American Robin in pine. Not a great photo, would look better as a Japanese calligraphy drawing.
Conditions were somewhat more pleasant today, it was only in the mid 30s instead of the teens when I started out. Some high clouds helped break up the monotony of the sky. I was out by 7 and watching until about 11 with a short break for breakfast.
Highlights were 4 new birds for the year–
Common Merganser–flock of 11 wheeled quickly over the yard at 8:23am
Mallard–small group of four flew directly over the house at 8:26am
American Robin–flock of 14 flew in and landed in the trees in my side yard at 8:30. They stayed for 20 minutes, some dropping down to forage on the edge of my lawn, then they were gone.
Bald Eagle–I was inside when I heard crows mobbing something (I had the OldBird 21c microphone running). I went to the window and saw the crows chasing 2 Red-tailed Hawks. As I watched, I noticed an adult Bald Eagle soaring north of my yard through the trees. Thanks crows!
I watched for an hour in the evening while I did some yard work, but it was super quiet. Here’s my eBird checklist from the morning. 33 species for the day, making it a Bonus Bird Day.
