TRANSITIONS ARE A COMIN'

Mourning Dove at our feeders today just before pishing for the Brown Creeper

My last entry seemed somewhat sure that I was going to get a new work van because mine had some toxic fume issue. Now I find myself humbled as it is almost 100% sure that the fumes that I was smelling were coming from my work boots. I must have stepped into some oily muck and it seeped into my boots - only to be activated upon using the blower fan on the floor setting (warming up the rubber of my boots and activating the smell). Wow! what a relief. I figured this out yesterday while driving in a large snow-flaked storm.  It was a terrible day to be out birding yesterday but today was a different story. I once again tied the March Big Day total of 32; a 3-peat if you will. I was stuck on 31 sitting at home and dreaming about Texas birds when I decided to give my eyes a break. I pished out the window -mocking a Brown Creeper - and lo and behold one appears. Boom - 32 species for the day. And yea I could go search for a Trumpeter Swan or a Cedar Waxwing and break the record with the last remaining daylight hours but I am tired and feel like the day is complete enough. Honestly I hadn't even planned on counting birds today at all - so from that perspective it was a grand day. Thank you Lord. Always something interesting in store. And Your Love reaches to the heavens. Thanks for keeping us safe and in your care (even if we don't feel like you are). One of the first birds of my morning was a Great Blue Heron. I only saw one today at Courage Kenny but I am sure the others are around. Along County Road 81 in Osseo across from the DOT building there are 2 American Kestrel Falcons taking up some territory. And I once again located the Barred Owl at the Springbrook Nature Center (back behind the visitor's center). One of the other neat sightings of the day - 3 Horned Larks in the same spot as last year along the Highway 10 frontage road that runs on the north side and west of Hanson Boulevard. There is some open land there and they love it there.  Oh and one more thing - I should be getting Van 203 back and the old work boots are in the garbage.

Here is today's list:

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Kestrel

American Robin

Bald Eagle

Barred Owl

Black-capped Chickadee

Blue Jay

Brown Creeper

Canada Goose

Common Goldeneye

Common Merganser

Dark-eyed Junco

Downy Woodpecker

European Starling

Great Blue Heron

Hairy Woodpecker

Hooded Merganser

Horned Lark

House Finch

House Sparrow

Mallard

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Purple Finch

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-winged Blackbird

Ring-billed Gull

Rock Pigeon

Sharp-shinned Hawk

White-breasted Nuthatch