Greetings... 30+ horned larks and 50+ American tree sparrows were at the
base of the VOA sled hill this morning. No luck with snow buntings or
longspurs. Luckily, there was one house sparrow at the hill; I was working
on the winter bird atlas, and since house sparrows were also present on
January 1, I'm relieved that there's evidence this species winters in West
Chester. Bob Lacker found three eastern meadowlarks earlier in the morning
on the east side of the park. One of the birds was sitting tight in a hole
it had dug in the snow and ice at the base of a tuft of grass. It's nasty
weather that turns meadowlarks into troglodytes!

There was one report last week of a short-eared owl at the VOA, but no other
reports of which I'm aware. Jay Lehman found two killdeer along the Great
Miami River at Hamilton Riverside Natural Area yesterday, but people don't
seem to be finding the variety of waterfowl on the river that usually shows
up in winter. I imagine the high water levels haven't helped.

My quest for a January Small Month is going well. With luck, I won't surpass
the quarter century mark, so please keep your reports coming in and I'll
know the places to avoid in order to maintain my Small Month pace. Luckily,
the pesky rufous hummingbird departed from Montgomery (Hamilton County) on
the 15th. One must be ever vigilant against list inflation.

Take care,
---Mike Busam
West Chester