New Egypt 2/20--Brown-headed Cowbird

Brutal weather and root canal this week have limited my birding to looking out the back windows. Today, despite the coldest weather of the week, with wind chills so low that the weathermen on the radio are making comparisons to Siberia, I had errands to run, so while I was in the car anyway, I ran through the possible places I could go where I might find a new bird for the year and not have to get out of the car.

Starlings and cattle, Inman Rd, New Egypt

The cattle pastures in New Egypt came to mind so I headed out there. Starlings are abundant out there and only move off the road reluctantly as you drive by (avoiding the cattle that don't seemed very concerned about you either) so it was in that flock that I finally found a new species for the year, albeit one that most consider a "garbage bird," Brown-headed Cowbird.  I happen to like them, especially when they "sing" their little water-dripping song.  Two glossy males were mixed in with the starlings. I probably could have found more, but I only need one. Nothing else of interest was out there. Had I stuck around perhaps I'd have found an interesting raptor, but with the wind blowing at 30 mph, perhaps not. In any case, I headed to the warmth of Wawa and then home, back to looking at the feeders, where the continuing Pine Warblers and a Hermit Thrush have been the highlights so far.