Overcast with some rain, mostly in the first part of the day. Temperatures into the 40s.
The warmer temperatures and heavy rain overnight did well clearing off snow and ice in many locations. With the temperatures forecast to drop over the weekend, I’m hoping there isn’t wet snow/rain mix right before it freezes.
I had a call this morning, and needed to get ready for the pre-meeting for this year’s Christmas Bird Count, so my outside time was limited to a circuit of looking around this afternoon.
Conditions were again dim, but that’s to be expected when it’s cloudy so close to solstice. The sun is only rising about 10 degrees above the horizon at midday.
I saw the coot at Swan Lake, but no Wood Ducks.
The crane was on the upper part of Moller Park.
I saw the most juncos I’ve yet observed this year at the Moller Park bushes.
This evening at the meeting someone told me about a couple of mystery birds they saw. They described them as looking very much like juncos with a black hood and pale/white belly. Except they were more like Pine Grosbeak size and had a bill more like a finch. From the sounds of it, they were in a mixed flock with at least a couple of Pine Grosbeaks and a Varied Thrush. I gave them my number and asked them to get in touch if they see those birds (or any other unusual ones).
My iNaturalist Observations for Today
