GBBC day 2 visitors to the yard....

I didn't take many photos yesterday and wasn't planning to count, but a few new birds flew into the yard that got missed the first day, so I did a little more counting for day 2 of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

 A small flock of Grackles stopped by.  Fortunately there were only about 18 of them and not 100's.  I hate when a flock of blackbirds comes through and starts eating all my seeds!  Usually it only happens when it is really cold and snowy and the fields are covered.  It was fairly nice yesterday, so these didn't stick around too long.

 The Titmouse was sitting on a branch so close to the window that I got rather odd photos, but he is always cute :-)

 Another Grackle

 The female Hairy Woodpecker

 A couple more close shots of the Titmouse.  We have one that constantly tries to peck at the sliding glass door near the top.  No matter how I fix the blinds, he still pecks at it.  I finally hung a peanut feeder at his favorite spot to peck, hoping to distract him, but he still wants to peck there.

Today's list, for just a couple of hours:

Carolina Wren-1

Grackles-18

Pileated Woodpecker-1 (flew across the yard, but didn't stop! First one I have seen in about three years.)

Hairy Woodpecker-1

Downy Woodpecker-1

Cardinals-5

Junco-10

House Sparrows-29

Titmouse-2

Mockingbird-1

House Finch-2

Goldfinch-4

White-throat Sparrow-1

Dove-12

Song Sparrow-1

Red-wing Blackbird-1

Cowbird-1

Chickadee-1

Red-bellied Woodpecker-1

***

We had a power failure while I was counting birds and I didn't even realize it for awhile because it was so sunny outside and I didn't have any lights on.  A transformer blew and put about 4,800 people on our side of town in blackness for an hour or so.

GBBC first day visitors.....

The Great Backyard Bird Count is a wonderful way to keep track of our birds at least once every year.  The count runs from Feb. 15-18 this year.  Everyone should do a little watching and counting and try to turn in at least one list.  You can also send in photos for their gallery.  I don't usually enter any, but some of you readers might get your photos on-line at the site.  Here are some of my visitors from the first day of the count.

 Female Cardinal and a couple of House Finches cleaning up under the feeder.

 Mrs. Cardinal by herself, both above and below.

 Mr. Cardinal.  

I can sure see why Charles Harper paints birds as geometric shapes when I look at this photo.  The Cardinal was one of his favorites to paint.  Round bird, perfect rectangle of black around the bill.  I love Harper's paintings!

Two male Cardinals and a male House Finch 

Mourning Dove 

Female Downy Woodpecker 

 A rather distant shot, but I liked how the Downy was hanging on the low branch and the pair of Cardinals were sitting up higher.

 The Mallard pair that showed up on the lake just in time for me to count them.  We have had a pair of Canada Geese out there all week, but they didn't show up yesterday while I was counting.

 Male Downy

Mockingbird 

Pine Siskins 

My favorite little Red-breasted Nuthatch....it sure loves peanuts! 

 Red-bellied Woodpecker finally showed up.

 The Red-bellied doesn't really like sharing and had a "spat" with a blackbird ....dueling beaks.....a few minutes before this photo.  The Blackbird won that battle, but then left.

Mr. and Mrs. Red-wing Blackbird 

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker showed up for a few minutes. 

 Song Sparrow.  I had two finally.  I'm always happy to see at least two of everything so I know I have possible mating pairs hanging around.

 As soon as the nuthatch left, the Titmouse showed up for his share of the peanuts.

Not very good photo of a White-throated Sparrow, but I was inside shooting through the door windows. They love to dig around for seeds that I throw in those leaves at the end of the driveway.....along with the Juncos, House Sparrows, doves, and Cardinals.  

Ozma helping me count birds.  Actually she is getting so blind...cataracts...that she probably has no idea what she is seeing other then movement!

Goose Pond.....

Some people celebrate Valentine's Day with a romantic dinner or flowers.....Mike took me to Goose Pond, near Linton, Indiana to look for water birds.  Perfect....I think he knows me very well after 43 years!  We did have a very nice lunch out on the way home and stopped at the Amish cheese store in Elnora :-)

 I was hoping to see cranes and we saw plenty!  However, my photos are pretty awful.  We saw at least 4 different large groups of the Sandhill Cranes in the tall grasses and along the water's edge....quite distant.  I was hoping we might find a few Whooping Cranes in the mix, but no such luck on this trip.  We did see them here once before.

 This was the largest group.  I would guess each group we saw had 40-50 cranes.

 A few taking off.

 Another group sticking up out of the grasses.

 There were lots of geese and ducks also, but my photos are so poor, I can't identify much.  I think I need to look at a new camera.  This one does fine for close stuff, but has gotten terrible for distant photos.  There were definitely Canada Geese, Greater-White Front Geese, Mallards, and I think I saw some Pintails in one photo.

 This was the first bird we saw!  An immature Eagle, I think.  Looked too big for a hawk.  Just sitting there on one of the little clumps in the water.

 We think these white blobs on the mounds are Pelicans!

 Pelicans and assorted geese and ducks.

I also saw my first Meadowlark of the year, and one Killdeer, and a pair of Harriers hunting over one of the fields.  A good birding day spent with my favorite Valentine!

*****

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today!  Make a check list and send it in!  

So far today, I've seen in the yard:

Song Sparrow-2

Titmouse-2

Goldfinch-8

House Finch-4

Pine Siskin-4

House Sparrow-31

Junco-8

White Throated Sparrow-5

Cardinal-13

Cowbird-1

Dove-9

Chickadee-2

Downy-2

Blue Jay-1

Red-winged Blackbird-6

Mockingbird-1

Red-breasted Nuthatch-2

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker-1
Red-bellied Woodpecker-2
Hairy Woodpecker-1
Mallard Ducks-2

Starling-1

Robin-2

My final list for the day.

Canada Geese at the wetlands....

I went by the wetlands last Saturday and there was not much happening, but I did enjoy looking at the Canada Geese in the creek and the reflections they were making on the water.

 A goose chorus line

 coming out of the water

 This is the "chorus line" director coming by to check out the talent.

 "Keep your legs straight!"

 I think those two on the end don't belong in this group :-)

 A couple of fat Robins out enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.

I woke up this morning to wet snow covering everything.  Big difference from these shots!

Not the only ones watching.....

We drove to Henderson, KY yesterday to check on the geese and ducks and found we were not the only ones out "bird watching".

 Right across from the field where the geese were gathering, this Bald Eagle was doing his own observing.

Maybe hoping for a wounded goose to attack?  I would think a full size healthy one would be a challenge.  Mike took these because it was on his side of the road.  But it did pose nicely for us!

Another " bird watcher".......we saw at least 4 hawks.  This nice Red-tailed was my best photo.

This one shot through the windshield isn't such a good shot, but at least it didn't fly away :-)  I really try not to disturb the birds too much while taking photos.  I realize that the daily hunt for food is serious business for them.

 Out in the flooded field there were a mixture of ducks....but pretty far away.  Some of the water is frozen and some not.  Here we have a pair of Mallards on the left, a Gull and some Shovelers on the right.  I think that one that is third from the left might be a Green-winged Teal, but not sure.

 A lot of the Snow Geese are still there, but they chose a field with lots of trees and brush between me and them.  Hard to get photos and lots of annoying branches in the way.

 Another group of ducks

 The geese.....not as many as before, but still in the 1000's, I'm sure.

 One fairly clear shot!

 More of the Shovelers.

A more distant view of the geese.....large band in the back with stragglers near the road. 

The Greater White-fronted Geese were hanging out on the other side of the road.  Not a large flock, but several dozen scattered along this little water area.

We also saw a group of about 30-40 turkeys!  They were behind branches, too.  Couldn't get out of the car without spooking them.

I was hoping for migrating sandpipers and snipe and more ducks, but we might be a couple weeks too early.  Still pretty cold.  Maybe in March?