Since I had the day off and it was sunny, why not go out and look for some birds? Even if it was 10 below (-23C) when I started out. The first species I saw for the year would turn out to be the most plentiful on the day with over 100 individuals: Common Raven. The first bird I photographed for the year (and first in a few months) was the female Greater Sage-grouse you see here. The grouse should be good for entertainment and photography come spring - the chief fire ranger in the park has told me he knows where some leks are located. Always nice to start out the year with a new species for the image catalog, too! The bird of the day, perched on a fence post too far away to shoot but still great to see, was a Ferruginous Hawk. Seeing 12 Bald Eagles roosting in the same tree was a nice treat, too.

The total for the morning - which probably is pretty good considering the bone-chilling cold - was 20 species (unless I can tick the junco subspecies separately, then it's 21): Common Raven, Golden Eagle, Greater Sage-grouse, Bald Eagle, Mountain Chickadee, American Robin, Western Scrub-jay, Western Meadowlark, Ferruginous Hawk, House Sparrow, European Starling, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon and Gray-headed), Mountain Bluebird, Rock Pigeon, American Crow, Black-billed Magpie, Western Bluebird, Townsend's Solitaire, Pygmy Nuthatch.