March 2009 Archives

I received an email (via FLBirds) looking for volunteers to assist with surveys of nightjars (Whip-poor-wills, Common Poorwills, Chuck-will's Widow, and the nighthawks). The United States Nightjar Survey Network is a project administered by the Center for Conservation Biology and there are routes available across the country. It only requires giving up an hour one evening during a couple of specific windows of dates (the windows are dependent upon your location, with northern routes having two windows and southern routes only one). The surveys are done along a 10 mile route, stopping every mile for 6 minutes to listen for and count the birds. Since nightjars are active at night, the surveys are completed at night after moonrise, at least 30 minutes after sunset, when the birds are most likely to be calling. Sounds like a great opportunity to assist ornithologists in learning about these species, and it won't require a great deal of effort to complete, though they would prefer a 3 year commitment to maximize the data.

You can check for available routes on their website - if you are in Utah the state is wide open, though somebody I know (really well) is about to grab up the Bryce Canyon route.

The Big Picture has a series of 17 photos from around the world taken before and during Earth Hour on this past Saturday. It is really cool because when you click on the "before" photo, it fades to the "after" version. Pretty impressive stuff!

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It just doesn't seem to end. Get a couple of days of nice weather, then another Arctic front comes swooping down bringing snow, fierce winds (gusting up to 45 mph yesterday), and cold air. I think we're paying the price for the Spring-like weather had in January and early February. Interestingly, I have been looking back and putting together a little spreadsheet with last year's and this year's "first sightings" for the first 3 months. The mild weather we had experienced seems to come into play as, almost across the board, everything is earlier this year. In fact, Ring-necked Ducks, Redhead, and American Coot were more than a month earlier thanks to a pond that was free of ice down in Tropic in early February. There are a few others, however, that I have yet to see; I had my first Killdeer, for example, on March 18 last year, but still looking for one this year. Still, overall, it appears that the majority of migrants will be earlier in 2009 when compared to 2008.

I Had my first Pied-billed Grebe (pictured, from Florida) on April 1 last year, but if there isn't a sudden change in the weather in the next couple of days, this species will be later this time. The Sun is supposed to be out tomorrow, but more Arctic weather is forecast to be right behind that . . . 

Today is, of course, Earth Hour, so I do hope you plan to participate and turn off those lights for an hour beginning at 8:30. Over 300 U.S cities, including Salt Lake, are pledged to participate, four states have now signed on (Arkansas, California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania), plus buildings and landmarks across the country (Empire State Building, National Cathedral, Sears, Salt Lake Temple, Gateway Arch, the Golden Gate Bridge, and many more). Though there is nothing formal planned, here at the park we have an astronomy night planned and the topic of the preceding program will be on climate change. I'll be at home listening to an audio book by candlelight, just as I did last year.

If you're in a bigger city that is participating and the lights go down in your neighborhood you should check and see if maybe you can't see a few more stars out. Of course, part of the motivation behind Earth Hour is to raise awareness on the issue of Global Climate Change, a topic which, just this week, I found some additional news feeds that deal with this very topic. We can use that information to contribute to our discussions on matters of science and today is a good day to get started. A couple of these news items on climate change are from several weeks ago, but still pertinent and just may be "news" to you. In "celebration" I've also added a new widget near the bottom of the far right column that will show an interesting climate related fact every time you visit (or refresh the page).

The first is about a report from Audubon released back in February summarizing some of the data from Christmas Bird Counts over the past 40 years. The data shows a rather dramatic shift with some 305 species wintering farther to the north an average of 35 miles/56 km. At over 300 mi/500 km, Red-breasted Mergansers and Purple Finches have moved the most. In the case of the merganser, of course, they can't remain farther north if there isn't open water . . .

Butcher and his colleagues drew on data from the Christmas Bird Counts, a 109-year-old tradition in which birders brave whatever winter throws at them to visit predetermined sites where they record all the species they can find during a 24-hour period. In recent years, more than 50,000 volunteers have turned out for the count at some 2,000 locations across the continent. Such citizen science efforts offer a way to grasp broad trends, says conservation biologist Stuart Butchart of BirdLife International, headquartered in Cambridge, England. "The strength of this study is that it's looking at a broad range of species across a large geographic area," he says. "It's the overall pattern that's important and should be raising alarm bells."

I mentioned Science News' regular feature Science for Kids in the first in this series of posts and they have one on eating a greener diet that may be of interest to adults, too (the "adult" version of this article is online, too). Of the different kinds of meat we consume, beef contributes - by far - more in the way of greenhouse gases that either chicken or pork. The cows themselves produce copious amounts of methane, one of the worst greenshouse gases, as they digest the food they eat. Ulf Sonesson of the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology in Goteborg, Sweden points out that a single half-pound burger contributes more that 19 times its weight in carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in the process of raising the animal, transporting it to be slaughtered, ground up for consumption, and shipped to you to eat. Chicken and pork production contribute less bad stuff to the atmosphere - in fact, a Canadian scientist is quoted in the article says that if we switched away from beef completely the amount of CO2 would be cut in half. As for me, the main meat in my diet has been chicken for many years, though would I probably be inclined to eat a little more pork but for the other environmental impacts associated with those factory farms, not that there aren't similar bad things with giant chicken farms, too. (I only buy two or three pounds of beef per month and it comes from the store in Panguitch that buys and butchers locally raised cattle.)

Swimming on the waters of Resurrection Bay in Seward, Alaska, last week's bird was a female Harlequin Duck. This species tends to remain well to the north and it is said that one of the best places to see Harlequins in the "Lower 48" is at Montana's Glacier National Park on MacDonald Creek (just north of the lake).

We'll come back on shore for this week's quiz - as always, good luck and great birding!

Just a reminder that this Saturday is Earth Hour. Click on the banner at right for more information, but the idea is for as many individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off their lights for one hour beginning at 8:30 p.m. In addition to countless individuals, as of this morning over 2,700 cities and towns in 83 countries are participating, including London, Paris, Hong Kong, Sydney, Chicago - even Las Vegas! So join in - you can go dark for an hour!

With the road down to Tropic Reservoir (near the park) still impassable - I can get within about a mile - I decided to try a spot I haven't visited, but had heard could be productive during Spring migration. Just west of the town of Escalante, it was about a 50 mile drive over to Wide Hollow Reservoir, but worth the trouble for some good birds. Between what I saw early in the day in the park and on the drive over, I already had a good start to the day with 18 species, and added another 16 on and around the reservoir for a total of 34 species on the day. The visit produced 5 "year birds" and 1 "lifer": Common Goldeneye (for what its worth, that is life bird #379).

The day's list: Steller's Jay, American Robin, Western Bluebird, White-breasted Nuthatch, Dark-eyed Junco, Say's Phoebe, Common Raven, Mountain Bluebird, Wild Turkey, European Starling, Western Meadowlark, Mallard, Western Scrub-jay, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, Turkey Vulture, American Coot, Lesser Scaup*, Ring-billed Gull*, Western Grebe*, Black-billed Magpie, Common Goldeneye*, Double-crested Cormorant*, Redhead, Common Merganser*, Northern Flicker, Ring-necked Duck, Bald Eagle, Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, Golden Eagle. (* = year bird)

Common Merganser photo from Homer, Alaska

The past couple of days have been pretty nasty with high winds and snow, but, at least for today, it will be a little more like Spring again. Wednesday the leading edge of another storm will arrive and it will be windy, with snow forecast to follow behind that in the evening. This is my third Spring here, so this weather doesn't actually surprise me, though one can still wish for warmth and sunny skies. Given the less than ideal weather yesterday, it gave me an opportunity to waste the day away with a trip to the city to pick up some provisions. I would have probably stayed home, however Roxy was getting a little low on food, and keeping the old girl nourished is a priority.

Given the conditions I didn't expect to see many birds along the way, but first of the season American Kestrels were certainly in evidence - I saw five of them, mostly struggling to stay perched on a wire while battling the fierce winds. There was also a possible Swainson's Hawk, but at 70 mph along Interstate 15 I just didn't have time to get a really good look. Too bad because that would have been a nice addition to the year's total . . .

American Kestrel photo taken at Bosque del Apache NWR

In yesterday's "science" post I mentioned that the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center is looking for volunteers to transcribe scanned note cards that were part of a program called the North American Bird Phenology Program. The purpose is to create a database of this information for analysis. Well, I went ahead and signed up, then worked on about 20 of them tonight, and it was certainly interesting. It took a little over an hour to get that many completed as some go very quickly, while others require some typing in addition to simply inputting data into fields. Some also present a challenge trying to decipher people's writing.

On the fun side of things, the two oldest cards I worked on were from 1895, one of which was from Juneau, Alaska (Chestnut-backed Chickadees). Then there was a report of Chimney Swifts in 1935 from Pensacola, FL and, then, a few cards later, I happened upon a card from the same person reporting a single Osprey near Pensacola in 1964 - 29 years later! On the Osprey card, though I couldn't quite make out their writing, I think they were noting that the species was no longer breeding in the area - of course that would be around the peak time of the DDT problems. Another card, from 1929, reported a Long-eared Owl at Sand Lake Waterfowl Refuge in South Dakota, which is Sand Lake National Wildlife Refuge these days (I was there back in 2006).  A 1938 card from Texas reported a "Texas Nighthawk" - curious as to what that might be, a little Googling helped determine that it was a name used for a light form of Lesser Nighthawk. Another interesting card of note was a report from late May 1907, Corvus brachyrhynchos (American Crows) hanging around the hot springs near downtown Pagosa Springs, CO - a (once) little town where I used to live!

Yes, it's a bit tedious, but so far quite interesting. In some cases they only used A.O.U. codes to name the species, but PWRC has a page with the codes (if the writer only included the code it isn't necessary to look up the name for data entry, I just did for my own information). With 6 million of these cards, if you have a little time they really could use the help, I think . . .

These guys haven't been quite as conspicuous this year. One has to wonder if that mean ol' Badger might have put a hurtin' on them. While last year I was getting images in late February while there was still quite a bit of snow, this is my first Utah Prairie Dog for this year. There will certainly be more opportunities to come in just a few weeks since my summer "quarters" will only be about 200 or 300 feet from the largest colony in the park!

This biggest news in science this week still has to be the U.S. State of the Birds report I mentioned the other day. One of the interesting aspects of this report is the fact that a lot of the data has come from "citizen science" programs like the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, Cornell's eBird, Great Backyard Bird Count, and Project Feederwatch (Cornell has even more options here), and HawkCount.

Yet another way we can help ornithologists is a new project from the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center's North American Bird Phenology Program. Begun in 1881, the NABPP houses some 6 million data cards on migration patterns and populations of birds. They are currently seeking volunteers to, first, help scan the cards (for those who live in the Baltimore & Washington area) and, second, enter the data into their computer to create a computer database (you can live anywhere). If you are interested in assisting with this project, you can sign up here.

There's so much more we can do as well. Put up feeders, bird baths, and nesting boxes to support the birds in your neighborhood. To help protect forest birds use recycled paper for copiers and printers, then be sure to switch to "green" paper towels and toilet tissue. For the aridland species do I like I did and cut down on the beef, since so much of that habitat is being destroyed by cattle (besides, there's nothing like going for a walk out in the wilderness to look for birds and encountering giant piles of excrement they've left behind).

If you answered Brown Thrasher for last week's quiz you were absolutely correct. For the first quiz this Spring (Happy Equinox), we'll head out to the water for a tricky hen to test our skills. Good luck and here's hoping you get to see lots of great migrants in your birding adventures!

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar released a report today that indicates something most of us who love birds already knew: Bird populations in the United States are declining. In his press conference Salazar mentioned that birds are an indication of environmental health "like the canary in the coal mine." Pollution, habitat loss, and global climate change are responsible for placing over 1/3 of North American species in danger of extinction. While some herons, egrets, and other wetland bird populations have increased due to extensive work restoring habit, forest and grassland birds are in steep decline.

"Just as they were when Rachel Carson published 'Silent Spring' nearly 50 years ago, birds today are a bellwether of the health of land, water, and ecosystems," Salazar said. "From shorebirds in New England to warblers in Michigan to songbirds in Hawaii, we are seeing disturbing downward population trends.... We must work together now to ensure we never hear the deafening silence in our forests, fields, and backyards that Rachel Carson warned us about."

The report is available on a new website that also includes a link to download a PDF version. I may have more to say once I get a chance to read it over . . .

The weather outlook here is kind of disappointing: Saturday is forecast to be pretty breezy but with a high of 71. Sunday? High in the low 40's with snow, followed by a lower chance of snow on Monday with a high of about 50% that of Saturday (36F). That's depressing.

Speaking of such things, the Vernal Equinox is tomorrow when the Sun crosses the equator at 11:44 a.m. UT(GMT) and Spring will "officially" begin (that's 7:44 a.m. EDT/4:44 a.m PDT). Who forgot to tell the folks forecasting my weather?

Reading the entry Some Thoughts on Twitter and Birding over at A D.C. Birding Blog last week enticed me to have a look at a developing service called ChirpTracker. It is still in the developmental stages and the beta is only available by requesting to participate. I frankly see great potential for this service if you are a birder, especially when they get the "groups' functionality going because, if I understand the concept correctly, you could follow birders in a particular area and see what people are reporting rather quickly. Should work just fine on cell phones with web apps, too. One really great feature is the ability to show a pretty precise location for a sighting using GoogleMaps. The screenshot is the "viewing detail" of my posting of the White-throated Swifts yesterday (if you are carrying a GPS you can enter exact coordinates - in this case I had to make an adjustment of the marker position since I only entered the location as"Bryce Canyon"). As it develops, this thing just might be a lot better than subscribing to the various birding "listserves" for rapid communication with other birders. I am pretty excited about it.

 
  The 96th edition of I and the Bird is being hosted this go 'round by The Birdchaser. You should head on over there for some good reads.

American Robins and Western Bluebirds are just about everywhere I have been in the park over the past few days. As more campers show up, the Steller's Jays are begging all over the campground (please don't feed them!). And today, during my geology talk, I heard some chattering overhead and had a good idea what was up there, but concentrated on completing it and hoped the birds would return.Just as I'd wrapped up the Q&A, I heard the chattering again, looked up, and there they were, first of the season White-throated Swifts. Interestingly, this turns out to be about 8 or 9 days earlier than last year, which could be related to a milder Winter. Things should really get good over the next month . . . 

It was a good birding day today - 35 species. Still a little slow in the park, with mainly the usual suspects that are here all winter, plus the ever increasing numbers of robins that are now around most of the time. Down in the valley around the town of Tropic was quite productive and included 5 year birds to add to the list. "Bird of the Day" was a Willet working the shoreline of a small pond east of town - I love shorebirds, they are the one group of birds that I really miss living here. On that same pond I saw a couple of FOY duck species: Northern Shoveler and Bufflehead. The other new species were Spotted Towhee and (could do without these) Brown-headed Cowbird.

The full list: Townsend's Solitaire, Dark-eyed Junco (Gray-headed), Pygmy Nuthatch, Mountain Chickadee, American Robin, Steller's Jay, Common Raven, Bald Eagle, Say's Phoebe, House Sparrow, American Coot, Redhead, Green-winged Teal, Western Scrub-jay, Spotted Towhee, Pine Siskin, Ring-necked Duck, Mallard, Willet, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, Western Bluebird, Wild Turkey, Golden Eagle, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-dove, European Starling, Black-billed Magpie, Red-tailed Hawk, Savannah Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Brown-headed Cowbird, Mountain Bluebird, Canada Goose  

At mid morning yesterday I stepped outside for a breath of fresh air and heard a very faint series of toots from the Northern Pygmy-owl. Grabbing my bins, I started walking around slowly, trying to zero in on the direction from which the calls were coming. I picked up the trail, each step bringing a slight increase in volume, and I knew I had him. I've heard the bird twice and was convinced that this third time would be the charm and I would finally get to see it.

Then along came a car and that was that; the owl stopped calling, and I'll have to wait for another day.

I may make this a semi-regular feature about some of the interesting, exciting, and sometimes scary or disappointing news and information from the world of science. So much of what I read  deals with science-related stuff that I get from books, news sites, and blogs. I have long been fascinated by our expanding knowledge, and it is one of the reasons I avoid network television and primarily watch things like Richard Attenborough's Life in the Undergrowth on Science Channel a couple of nights ago (Cool! All about insects and spiders!) .

Buzzing around in last week's quiz was a male Anna's Hummingbird. The pale eye ring is a notable field mark to for on this species. Our bird this week, though somewhat secretive, will gladly entertain you with nice songs if you're east of the Rockies. Good luck and great birding!

An unrelated footnote: As I was walking to work yesterday I found my buddy the Say's Phoebe perched at the top of a Blue Spruce singing his heart out . . . he must have dropped down into the valley when the latest round of cold and snow came. And after you've solved the quiz, don't forget another edition of Loose Feathers over at A D.C. Birding Blog.

Yesterday morning I went out to warm up my truck before heading to work and was treated to the "toots" of a Northern Pygmy-owl. I was pretty sure that it was around this time last year and checked back and I had one calling on March 20 of '08. Same bird? Possibly, huh? One day maybe I'll actually get to see it . . .

In having more fun with Mr. Jefferson's birds, I was looking for a couple he lists as White Curlew and Brown Curlew. Included in his list are Linnaean names as well as names used by the English naturalist Mark Catesby* and, while I had no luck searching for the Linnaean names, I found some images online of Catesby's paintings by searching with his names. When I think "curlew" I think "sandpiper", but I was wrong; here are links to the paintings if the White Curlew and the Brown Curlew. It is clear from the paintings that we're talking ibis. I saw the painting of the white one first and quickly thought that the brown must surely be Glossy Ibis. However, I don't think so. In my opinion, being around both Glossy and White Ibis in Florida (as well as double checking my "Sibley"), it looks to me like Catesby's Brown Curlew is actually a juvenile White Ibis. What do you think? It would be interesting to find a reference that delves into his work deeper . . .

*Catesby's Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, published in two volumes in 1731 and 1743, respectively, was the first published work on the flora and fauna of North America. 

That's about how long it has taken to make it through all six volumes of Jefferson and His Time in audiobook format. I have not found a biography of one of the Founders that is nearly as extensive as this, and actually hope I don't because I would probably have to do that one as well. Let's face it though, Jefferson probably had as much or more to do with the liberties we enjoy today as any of them. The volumes in the series were written over a 34 year period between 1948 and 1982. I will admit that at times I hoped for more excitement but, given the amount of detail about the man's life included in the work, that is probably to be expected.

Truly an amazing individual who, in addition to being a statesman, was an inventor, architect, archaeologist, and family man.

He must have liked the birds, too, since he includes a pretty big list of the birds of his beloved Virginia (beginning on page 192) in Notes on the State of Virginia. An interesting challenge is to go through the list and try to figure out some the birds since many of his common names - and most of the scientific names - are nothing like those we use today. Some are easy, even the same, I can figure out a few others, but many remain a mystery. I have Googled a few and have had pretty good luck as there are lists/databases that reference the archaic names. For example, his Lanius tyrannus is the same as Tyrannus tyrannus, which simply names as "Tyrant" or "Field Martin", which we know as an Eastern Kiingbird. I'm guessing a "Painted Finch" could be a Painted Bunting. Something to have a little fun with on a rainy day if you're so inclined . . .

Headed out early today to see what birds I could find in less than ideal conditions: partly cloudy with pretty stiff winds blowing. Still, it wasn't all that bad with a total of 26 species in and around Bryce and the town of Tropic, my usual haunts. Included in the total were a couple of "year birds", Northern Harrier and Ruddy Duck. In addition to the birds, I finally saw another Utah Prairie Dog up and about, the cold weather at the end of last week apparently driving them back to their burrows and, out in sagebrush flats north of the park, 6 Pronghorn that have now migrated back into the area (they winter between 30 and 40 miles north).

The Ventriloquist - While making my rounds in the park I was attracted to a song and, in looking around, found a Townsend's Solitaire perched on the roof of the general store. As I watched I kept hearing song, but this bird's lips weren't moving (I know, birds don't have lips, but you know what I mean . . . ). I moved around in an attempt to try and triangulate the sound, thinking maybe there was another bird. Didn't matter though, the sound always came from the same spot. I didn't expect this, but maybe this is normal for some species. Will just have to do some further research.

The wind and clouds were associated with a front moving in that, as I write, are now dumping snow. The forecast is for 4-8 inches and a couple of inches are already on the ground - yuck! (Okay, will really need the precip, so I shouldn't complain to loudly.)

Today's list: Pygmy Nuthatch, Townsend's Solitaire, Hairy Woodpecker, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon and Gray-headed), Common Raven, Steller's Jay, Horned Lark, Golden Eagle, Black-billed Magpie, Red-tailed Hawk, Eurasian Collared-dove, American Robin, European Starling, White-crowned Sparrow, Northern Harrier, Ruddy Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Redhead, Mallard, Canada Goose, American Coot, House Sparrow, Rough-legged Hawk, Mountain Bluebird, Western Bluebird, Western Scrub-jay. 

Turns out that the Say's Phoebe did show up in the park after all. In a conversation yesterday with a co-worker (a pretty good birder and the coordinator for our Christmas Bird Count) that on Monday morning the bird was, just like last year, perched up on the Visitor Center roof singing away (well, one day later). And, just like last year, the schizophrenic March weather changed back to Winter from the Spring-like temps we'd been experiencing, chasing it and a bunch of other birds away. I'll have to look for it when better weather returns in a few days . . .

Time for our first quiz of the month of March. Just to help narrow the field, our bird this week is a species that regularly occurs within the U.S. and not one of those that you will only find on a lucky day in the extreme southwest.

Our bird last week was in the early stages of molting to breeding plumage, but a key field mark was really that long drooping bill. The other items to note were the new rufous colored feathers on its back and the black feathers, which will be quite distinct when the molt is complete, beginning to show on the belly. I learned just last week that this species name is based upon a color that I had never heard of before: dun (a brownish-gray, and not being a horse person, a name used somewhat frequently to describe the color of horse). Calidris alpina, or Dunlin, is the answer to last week's quiz.

Having a president that understands the importance of science is a good thing. Today President Obama issued a memo that overrides one of the (many) boneheaded maneuvers by the previous administration that essentially made the Endangered Species Act null and void. A rule enacted last December would have permitted federal agencies to pretty much do what they wanted to do with consulting biologists.

The memo doesn't exactly overturn the Bush Administration rule, but basically puts it aside and restores the previous requirements for projects until such time as the December rule is reviewed by the Departments of Commerce and Interior. My guess is that after the review process it will ultimately be tossed out.

Sure is nice to have adults in charge again.

Well, they were one day late, but I found a couple of Say's Phoebes today while out on a pleasant morning birding. Unlike last year they weren't up on the plateau, but down in the town of Tropic, only a few miles away. Also of interest was the sudden appearance in the park of, first, Western Bluebirds and, second, swarms of the Gray-headed variety of Dark-eyed Junco. In fact bluebirds were everywhere! Saw about 10 Westerns in the park, but driving along Utah 12 near Tropic it seem like every few hundred feet there were either Mountain or Western perched on a fence post or a utility wire. The day's total was 30 species, including some firsts for the year in addition to the Say's: Green-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, and Savannah Sparrow.

I photographed this Rock Squirrel in late March last year; surprisingly enough there was one in the same tree today. Could actually be the same squirrel, but it's hard to say . . .

Anyway . . . Here are all the bird species I tallied today: Western Scrub-jay, Steller's Jay, Pygmy Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Common Raven, Golden Eagle, Horned Lark, Mountain Bluebird, House Sparrow, American Coot, Ring-necked Duck, Redhead, Mallard, Cinnamon Teal, Green-winged Teal, Townsend's Solitaire, Mountain Chickadee, American Robin, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon and Gray-headed), European Starling, Pine Siskin, Northern Flicker, House Finch, Say's Phoebe, Eurasian Collared-dove, Western Meadowlark, Bald Eagle, Canada Goose, Savannah Sparrow, Rock Pigeon.

On this date last year I saw my very first migrant of the season. It was a Say's Phoebe singing up on the roof of the Bryce Canyon Visitor Center. It will be interesting to see what the next few days bring. I've been somewhat negligent marking off my checklist for the year, but a quick review of my notes and blog posts revealed that my species total is actually way ahead of last year at this time. With the Say's and a Mallard that I saw on March 1, 2008 I had reached 35 species, this year, through February 28, I'm at 46. Not sure what the difference is; I really don't think I have done any more birding this year than last. My best guess is that it is because this winter has been somewhat milder. The next several weeks should be fun as the long winter - mild or not - will finally draw to a close (hooray!).

(The Say's Phoebe pictured is from New Mexico a few years ago.)