No new species to report since last weekend. We have seen most of the species that we could expect to see while going about our daily routines here in the winter. Spring will bring us a number of species we can see around here without trying too hard. Until then it is chasing things.
We are now on a couple birding listserves. Some are more for general chatter about bird sightings as well as birding and life in general as it relates to birding. “Can someone tell me the best spotlight to see owls?” Others are only for serious sightings, no chatter please, and don’t even think of asking any stupid questions. You better be posting, “Yellow-billed loon in Munising,” not, “What’s that little brown bird that is coming to my feeder?”
The listserves are handy. We got the Ross’s goose, short-eared owls, rough-legged hawk, and northern shrike through the listserves. There is the issue of too many choices though. Do we go for the rufous hummingbird being kept alive at a feeder in Kent County or the great gray owl in Kingsville, Ontario? Two hours to the west or two hours to the east?
There is some restraint required. We could drive an hour south of here to see the Carolina wren out of its winter range. Or we could show some discipline and wait until it is nesting here in the yard a couple months from now. Tough call when you want the numbers up. Discretion is the better part of valor I guess. Save your time and resources for the really important. So on to the Muskegon sewage treatment plant this weekend.
Ed's and Lise's Biggish Years 