As a member of the underachievers club, I haven't done any hard-core
birding in over a week, but I did stop by the Cincinnati Nature Center
at lunchtime today, to sit indoors and watch birds at their feeders.
Two previously reported species (Purple Finch, Fox Sparrow) were absent,
but I did pick up 2 hoped-for Pine Siskins (#52) and a surprise Hairy
Woodpecker (#53) from the warmth of the seats in front of the
observation windows.

The usual suspects included Downy & Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Mourning
Doves, 1 Blue Jay, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice (-mouses?), 1
White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinals, M&F eastern Towhees,
White-throated Sparrows, Dark-eyed Juncos, House Finches,  and American
Goldfinches.

Leaving the building, I noticed a large, dark bird soaring high
overhead.  My first thought was a Buteo, since the tail was too short
for Turkey Vulture.  Then, the thing gave a slow flap, and I saw
silver-white wingtips.  The first Black Vulture (#54) was followed by a
second, which gave me time to get my binoculars out for good views.

As I lowered my bins, I glimpsed a flash of gold and quickly snapped
them back to my eyes.  Hurrah!  A Northern Flicker zoomed through the
parking lot and became January bird #55.

Since I rate my birding success by the number of woodpecker species I
see, this hour was very productive, with 17 species total, including 4
woodpeckers and 4 new species for the January 100.  I'd better be
careful - I might accidentally reach the magic number and lose my
underachiever's status!

~Kathi Hutton
Felicity, Clermont County
http://katdocsworld.blogspot.com/

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