I hesitate to admit in this forum that I did not go outside for the purpose of birding even once during January, but it's true. All the 21 species I recorded were seen from a moving car in Metropolitan Akron, or at my backyard feeder in Fairlawn. Common species such as mallard and Ring-billed gull have certainly been seen, but not with enough light or close enough to verify by their markings, so I did not count them. Yet. Most of my driving is done on I-77 in twilight. Even in the dark, a Great Blue Heron flapping slowly across the Interstate was unmistakable. I keep waiting for Summit Lake to thaw a bit and attract some ducks, so I can stop at the park and pull out the binocs with the rising sun at my back, but the ice remains intact. My most recent new species was a red-bellied woodpecker in my backyard on the 23rd.
21 species in Ohio is a pitiful record, but the year is still new! In 2010 I traveled to South Carolina, Magee Marsh, North Dakota, and Florida and accumulated 230 species, including 11 lifers, for my best year ever in the continental USA.
Do I hear 20?
Dr. Bob Barrett
Geography and Planning
University of Akron
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From: Ohio birds [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of [log in to unmask] [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2011 7:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] Biggest Losers, Jan 2011
The members of the Century Club, those Ohio birders who have already seen 100 (or more!) species of birds, are posting their numbers, and I congratulate them all. Unfortunately, I never have the time, energy, or ambition to chase this lofty goal. Once again, I offer a chance for the rest of us to compete in the Biggest Loser Contest. Come on, don't be shy - Who got the LEAST number of birds in January?
I'll start: 44 species, mostly seen in my yard or while commuting, since I only went out birding once during the whole month.
Who can beat that with a lower number?
~Kathi Hutton
Clermont County, SW Ohio
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______________________________________________________________________
Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/.
You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
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Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
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