It\u2019s now 2026, and the New Year arrived cold and windy. No doubt the cold and icy patches will be around for a long time.<\/p>\n
It was really cold last Sunday, when the annual Bethlehem\/Easton Christmas Bird Count<\/a> took place. Bird counts are normally a reason to get outdoors, but if we didn\u2019t have a truck that enabled David to drive me around, my count numbers would\u2019ve been pathetic.<\/p>\n At one spot by the woods, I saw several species of winter sparrow that usually wouldn\u2019t be seen in suburban backyards. They included White-crowned<\/a>, Field<\/a>, Lincoln\u2019s<\/a>, Swamp<\/a>, and Savannah<\/a> sparrows. I learned sparrows because our valley fields have always attracted them.<\/p>\n But, while most people reading this won\u2019t know a lot about sparrows, they will know about a species that was all over the place that day. American robins were everywhere we went. I counted 168 individuals, and I know many fellow counters reported similar, if not higher, numbers.<\/p>\n In the winter, robins flock together, making it easier for them to find food than if they were singularly searching for it. While some of these flocks go as far south as the Gulf Coast, others hardly move at all. However, even after decades immersed in the world of ornithology, I still find it odd seeing flocks of robins in the snow.<\/p>\n I was also fortunate to locate two Eastern screech owls<\/a>, although I didn\u2019t see them. I went outside in the dark and played their trilling calls, hoping that one would answer. And two of them did.<\/p>\n Screech owls are small, only about 8 inches tall. But their tremulous trills have scared many people because they sound like they\u2019re coming from some unknown night creature. If you hear a downward whinnying call repeated over and over in the dead of night, don\u2019t be afraid. It\u2019s not something coming to get you. But if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s making the sounds it can be chilling.<\/p>\n