February 20th was not a typical February day. A week earlier, the temperature was near zero. Today it reached 60 degrees. No snow on the ground. Cloudless, sunny sky. A nice day to be outdoors for any reason. In addition to the usual a variety of backyard birds our group of 17 birders was hoping to see wintering ducks, a reported Great Horned Owl and, of course, a Bald Eagle.
We didn’t find a large variety of birds, the owl couldn’t be found, no ducks around but we did find Bald Eagles. One full adult, with white head and tail, posed on a tree top giving us good views and chance for some photos. The bird was more than one-half block away and Steve Gold took this photo through a spotting scope, something he never tried before. As a result, the quality is not top-notch, but it does serve as a memento of the day.
After spending time at the boat ramp we moved to the nature center where we got close-up looks at the birds eating at the feeders and at marveled at an amazing display of bird photography.
Birds Seen:
We had a low total of species: Bald Eagle, Canada Goose, Bufflehead, Crow, House Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Carolina Wren, Mourning Dove, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Grackle, Red-winged Blackbird, Cardinal, Chickadee, Two members of our group lingered a while and were rewarded by a good look at a Lark Sparrow, normally a bird of the southwest, and very rare for Westchester.
Despite the scarcity of birds, the warm weather and the pleasant company made it an enjoyable birdwalk.
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