2015 Backyard Big Year--February Update

Squirrels and birds at sparrow slick during snowy February

There was just one word for Backyard Big Year birding in February--COLD!  OK, two words--cold and slow.  Very few days got above freezing, and the ground was snow covered the entire month.  Out of 25 days birding in the yard, I was only able to see 40 species, and get only 2 new birds for the year--Common Grackle and Brown Creeper.  Brown Creeper was great to see, as it was actually a new yard bird for me and the last of what I consider to be Code 2 birds (ones that are expected but may take effort) for me to see in my yard.

On the photo big year front, I was able to add photos of Common Grackle, American Tree Sparrow, and Pine Siskin--taking that total to 37 species photographed so far.

For the audio big year, I added recordings of American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow, Brown Creeper, and Hairy Woodpecker--bringing that total up to 26 species.

With most water in the county frozen, there weren't many gulls or waterfowl moving that I could see from my yard, and even goose flocks were mostly elsewhere.  Most action was at my feeders, or the sparrow slick I maintained excavated and seeded by my compost bin.  In the afternoons, I would look for soaring Red-tailed Hawks and vultures, and it was fun to have a few Cooper's Hawks buzz the yard--here's a recording of the birds going crazy and taking off as one attacked!