Some people wake up in the morning and immediately start wondering what they'll have for dinner. Since the beginning of the year my first thought is, "What bird will I be able to use for Bird A Day?"
I took my walk through the WMA this morning and took each bird I saw or heard into consideration. There isn't much back there this winter and the rarest bird I saw for most of the walk--Red-breasted Nuthatch--I'd already used. I was resigned to using Eastern Bluebird, "burning" one of my 30 reliable birds too early in the year, when I came to a feeder along the path the skirts the WMA. Goldfinches were on the platform feeder and, when I looked more closely, I espied my first Pine Siskin of the year. I looked closely to make certain it wasn't a female House Finch when another flew in--same size as a goldfinch with a small bill--so definitely not HOFI. While Pine Siskin isn't rare, I certainly see them few enough times a year to use it for the BAD list with no qualms.
So, while the Pine Barrens this time of year certainly are, with nuthatch, bluebird, and siskin, the birds I am finding are what a friend of mine would call "quality."
Day list:
Comments: 32 degrees
14 species
Canada Goose 2 Heard
Mallard 5
Downy Woodpecker 2
Blue Jay 1 Heard
Carolina Chickadee 10
Tufted Titmouse 2 Heard
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 2
Carolina Wren 1 Heard
Eastern Bluebird 7
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Northern Cardinal 1 Feeder off Congasia
Pine Siskin 2 Feeder off Congasia
American Goldfinch 4
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