From the Earth to the Sky

 Today is one of the coldest days of the season so far.  It feels like -29 but it looks gorgeous, the sun makes a big difference!  I am just getting over a bad stomach bug and so I'm staying close to home and looking at my feeders. Mourning Dove, Goldfinch, Tree Sparrow taken on this cold cold day! European Starling, Mourning Dove, House Finch and House Sparrow Black Capped Chickadee and Downy Woodpeckers make at appearance My feeders give me a great deal of joy, especially when the weather and health prevent me from going far.  I only feed in the winter and on a day like this the birds really seem to appreciate it!  I feed Black Oil sunflower seed at all times, with shelled peanuts, Nyger and Safflower also on the menu.  Lately I have picked up bags of a cracked corn mix for the Snow Buntings, but the Doves and others really seem to love it.  I get the regulars here, Northern Cardinals, Blue Jays, Dark Eyed Juncos, Mourning Doves, American Goldfinch, ...

 Well, Ebird has sent out its annual year in review on this cold Polar Vortex day in January!  I have been successful in my 'checklist a day' challenge, with 783 checklists, 237 species and 37 life birds!  I counted 116584 birds, with the most numbered species Canada Goose and most frequent species the Northern Cardinal ( they are everywhere!)  I have spent 508.4 hours birding with my biggest day being in October!  I've submitted 764 photos of 168 species and 20 sound recordings of 7 species, with 187 checklist media uploaded (habitat and other animals). My most visited location is  about 2 kilometres from my home, I traveled 1418.3 km and birded in 196 locations total.  I shared 43 checklists and my birding bestie was Sean Bates, a fellow from Hamilton that I went on a couple of OFO trips with.  It is interesting when you put it in perspective a practice that you do daily as part of your routine.  It is a fun and interesting hobby and I love...

 I have been focusing more on birds lately, but I still love to meet dogs and take photos.  Here is Holly and Willow, Golden and Labs, two lovely ladies that I met on the Long Point trip back in the fall.  They were  at the Old Cut Station with their owners, who were very friendly and pleased to meet birders (they did not know that there was such a thing as an Ontario Field Ornithologists group! Next I met Matilda at one of my local haunts.  She is a Ridgeback mix and very strong!  She is a a very friendly girl and showed me how strong she was by chewing on a close by tree!  She is helping to manage the understory! Next is my favourite little boy Loki!  I ran into him and his owners who are avid birders in one of my favourite birding places.  He looks like a purebred Corgi but apparently he is a mix with Australian shephard.  Loki is very sweet and loves people and treats!