Day 4: A Break From the Cold
Wednesday 31 December 2014
16 °F
Today I spent most of my day enjoying the warmth of being inside and spending time with my aunt and uncle at their house near La Crosse in western Wisconsin. I only ventured outside to take a quick walk with my aunt, but it was so windy and frigid outside that there were no birds seen. The wind and the cold was so bad outside that we decided to not go and try to find the resident Barred Owls at a local preserve.
I did, however, spot a few common birds at the bird feeders stationed near the windows of the house, see below:
TUFTED TITMOUSE:
Male DARK-EYED JUNCO of the eastern "Slate-colored" race:
Also worth noting was that my aunt spotted a BALD EAGLE and, strangely enough, a TURKEY VULTURE, a species that is usually much farther south than Wisconsin during the winter, soaring far over the house before I had woken up this morning.
Bird-of-the-day to the two species which let me take photos of them, TUFTED TITMOUSE and DARK-EYED JUNCO. Tomorrow will be a full day of birding and my last full day of this trip. Some highlights I may find tomorrow include seeing a place where Bald Eagles congregate to fish as well as visiting the Buena Vista Grasslands, which are home to rarities such as Greater Prairie-Chickens and Snowy Owls. Stay tuned!
Good birding,
Henry
World Life List: 708 Species (no life birds today)
Only 8 avian species today:
TURKEY VULTURE
Bald Eagle
Downy Woodpecker
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Dark-eyed Junco
House Sparrow
Henry , we've all been enjoying your posts and especially the owl! Happy new year where Staś was birding in zurich Switzerland. Yesterday, he saw a red kite, widgeon, coot, tufted duck and quite a few others.
by Ann Gunkel