NOT 3 DOG NIGHT - 3 OWL DAY

It's a good thing that tomorrow will be a day of rest. I am taking the day off from work to go apply for my passport. I'll be needing that for the upcoming trip to Germany. So with the day off from work - follows a day off from birding too. Good thing. Today's 32 species shattered Friday's Big Day. These numbers fall in line with what I have experienced from last year. Although I only have one documented Big Day in April - last year's 44 seems almost reachable as the warmer weather moves in (along with more bird species). And it was a 3 owl day. Today I saw the Barred Owl at Elm Creek Park, the Snowy Owl in Ramsey, and was treated to a nice looking Great Horned Owl at Springbrook Nature Center. Wow!! Other non-owl highlights were: First of the year Horned Lark, Black Duck, Mourning Dove, and an elusive Purple Finch. Here's the complete list:

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Robin

American Tree Sparrow

Bald Eagle

Barred Owl

Black-capped Chickadee

Black Duck

Blue Jay

Canada Goose

Cedar Waxwing

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Dark-eyed Junco

Downy Woodpecker

European Starling

Great Horned Owl

Hairy Woodpecker

Horned Lark

House Finch

House Sparrow

Mallard

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Purple Finch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-tailed Hawk

Rock Pigeon

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Snowy Owl

White-breasted Nuthatch

Wild Turkey