and the year reaches a close. A birder looks back on the year's list and remembers the special ones. He looks forward to the coming year when even a House Sparrow brings excitement because its the first of the year. He ponders on the misses and grins at the fortuitous finds.
As November reaches its dusk and December lurks around the corner, I look back at the birding year 2012. I set out to see 245 Kansas birds, not a lofty goal but a realistic one considering the arrival of a new family member and the tight budget hindering long birding trips. I now sit at 250 birds for the state in 2012. More impressive probably is my 229 birds found in Rooks for the year. In fact, there were only 2 county birds I saw in 2011 that I did not see in 2012: Black-necked Stilt and Eastern Wood-Pewee.
As 2013 draws ever closer, I wonder what my goals for the coming year should be. Will it be another "stick close to home" year? Will it be a "scour the state" year? Who knows, but I'm excited no matter what lies ahead.
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Photos
Here are some decent photos of some of the birds I've seen recently. I won't bore you with any more words....
"Just" an American Pipit
A Pipit in Profile
A songbird's bane
Female Merlin
By far the best shots of a Merlin I've ever gotten
Here in Kansas, this is already the Winter of the Red-breasted Nuthatch. I've even got it as a yard bird.
Townsend's Solitaire. One of a group of four. Isn't that an oxymoron? A group of Solitaires?
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