The white owls are garnering most of the attention right now, but the brown ones are still supremely cool. The weather has been exeptionally dreary lately and has had a negative impact on my photography and blogging. Still, it was good to be outside and hike a few miles while breathing the moist air and listening for birds. This past Saturday was a practice run for this weekend's Christmas Bird Count, so I made a point to cover as much ground as I could at the conservancy. I was surprised to find several White-crowned Sparrows at the prairie parcel, one adult and six juveniles. Five of them were hanging out in the tall weeds in the northwest corner while the other two were associating with a flock of American Tree Sparrows near the retention ponds. No sign of the Barred Owls, but I hope that means I'll find them on Saturday's count!
Pheasant Branch, Dane, US-WI
Dec 13, 2014 12:30 PM - 3:30 PM
41 species
Snow Goose
Canada Goose
Tundra Swan
Mallard
Common Merganser
Ring-necked Pheasant
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-tailed Hawk
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Great Horned Owl
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Blue Jay
American Crow
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown Creeper
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Snow Bunting
American Tree Sparrow
Fox Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Northern Cardinal
House Finch
Pine Siskin
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Great Horned Owl © 2014 Mike McDowell