I still have a flu that relapses every other day and the Arctic blast continues so Gary and I mostly stay here at Mathom House. However over the weekend, we were getting cabin fever so went out for a drive to New London. The Subaru runs well in cold and has the advantage of heated seats that were haven on my sore muscles.
It was our first birding trip of 2014. By the end of the afternoon we found flocks of turkeys, Gary's favorite, and a couple of bald eagles, mine. By taking back roads and watching bird feeders in residential areas, we added the following: mourning doves, rock pigeons, dark eyed juncoes, American crows, red-tailed hawks snow buntings, and sparrows.
Then, back here in my own back yard, I saw hairy and downy woodpeckers and black capped chickadees. At the end of the day I had twelve species in my Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail checklist booklet for 2014. That is a good start to the birding season. In 2011, I had counted only six species by January 6 and the same at this point last year.
I figure on many more on my 2014 list because I will be going to Hawaii and seeing things I never saw before. My total count for 2013 for the year was 85. Certainly I can do better than that in 2014.
One of the great projects in Wisconsin over the past few years was the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail. Today's news broadcast tells us that a Minnesota fracking firm discharged waste into some of the Trails most sensitive areas. The firm received an $80,000 fine which is probably what they earn from their terrible practices in a week. I hope it sends a message to our state legislature to stop issuing permits to these companies.
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The Arctic winds and cold that have been pummeling the Midwest will alleviate by Thursday and we can head on to spring, now only 71 days away. Today we decided to end the process by putting away Christmas. Four of the Christmas trees are gone. The last cookie has been eaten. Now we look forward to the RV and camping show in Green Bay weekend after next, Canoecopiea in Madison in March, the sturgeon guard and crane counts in April, to say nothing of my trip to Hawaii next month. Hawaii was the only state in the union that did not report freezing temperatures this week. That sounds good to me.
It was our first birding trip of 2014. By the end of the afternoon we found flocks of turkeys, Gary's favorite, and a couple of bald eagles, mine. By taking back roads and watching bird feeders in residential areas, we added the following: mourning doves, rock pigeons, dark eyed juncoes, American crows, red-tailed hawks snow buntings, and sparrows.
Then, back here in my own back yard, I saw hairy and downy woodpeckers and black capped chickadees. At the end of the day I had twelve species in my Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail checklist booklet for 2014. That is a good start to the birding season. In 2011, I had counted only six species by January 6 and the same at this point last year.
I figure on many more on my 2014 list because I will be going to Hawaii and seeing things I never saw before. My total count for 2013 for the year was 85. Certainly I can do better than that in 2014.
One of the great projects in Wisconsin over the past few years was the Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail. Today's news broadcast tells us that a Minnesota fracking firm discharged waste into some of the Trails most sensitive areas. The firm received an $80,000 fine which is probably what they earn from their terrible practices in a week. I hope it sends a message to our state legislature to stop issuing permits to these companies.
----
The Arctic winds and cold that have been pummeling the Midwest will alleviate by Thursday and we can head on to spring, now only 71 days away. Today we decided to end the process by putting away Christmas. Four of the Christmas trees are gone. The last cookie has been eaten. Now we look forward to the RV and camping show in Green Bay weekend after next, Canoecopiea in Madison in March, the sturgeon guard and crane counts in April, to say nothing of my trip to Hawaii next month. Hawaii was the only state in the union that did not report freezing temperatures this week. That sounds good to me.
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