Merry Christmas Bird Counting and Happy Owlidays

Having retired from advising all my extra-curricular activities at school, my schedule was finally clear for me this year to go on my first-ever Christmas Bird Count.  To be honest, I wasn’t too excited to go out counting ordinary birds.  But partnering with Steve made the Willmar CBC an enjoyable experience, and I was surprised at how fun it was to count birds as every single one was important on this day.  Steve and I didn’t have any finds that would rock the birding scene, but we did have some nice contributions to the count.  Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Grackles are about as boring a bird you can find, but in the winter they are quite rare and by extension, quite exciting.

Common GrackleWe also had the only Sharp-shinned Hawk of the day.  He was feeder watching too.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Steve and I also had most all of the American Tree Sparrows for the count, a dapper bird that is always a treat to see.  Other fun sightings included 20 Ring-necked pheasants in one spot, an all-white Rock Pigeon that looked like a ghost against the white sky, three Bald Eagles, and two Red-bellied Woodpeckers.   The CBC’s most notable bird was an American Black Duck which I need for my county list and have chased several times unsuccessfully.  The CBC was most notable for what didn’t show up.  There were several expected species missing completely, and the overall number of birds was roughly half of what it was last year.

Maybe there would have been more birds if Steve and I had birded until dark.  Steve had to go in the early afternoon, and I was itching to head west and out of the count circle. Andrew Halbritter, who found the Willmar Varied Thrush out his bedroom window last month, reported at the CBC morning briefing that he had seen three Snowy Owls on his drive into Willmar just the day before.  So late in the afternoon I ventured west to Chippewa County and was able to refind one of the Snowies, a nice male.

Snowy Owl

As I observed the owl, it flushed and I worried I had gotten to close and spooked it.  But then the owl flew toward my direction.  It seemed to float as it came closer and closer to the ground and the road.  Then magic happened. It touched down for a split second and lifted again with a mouse clutched firmly its large, feathered talons.  The owl took its meal  to the field to eat it.  Before I could even locate the white bird in the white field, it flew back to another pole to resume hunting. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve had with an owl.

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl

With 120 Snowies now in the state, this year is shaping up to be another record year for SNOW, and I’m hoping this SNOW isn’t my final owl of 2014. Plus we’ll be back in Great Gray country before year’s end. Merry Christmas to you all and may your new year be full of owls and other cool birds.

Not a Creature Was Stirring, Not Even a Mouse

With all the gift-buying, childrens’ concerts, holiday parties, and over-indulgences of molasses Christmas cookies, there’s actually a lot stirring these days.  All of this on top of the normal bustle of the work and home fronts leaves no time for birding.  The 9.5 hours of daylight doesn’t help matters either.  But I won’t complain because we are about to turn the solstice corner, and Santa brought me an early Christmas present. You may know Santa as old St. Nick, but I call him Mike McNab.  Today after work Mike found me another Snowy Owl just a few miles north of school and promptly called me.  I was still at work and in a hurry as usual, but there’s always time to see a SNOW.

Snowy Owl

Good old St. Mike – he brought me my lifer this time last year, and he has found five Meeker County Snowies in the past year.

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl

Snowy Owl

Despite a couple sightings this winter, Meeker has not yet proved to be the hotbed of Snowy activity like it was last year.  With over 100 Snowies being reported in the state so far, this year is shaping up to be as good or better than last year.  Other areas like Big Lake and Cambridge have stolen the Snowy spotlight this year with multiple owls (and multiple photogs).  Perhaps to the chagrin of local field mice, squirrels and farm cats alike, Meeker County is finally getting its snojo back.  ‘Tis the season to pile the dust and miles on the vehicle and watch the pole tops!

Snowy Owl