I couldn’t buy a January bird today. Hardly anything around at either location.  A group of TVs was getting off their roost as I drove in. I finally found a large group of gulls out on an ice remnant near the Dillon marina but it was all Ring-billeds except one or two immature Herring. The marina is the only place I saw any ducks: just a few mallards and a group of four Hooded Mergansers. I’d run into some duck hunters at the beach and they said that it was the last two days of duck hunting. The water levels are quite high and it looks like the beach was underwater—some of it still is. I only found a couple Great Blue Herons, a couple Belted KFs & a few woodpeckers (red-bellied, downy, pileated). Only sparrows were White-throated & Song. Heard a towhee. A few juncos & WB Nuthatches. A N Mockingbird flushed from the roadside.

At Blackhand Gorge on the main paved trail, the only species I added for the day was  Golden-crowned Kinglet. A couple Red-taileds along the roads,

Yesterday at Killdeer, the weather was not what was forecast (10% chance of rain) but at least it was just a misty drizzle. Thick cloud cover & overall quite dreary & not v birdy. Only Jan bird was Trumpeter Swan—saw & heard a few small groups incl one grayish juv with 6-7 adults. Saw 2 wet Rough-leggeds settled onto their perches. Red-taileds. Bald Eagles near nests. A few N Harriers were hunting incl a pair coursing low over the fields in fairly close proximity. Always great to see a male harrier. One group of about 25 Sandhill cranes. Singing Tree Sparrows were in several spots—always a treat. Had song, swamp & WT also plus juncos. WPs: Red-bellied, Downy, Hairy. Only duck was mallard which I heard in the distance—the ducks must know it’s hunting season...

Peggy Wang
Granville
Sent from my iPad
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