It all started with a
Red-shouldered Hawk flying across my yard. Red-shouldered Hawks are rare at this time of year, but my area has been pretty consistent all year round.
Next came another rare county bird:
Red-breasted Merganser at Versluis Lake. A journey to Holland State Park marked the first trip I have truly been able to use my new camera. Mergansers, Scoters, Canvasback, and other waterfowl were all in a small unfrozen section of the river/canal, which made for close up shots on some of the birds.
A random trip to the Wege Nature Center (not for birding), yielded female
Purple Finches (Also rare for this year).
The climax of my recent birding though, has been a trip to East Hastings, MI. The weather was in the 30's, but it was raining out. After a long, pothole full, one hour, drive, to a private residence, my target life bird, a code 2, was added to the list;
Long-eared Owl. The owner of the land, Doug Klein, and I, circle the tree the bird was in for about 15 minutes without seeing the bird we knew was in there. When Kevin Thomas showed up he spotted it right away! Felt pretty stupid, but it didn't matter. Unfortunately, because of the amount of rain coming down, I thought it would be wise not to take out the new camera. Looking forward to spring!
Year List: 48 species
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