I actually have no checklists from 1/28 through 2/14.  I think the timing of work from dark to dark, and business really kept me from seeing much.  I certainly didn't go anywhere to bird.  

Some early thawing of the backwater here brought Hooded Mergansers and a Common Goldeneye (Yard bird).  Large numbers of Ring-necked Ducks were drawn in also.  They started with a whopping 49 on 2/22 and grew from there to 75 on 2/27.  

An extremely early Fox Sparrow also showed up in the yard on 2/23.  According to eBird it is the earliest ever record in the County for Fox Sparrow.  Dead ringer for Sibley's Taiga illustration.  

Even without me out there contributing the other birders in the County were finding some outstanding birds.  A Snow Goose showed up at Whitehouse on 1/23.  4 Cackling Geese near the Mill Pond off Dickman road in Battle Creek.  Greater White-fronted Goose at Kolb Park near KCC, and shortly after a Ross's Goose at the same location.  90 Birds through the end of February was getting Calhoun County off to quite the start to the year.  And they kept the numbers going.  

Believe it or not I snapped no pictures from 1/16 until 3/12!!!  Next post will play catch up with March....and it is going to be quite good (though not necessarily for Calhoun specific).  
​