(Photo not taken today)

First bird of the day and the year: Black-capped Chickadee, which I got to enjoy with three senses, because s/he alighted on my hand for mealworms. I mostly stayed home today because it was my daughter’s last day home. While Katie and Michael were out to brunch I did make a couple of stops trying to see the Varied Thrush (didn’t get it) and to Pat Thomas’s yard on Superior Street to see some of her splendid birds, including Hoary Redpoll.

Hoary Redpoll at Pat Thomas’s feeder today

  Russ and I drove Katie and Michael to the airport, and checked along the roads up there for owls, but were skunked. I’m counting the miles even though I didn’t see much at all, because we put on some of those miles trying for birds. My day total is pretty dismal, but 13 for the start of 2013 is pretty cool. Bird of the Day: a tie, between Black-capped Chickadee and Hoary Redpoll. Total miles: 32 Tomorrow’s plan: I’ll be birding all day with Erik Bruhnke, at the bog and looking for gulls. Keep your fingers crossed!! New Species for the Day:

1.  Sharp-shinned Hawk 
2. Herring Gull 
3. Rock Pigeon 
4. Downy Woodpecker 
5. American Crow 
6. Common Raven 
7. Black-capped Chickadee 
8. Red-breasted Nuthatch 
9. White-breasted Nuthatch 
10. European Starling 
11. Northern Cardinal 
12. Common Redpoll 
13. Hoary Redpoll