The Great Backyard Bird Count is now half over! But I have made satisfactory progress in that time, toting up 3.33 hours of observation here in my backyard (which was almost 25% of my waking hours since I started counting). The weather has not been my friend. It has been unseasonably warm, so pressure to come out of hiding and eat has been much reduced. We even hit a record high 78 at the time I started my count. And today: warm... and windy. Birds in trees: many. But even with that I am up to 24 confirmed species. The runaway by count: American Goldfinches. I spotted 14 at one time this morning (and that's not all which were out there!) That's a big change from last year's count. Most unusual species? Pine Siskins (2 seen) Biggest disappointments: House Finches (max seen was only 4), Eastern Bluebirds (1), Juncos (2) and Carolina Wrens (1). Among my notable absentees are Eastern Towhees, Northern Flickers, and Red Winged Blackbirds. And I have hopes of Hairy Woodpeckers, Purple Finches, and Common Grackles. Keeping to the backyard does have its limitations, but we shall persevere, and we have two days to beef up the count. Stay tuned!
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