Last day of GBBC

This afternoon I took a hike around my birding spot again to find some more birds for the last day of the Great Backyard Bird Count.

It wasn't the best time of day to go, but I did manage to see 19 species and get a few good pictures.
This Anhinga was sitting in almost the exact same place it was yesterday. A beautiful bird, if you ask me, especially with that great plumage!

These Mottled Ducks were having a little disagreement the entire hour I was at the pond.

I thought this picture was pretty cool, even if it is totally out of focus. :-)

Yet another out-of-focus picture, but this one is of a bird I haven't seen at this location before -- an American Kestrel! It didn't hang around too long, and it was flying pretty far away so I wasn't able to get a clear photo.

Just like yesterday, the two flocks of Lesser Scaups floated around in the pond. I've decided that scaups are rather skittish; they swam quickly away even when I wasn't anywhere near them (hence the above picture) and always looked nervously over their shoulders when I was trying to take photos.

They're adorable though, even as paranoid as they are.

So, nothing especially exciting today, but it was nice to get out and go birding again. My year list is up to 67 species, and when the birds migrate back up North in for the spring, I should be able to get a bunch more.

Until next time,

Happy birding.

GBBC Report

Observation Date: FEB 16, 2009
Start Time: 2:15 PM
Total Birding Time: 1 hour
Party Size: 1
Skill: good
Weather: good
Habitat(s):
-coniferous woods
-scrub
-suburban
-freshwater
-salt water
Number of Species: 19
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
Mottled Duck - 7
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Lesser Scaup - 27
Brown Pelican - 6
Double-crested Cormorant - 2
Anhinga - 3
Great Egret - 1
White Ibis - 28
Black Vulture - 8
Turkey Vulture - 8
Osprey - 2
American Kestrel - 1
Common Moorhen - 1
American Coot - 2
Laughing Gull - 18
Ring-billed Gull - 10
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher - 1
European Starling - 20
Palm Warbler - 15